-33- SIMMS Brother Mayor, you oughter let us out a here. You ain't got no case 'ginst dis boy. Don't waste our time for nothin'. Leave us go home. CLARKE Aw, dry up, Simms. You done talked yo' talk. I God, leave Singletary talk his. (to Singletary) Step on out when you ready, Rev. REV. SINGLETARY (Reading) It says here in Judges 18:18 dat Samson slewed three thousand Philistines wid de jawbone of an ass. SIMMS (on his feet) Yeah, but dis wasn't no ass. Dis was uh mule, Brother Mayor. Dismiss dis meetin' and less all go home. SINGLETARY Yeah, but he was half-ass. A ass is uh mule's daddy and he's biggern uh ass, too. (emphatic gestures) Everybody knows dat - even de lil chillun. SIMMS (standing ) Yeah, but we didn't come here to talk about no asses, neither no half asses, nor no mule daddies. (laugh-ter from de Methodists) We come to law uh boy for 'sault an' larcency. SINGLETARY (very patiently) We'se comin' to dat pint now. Dat's de second claw uh de sentence wese expoundin'. I say Jim Weston did have uh weapon in his hand when he 'saulted Dave. Cause y'all knows if de daddy is dangerous, den de son is dangerous too. An' y'all knows dat de further back you gits on uh mule de more dangerous he gits an' if de jawbone slewed three thousand people, by de time you gits back tuh his hocks, its pizen enough tuh kill ten thousand. Taint no gun in de world ever kilt dat many mens. Taint no knives nor no razors ever kilt no three thousand people. How, folkses, I ast y'all whut kin be mo' dangerous dan uh mule bone? (to Clarke) Brother Mayor, Jim didn't jes' lam Dave an walk off. (very emphatic) He 'saulted him wid de deadliest weepon there is in de world an' while he was layin' unconscious, he stole his turkey an' went. Brother Mayor, he's uh criminal an' oughter be run ovta dis peaceful town. (Great chorus of approval from Baptist Clarke begins to rap for order. )