Ch. 4 The Trial
The girls were forced into separate jail cells at the refuge for the night. But there were bars between the cell doors so the girls could still talk to each other.
"Why couldn't they have put us all in the same room? That's not fair!" ABC shouted.
"Nothin's fair. If things were fair, do you think I would be in trouble for something I didn't do?" Spunk answered her back.
"Come on Spunk, cheer up! Don't get all down!" Kane comforted her.
"Ugh, I'm going to be stuck here for the rest of my life." She threw herself up against the wall and slid down until she was sitting.
"We have to think of a plan to get you out of this. We know you didn't really do it, but they need to... I think I have a plan that might work." ABC whispered to her. "You know how you've always wanted to act, dance, sing and stuff? Well, we can't do the dancing and singing part now, but I think I have an idea how you can act your way out of this."
"What is it?" Spunk whispered.
ABC quietly told her plan to the girls, and they agreed that the next day at her trial, Spunk would perform their little scheme according to plan.
The morning after, Spunk's trial began.
"All rise, all rise. The court of Judge E. A. Monahan to preside. Case 6438. Hannah 'Spunk' Audley. Accused of assault against an officer, and stealing from 12 stores on Mainstreet, NY, NY.
A bull put his hand on Spunk's shoulder and started to push her forward. She squirmed herself out of his grip and walked herself up to the judge's stand.
Snyder stood up from where he had been sitting next to some of the bulls, and walked over next to Spunk, and started to talk.
"I will speak for this young lady. She was very close with convict Frances Sullivan, therefore I think he has influenced her---"
"You know what," Spunk was starting in on her plan, "you won't speak for me. I have my own voice. I saw how you 'spoke' for Jack, and all of the other boys and girls that have come here for an unfair, yes unfair trial."
Snyder looked as if he had just been slapped in the face.
Spunk continued. "I can speak for myself and I just want to say," Spunk, and the room fell silent.
"I DIDN'T DO IT!!!" Spunk fell to her knees and pretended to start crying. It was surprisingly convincing seeing as she had only had the night before to practice. "I DIDN'T DO IT! YOU GOTTA BELIEVE ME! AHHHH!" she was "crying" even louder now. The judge looked aghast.
"Shut up kid! Shut up when I'm talking to you! Shut up god damn it!" the judge roared. "If you don't shut up I'll keep you in the refuge until you die of starvation!"
ABC, Trolley and Kane, who had been let out of the refuge that morning, were standing in the back of the crowd, laughing to themselves, hoping that their plan would actually get Spunk out of her accusation.
"SURE I HIT THE OFFICER! HE PICKED ME UP! WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE IF SOME BIG GUY PICKED YOU UP AND YOU WERE ONLY 13! I'M JUST A LITTLE KID! AHHH!" Spunk was doing her best not to keep from laughing. Not only was she scaring the judge into letting her off, but she was having a hell of a good time going it.
An older woman sitting in the back of the court wearing a fur coat strutted up to the judge's bench. She whispered something in his ear. Spunk guessed that this was his wife. She smiled and the judge rolled his eyes.
"I'll drop all charges if you'll just shut up!" he bellowed at her.
Spunk immediately stopped "crying" and she heard a little cheer from the back of the courtroom. She looked over to all of the newsies who were standing on the right side of the courtroom and they were all smiling at her. Race was laughing silently, and Spot was making faces at the judge, who wasn't looking.
Another bull picked her up off the ground, unlocked her handcuffs and shoved her out the door.
"Move along, move along." Spunk heard the judge say to the bailiff.
The swarm of newsies coming out to greet Spunk was amazing. It was an enormous amount of them hugging and kissing and talking to her. Spunk couldn't understand what was so important beside the fact that she had just gotten out of going to prison, until Race told her.
"Never before has any newsie escaped from the clutches of Snyder and Monahan! No one, except you! It's makin history!"
"Well, I don't think it will make history, but its great!" Spunk told him.
They all went back to Tibby's to celebrate Spunk's reprieve, all of them, except one.
"Where's Kid Blink?" Spunk asked finally after noticing he wasn't there.
"I don't know!" Kane said "I haven't seen him since yesterday when he told us about the rally. I didn't even see him there."
Spunk realized, If Blink wasn't at the rally, and he wasn't at her reprieve celebration, or at the court trial, where was he, and what was he doing. Could he have been behind the rally sabotage?
The girls were forced into separate jail cells at the refuge for the night. But there were bars between the cell doors so the girls could still talk to each other.
"Why couldn't they have put us all in the same room? That's not fair!" ABC shouted.
"Nothin's fair. If things were fair, do you think I would be in trouble for something I didn't do?" Spunk answered her back.
"Come on Spunk, cheer up! Don't get all down!" Kane comforted her.
"Ugh, I'm going to be stuck here for the rest of my life." She threw herself up against the wall and slid down until she was sitting.
"We have to think of a plan to get you out of this. We know you didn't really do it, but they need to... I think I have a plan that might work." ABC whispered to her. "You know how you've always wanted to act, dance, sing and stuff? Well, we can't do the dancing and singing part now, but I think I have an idea how you can act your way out of this."
"What is it?" Spunk whispered.
ABC quietly told her plan to the girls, and they agreed that the next day at her trial, Spunk would perform their little scheme according to plan.
The morning after, Spunk's trial began.
"All rise, all rise. The court of Judge E. A. Monahan to preside. Case 6438. Hannah 'Spunk' Audley. Accused of assault against an officer, and stealing from 12 stores on Mainstreet, NY, NY.
A bull put his hand on Spunk's shoulder and started to push her forward. She squirmed herself out of his grip and walked herself up to the judge's stand.
Snyder stood up from where he had been sitting next to some of the bulls, and walked over next to Spunk, and started to talk.
"I will speak for this young lady. She was very close with convict Frances Sullivan, therefore I think he has influenced her---"
"You know what," Spunk was starting in on her plan, "you won't speak for me. I have my own voice. I saw how you 'spoke' for Jack, and all of the other boys and girls that have come here for an unfair, yes unfair trial."
Snyder looked as if he had just been slapped in the face.
Spunk continued. "I can speak for myself and I just want to say," Spunk, and the room fell silent.
"I DIDN'T DO IT!!!" Spunk fell to her knees and pretended to start crying. It was surprisingly convincing seeing as she had only had the night before to practice. "I DIDN'T DO IT! YOU GOTTA BELIEVE ME! AHHHH!" she was "crying" even louder now. The judge looked aghast.
"Shut up kid! Shut up when I'm talking to you! Shut up god damn it!" the judge roared. "If you don't shut up I'll keep you in the refuge until you die of starvation!"
ABC, Trolley and Kane, who had been let out of the refuge that morning, were standing in the back of the crowd, laughing to themselves, hoping that their plan would actually get Spunk out of her accusation.
"SURE I HIT THE OFFICER! HE PICKED ME UP! WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE IF SOME BIG GUY PICKED YOU UP AND YOU WERE ONLY 13! I'M JUST A LITTLE KID! AHHH!" Spunk was doing her best not to keep from laughing. Not only was she scaring the judge into letting her off, but she was having a hell of a good time going it.
An older woman sitting in the back of the court wearing a fur coat strutted up to the judge's bench. She whispered something in his ear. Spunk guessed that this was his wife. She smiled and the judge rolled his eyes.
"I'll drop all charges if you'll just shut up!" he bellowed at her.
Spunk immediately stopped "crying" and she heard a little cheer from the back of the courtroom. She looked over to all of the newsies who were standing on the right side of the courtroom and they were all smiling at her. Race was laughing silently, and Spot was making faces at the judge, who wasn't looking.
Another bull picked her up off the ground, unlocked her handcuffs and shoved her out the door.
"Move along, move along." Spunk heard the judge say to the bailiff.
The swarm of newsies coming out to greet Spunk was amazing. It was an enormous amount of them hugging and kissing and talking to her. Spunk couldn't understand what was so important beside the fact that she had just gotten out of going to prison, until Race told her.
"Never before has any newsie escaped from the clutches of Snyder and Monahan! No one, except you! It's makin history!"
"Well, I don't think it will make history, but its great!" Spunk told him.
They all went back to Tibby's to celebrate Spunk's reprieve, all of them, except one.
"Where's Kid Blink?" Spunk asked finally after noticing he wasn't there.
"I don't know!" Kane said "I haven't seen him since yesterday when he told us about the rally. I didn't even see him there."
Spunk realized, If Blink wasn't at the rally, and he wasn't at her reprieve celebration, or at the court trial, where was he, and what was he doing. Could he have been behind the rally sabotage?