BACKBEAT LOVE

Chapter 16

(The next day in court, Morgan sat with Jeffrey, Les and Sarah, while David came in with Denton,
who were standing up in front of the judge.)

Judge Monahan: Any of you represented by councel?

(All the newsies shook their heads)

Judge Monahan: Good, that should move things along considerably.

Spot: I object.

Judge Monahan: What what grounds?

Spot: On the grounds of Brooklyn, yer honor!

(The newsies laughed and some of them slapped Spot on the back)

Judge Monahan: I fine each of you five dollars or two weeks confinement in the House of Refuge.

Race: Five bucks, I ain't got five cents!

Denton: I'll pay the fines.

(Denton came from the back)

Judge Monahan: Pay the clerk, next!

(The newsies gathered around Denton, thanking him for paying the fines.)

Denton: I've got some bad news.

(Denton stopped from continuing when he saw Jack being led in. Everyone was looking at Jack, who has
a nice shiner, the bruise probably looked worse than what it was. Jack was led to the front and stood
in front of the judge. Morgan took Jeffrey's hand and held it tightly. Sarah gasped at how Jack looked.)

Jack: Hiya. Fellas.

(Jack called to them brightly)

Jack: Hey Denton, guess we made the papes this time. how'd my picture look?

Denton: None of the papers covered the rally Jack.

Jack: What, but how, Why?

(Denton couldn't bear to tell him, he turned and rushed to the newsies standing in the back)

Denton: Meet me at Tibby's after you're done here, we have to talk.

(Denton left the courtroom.)

Bailiff: Case of Jack Kelly, inciting to riot, assult, resisting arrest.

Warden Snyder: If I might adddress the bench.

Judge Monahan: Move it along, Warden Synder.

(Snyder walked to the front fo the courtrom, smirking)

Warden Snyder: The boy's real name is Francis Sullivan, mother deceased, father, a convict in a the
state penitentiary.

(The newsies were stunned and Jack avoided their eyes.)

David: What about Sante Fe Jack?

(Jack pretended that he didn't hear David)

Warden Snyder: He is currently a fugitive from the House of Refuge, whre his orignal sentence fo
three months for theft was extented to six months for unruly behavior.

Jack: Yeah, for demanding a decent square meal.

Warden Snyder: Followed by an additonal six months for attempted escape.

Jack: It wasn't no attempt Snyder, remember me and Teddy Roosevelt and the carriage, Snyner, that was
no attempt!

Warden Snyder: I therefore ask that he be returned to the House of Refuge...

Jack: For my own good, right and for what Snyder kicks back to you?

(Judge Monahan and Snynder ignored Jack's outburst)

Warden Snyder: I sugget the court order his incarceration until the age of twenty one, in the hope that
we may guyide him to abandon his criminal ways and become a useful and prductive member of sociaty.

Morgan: NO!

David: You can't do that!

Les: Jack!

(The other newsies joined, but they were ignored. Judge Monahan banged his gravel down. Jeffrey looked
at Morgan and noticed how sad she was.)

Judge Monahan: So ordered, Next!

( Morgan and Sarah held onto Les as Les watched Jack being led away. It broke Morgan's heart to see Les
so upset and Jeffrey wrapped his arm around Morgan's waist as they walked out of the courtroom. After
their morning in cort. Denton took everyone to Tibby's, except Jack who was back at the Refuge, for lunch
at Tibby's. Everyone wanted to know wy there was no story about the Newsie rally in the Sun or any other newspapers)

Denton: Because it never happened.

David: Never happened, but we were there, we saw it with our own eyes, we lived it!

Blink: Yeah, I got a black-n-blue marks to prove it!

Denton: If it's not in the paper, it never happened.

(Everyone looked at Denton in confusion and dismay. Morgan got up and yelled.)

Morgan: I bet Pulitzer called up all of the others that own newspapers, including the Sun and invited
them to his place and then offered them something in return that nobody print about the newsie strike
or the newsie rally!

David: Morgan's right, cause that's probably why nobody printed anything about the newsie rally, because
to them it's not an important!

Denton: It probably went that way, but there isn't anything I can do about it.

David: So you're gonna quit, cause you woulnd't stand for nobody muzzling you.

Denton: I got reassigned, I won't be covering the strike news anymore, everyone enjoy your meal, eat
up, it's all been paid for.

(Everyone watched as Denton started to walk away. David ran to him and yelled at Denton)

David: They bought you off!

(Denton stopped and turned around.)

Denton: They could have blackballed me from every paper in the country. I"m a newspaper man, that's
all I know how to do. Without a paper to write for, I'm nothing.

(Denton took out some papers and held them out for David)

Denton: Here's the story I wrote about the rally. I want you all to read it.

(David grabbed the papers, he watched as Denton left and then crumpled them up and threw them on the
table.)

David: We bust Jack out of the Refuge tonight, for now on we depend on nobody, but ourselves.

(David walked to the door. Morgan watched as Les grabbed the papers and wrapped a knockwurst in it
carefully. Everyone shoved food in napkins and into their pockets.)

David: Morgan I need you to take Les home. Mush I need you to walk them home, just in case, I'm gonna
bring Jeffrey along, since he was with us when we were trying to get Crutchy.

Morgan: Come on Les, let's go.

(Morgan headed to the door, her pockets filled with napkins that were packed with food. She stopped in
front of Jeffrey)

Morgan: Be careful Jeffrey and you have to tell me everything that happens.

Jeffrey: I promise.

(Morgan left with Les and Mush. She could tell how upset Les was about the newsie rally. She didn't know
what to say.)

Morgan: I can't believe it, nobody covered the newsie rally.

Mush: Dats because all of da newspapers run the city.

Morgan: We can't give up Mush.

Mush: Unless things change, we ain't got no choice, but to give up.

(Mush walked Les and Morgan to the door and then left. Morgan waited until Mush left and then told Les.)

Morgan: Tell them not to worry, I'll be back later.

Les: But you're suppose to stay here.

Morgan: It's ok Les.

(Morgan pulled out the napkins of food she had taken and gave them to Les and then opened the door for
him and watched him walk into the apartment. Meanwhile back with Jeffrey and David. David led the other
along the wall of the House of Refuge. The only difference was that this time David was carrying the rope. David was in charge this time. Jeffrey noticed that David was confident. David stopped and pointed to a
barred window half way down the block.)

David: That's where we saw Crutchy.

(Boots was assigned to stand watch at one corner, Race at the other one. David was prepared to toss the
rope. Boots signal them with a cat call, Boots was peering around the corner, wide eyed)

Jeffrey: What is it?

Boots: Just take a look guys.

(There in the light of the street lamps, they saw an elegant carriage waiting in the courtyard of the
Refuge. There led by Snyder himself was Jack, his hands tied in front of him, Snyder had a good hold on
Jack's arm. Snyder pushed Jack into the carriage and then got in himself.)

Jeffrey: Where do you think they are taking him David?

David: Only one way to find out, meet you back at Newsie Square at midnight.

(As soon as the carriage left. Everyone watched as David hitched a ride on the back, hanging on it
tightly. It didn't take long for David to figure out where it was going. The houses were getting bigger
with each minute until it stopped in front of a huge mansion. David got off the carriage and hid behind
a hedge. David followed them into another part of the mansion. This time Synder was stopped from following
Jack into the room. David noticed who it was, it was Pultizer himself sitting at a desk. It was Joseph Pulitzer himself. He couldn't hear what they were saying. He could only see and it didn't look good. He had to wait until Jack came back out to make his move. Morgan walked towards the boys lodging house, when she ran into
the newsies at Newsie Square. Jeffrey saw her and grabbed her.)

Jeffrey: What are you doing here?

Morgan: I was going to the lodging house.

Jeffrey: What for?

Morgan: To see if you needed any help.

Jeffrey: You need to go back to the Jacobs.

Morgan: No way, I'm tired of being treated like a girl.

Jeffrey: It's pretty boring here, we're waiting for David to come back.

Morgan: What happened?

Jeffrey: Jack was taken away in a fancy carriage and David went to find out what was going on, he's
suppose to meet us back here at midnight.

(Morgan sat next to Jeffrey on one of the benches. Mush had come back and noticed Morgan.)

Mush: What are you doing here Morgan, I just dropped you off at the Jacobs.

Morgan: Well I thought you guys might need some company.

(Jeffrey rolled his eyes and then leaned back against it. Morgan looked at Jeffrey. Meanwhile David
waited and then decided on rescuing Jack. He carefully removed the linchpin that tethered the hourse
to the carriage. David then returned to the hedge and waited. A few minutes later Jack and Snyder came
out and David yelled at the top of his lungs)

David: Jack Run!

(Jack tore away from Snyder, he slid down the bannister and leapted to the ground. He fell into step
with David. They ran as fast as they could, down the long drive that led to the outside world.

Snyder: After them!

(Snyder screamed and leapted into the carriage, but when the driver tried to go, the horse ended up
going, yanking the driver to the ground and the carriage was still. Synder screamed in fustration and
shook his fists. Jack and David ran, until they ran out into the street to an alley. Jack stopped.)

David: What's the matter, we gotta keep going.

(Jack grabbed David and pushed him up against the alley wall)

Jack: You shouldn't have done this Davy, they could put you in jail.

David: Don't worry about me, you're the important one, the one the newsies need.

Jack: You go to jail, what happens to your family, you don't know nothing about jail, what it does to
a person.

Jack: Thanks for what you done, Davy, but you better get out of here.

David: What, I don't understand.

Jack: I don't neither, I do't understand nothing, no more, just go, get out of here. Go!

(Jack shoved David hard towards the street. The sound of clatter of horses hooves and angery voices
coming from the direction of Pulitzer's mansion. Jack screamed at David again.)

Jack: Go!

(David arrived at the newsie square defeated. He sat down and explained what happened.)

Jeffrey: I'm sure Jack knows what he's doing David.

David: I hope so.

Morgan: Come on, we better get back to the apartment.

(Morgan got up. she walked to Jeffrey and told him.)

Morgan: See you here in the morning. We have to keep striking no matter what.

Race: We all will be here striking.

David: Ok, see you in da morning.

Morgan: Night Jeffrey.

(Morgan turned to the others)

Morgan: Night guys.

Newsies: Night Morgan.

(Morgan and David headed to the Jacob's apartment and Morgan had questions for him.)

Morgan: So what happened?

David: I don't want to talk about it Morgan.

Morgan: But, why wasn't Jack with you?

David: I don't know why he wouldn't come, can you stop asking me questions?

Morgan: Sorry.

(David stopped for a moment and looked down at Morgan)

David: I'm sorry, it's just that the newsie strike isn't going the way I wanted it to go.

Morgan: It's not suppose David or it would be so easy.

(David started to walk again and they arrived at the apartment. That night Morgan's thought were on
Jack, back at The Refuge. Morgan was upset that the strike wasn't going very well and Morgan wished
Olivia was there with her. When it started to rain, the rain hit the roof of the apartment in a soothing
rythmn and Morgan was soon asleep. Jeffrey sat by the window of the fire escape and watched the rain come
down. He wished Bogg was there. The strike wasn't going very well and he wasn't sure if things would get
any better. Jeffrey turned to look at the other newsies and then at Jack's empty bunk. Jeffrey went to his
bunk and laid down. Jeffrey fell asleep to the sound of the rain hitting the roof.)