SIMMS Brother Mayor, how come you let dese people run they mouf lak uh passle uh cow-bells? Ain't I got de floor? I ain't no breath-and-britches. I was _people_ in Middle Georgy befo' I ever come to Floridy. Whut kind of Chairman is you, nohow? CLARKE (angrily) Heah! Heah! Don't you come tryin' show yo'self round me! I God, I don't keer whut you wuz in Georgy. I God, I kin eat fried chicken when you [Note: corrected missing spaces] caint git rain water tuh drink. Hurry up an' say dat mess you got in yo' craw an' set down. We needs yo' space more than we needs yo' comp'ny. NIXON Don't let him skeer you, Elder Sims. You got plenty shoulders tuh back yo' fallin. HAMBO Well, each an' every shoulder kin hit de ground an' I'll git wid 'em. Don't like it dontcher take, here my collar come an' shake it. WALTER Hambo, everybody in Orange County knows you love tuh fight. But dis is uh law hearin'--not no wrassle. HAMBO Oh you Methdis' niggers wants tuh fight bad enough, but youse skeered. Youse jus' as hot as Tucker when de mule kicked his mammy. But you know you got plenty coolers. SISTER TAYLOR Aw, taint nobody skeered uh you half-pint Baptists. God knows Ahm ready an' willin'. (She glares at Mrs. Lewis.) (Sister Lewis jumps to her feet but is pulled back into her seat. Mayor Clarke raps for order and the room gets quiet.) CLARKE Aw right now, Simms. I God, git through. SIMMS (pompously) Now, y'all done up an' took dis po' boy an' had him locked up in uh barn ever since Sat'day night an' done got him 'coused uh assault an' stealing uh turkey an' I don't know whut all an' you ain't got no business wid yo' hands on him stell. He ain't done no crime, an' if y'all knowed anything 'bout law, I wouldn't have tuh tell you so. CLARKE I God, he is done uh crime and he's gointer ketch it, too. SIMMS But not by law, Brother Mayor. You tryin' tuh lay uh hearin' on dis boy an' you can't do it cause he ain't broke no law--I don't keer whut he done so long as he don't break no law you can't tetch him. SINGLETARY He committed assault, didn't he? Dat sho is breakin' de law. SIMMS Naw, he ain't committed no 'sault. He jus' lammed Dave over de head an' took his own turkey an' come on home, dat's all. (triumphantly) Yuh see y'll don't knoww whut you talkin' 'bout. Now, I done set in de court house an' heard de white folks law from mornin' till night. (He flips his Bible shut.) I done read dis book from lid tuh lid an' I knows de law. You got tuh have uh weepon tuh commit uh 'sault. An' taint in no white folks law an taint in dis Bible dat no mule bone is no weapon. I CLARKE (after a moment of dead silence) I God, whut's dat you say? SIMMS (sitting down and crossing his legs and folding his hands upon his Bible) You heard me. I say you ain't got no case 'ginst dis boy an' you got tuh turn him go. SINGLETARY (jumping up) Brother Chairman-- CLARKE (raps once and nods recognition) You got de floor.