CLARKE Jim Weston, stand up suh! (Jim rises sullenly.) Youse charged wid 'saulting Dave Carter wid uh dangerous weapon and then stealin his lawful turkey gobbler. You heard de charge--guilty or not guilty? JIM (arrogantly) Yeah, I hit him and I'll hit him agin if he crowd me. But I ain't guilty uh no crime. (He hitches up his pants and sits down arrogantly.) CLARKE (surprised) Whuts dat you say, Jim? (raps sharply) Git up from there sir! Whuts dat you say? JIM (rising) I say, heah, I lammed ole Dave wid de mule bone, but I ain't guilty uh nothin. (There is a stark silence for a few seconds. Then Clarke raps nervously.) CLARKE How come you ain't guilty? (Jim sits down amid jubilant smiles of Methodists. Simms chuckles out loud and wipes his face with his handkerchief. He gets to his feet still gloating.) SIMMS (to Jim) Set down, Jim, and lemme show dese people dat walks in de darkness wid sinners an' republicans de light. SINGLETARY You just as well tuh hush up befo' you start, then, Simms. You can't show nobody uh light when you ain't got none tuh show. HAMBO Ain't dat de gospel? NIXON Aw, let de man talk. Y'all sound lak uh tree full uh blackbirds. Go head on, Elder Simms. WALTER Yeah, you can't teach 'em nothin' but talk on. We know whut you talkin' about. CLARKE (raps once or twice) I God, tell it. Whut ever tis you got tuh tell. SISTER LEWIS An yeah, hurry up and tell it. I know it ain't goin' tuh be nothin' after you git it told but hurry up and say it so yo' egg-bag kin rest easy. WALTER Aw shut up an' give de man uh chance. SISTER LEWIS My shetters ain't workin' good. Sposin' you come shet me up, Walter. Den you'll know it's done right. LIGE Aw, whyn't y'all ack lak folks an' leave de man talk. CLARKE (rapping repeatedly) Order in dis court, I God, jus' like you was in Orlando! (Silence falls.) Now, Simms, talk yo' chat. SIMMS (glances down into his open Bible then looks all around the room with great deliberation. It is evident he enjoys being the center of attraction. He smiles smugly as he turns his face towards the pulpit. He speaks slowly and accents his words so that none will be lost on his audience.) De Bible says, be sho' you're right, then go ahead. (He looks all around to collect the admiration he feels he has earned.) Now, we all done gethered and 'sembled here tuh law dis young lad of uh boy on uh might serious charge. Uh whole passle of us is rarin tuh drive him way from home lak you done done off his daddy an' his brothers. HAMBO We never drove off his pappy. De white folks took an' hung him for killin' dat man [Note: corrected missing space?] in Kissimmee for nothin'. SIMMS Dat ain't de point, brother Hambo. HAMBO It's jes' as good uh point as any. If you gointer talk--tell de truth. An if you can't tell de truth, set down an' leave Rev. Singletary talk.