SCENE 1

Henry: It’s your first day on the job, are you excited?

Ben: Yes sir (unenthusiastically)

Henry: How are you feeling about this? You’re about to make history!

Ben: Make history? I’m just reporting the facts. Something happens, we report it—what else is there?

Henry: But, billions of things are happening every minute, and not all of that can fit into a newspaper. Barely any of it can, actually. And that’s where we come in. We decide what’s important and what should be passed on to the public. It’s a very powerful position, really.

Ben: Don’t we have to report what they care about and what they’re interested in?

Henry: God no, nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, we make the public interested in whatever we want them to be interested in. We decide what they need to know and proceed from there. It works best this way; democracy needs people like us. [pause] You must understand, there are two types of people in the world. There are those who think and those who act. It’s the duty of the thinkers to help those who act, act in the smoothest, most productive way. You, see what I mean, right … [eyes him suspiciously] you are a thinker, aren’t you?

Ben: [hand on head] I think…

Henry: [slaps him on the back] Thataboy!

[a reporter comes in, interrupting the conversation between the Henry and Ben]

Reporter: Sir! We just got a report that some Wobblies were attacked in Centralia, WA

Ben: Who are the Wobblies?

Henry: [annoyed] They are “The Industrial Workers of the World”- a radical union that is trying to overthrow capitalism. [pause] They’re basically anarchists.

Ben: Who attacked them?

Reporter: Members of the American Legion…

Henry: What did the Wobblies do?

Reporter: It sounds like when the legionnaires broke into the Wobbly Headquarters, the Wobblies opened fire.

Henry: Hmm… we’ll look into it.. Try and focus on who fired the first shot. A Wobblie fired the first shot, right?

Reporter: I believe so but- interrupted

Henry: Hold on, I’m gonna talk to Jim. Jimmy! Do you have a headline on the Centralia bit?

Jim: Not yet.

Henry: Great, I got one for you. “Wobblies open fire on War Heroes Parade.”

Jim: Got it.

Henry: Good! Run it! Finish the story.

Ben: But isn’t that misleading?

Henry: (Henry shows irritation that Ben hasn’t picked up on the process of the manipulation of the press.) I don’t know the half of what these wobblies are all about, but from what I can tell they’re very dangerous. They talk about “eight-hour workdays” and “the right to organize”—now we can’t really get into all that in one article but we can give the public a little idea of just how dangerous these people are.

SCENE 2

Scene opens with a man sitting reading the newspaper.

Man: Ah, baby born with three legs, must be from ____________________. Hmm… Man hit by lightening faces battery charges. Strange. Now, here is something interesting: Wobblies open fire on War Heroes Parade. Yells into the other “room”. Honey, who are the Wobblies again?

Wife: Oh! They are the members of the I.W.W…. you know, the ones fighting for the “one big working class union”.

Man: Oh. Yes. Well, it says here in the paper that they opened fire on some war heroes!

Wife: Honey, isn’t your sister’s husband a Wobbly?

Man: I hope not. All I ever hear about is how dangerous those Wobblies are.

Wife: Honey, do you really know anything about them?

Man: Well, I read the news. (cocky/snotty)

Person appears with Telegram and knocks.

Person: TELEGRAM!

Man: Mona, I’ve been called to Jury duty.

 
 
 
 
 
(Man stands still from Scene 2 while people from Scene 3 enter and set up the Court Room. Man then goes and sits down next to other jurors)
 
 
 
 
SCENE 3-The Court Room
 
Ben is sitting next to Jurors with a notepad. Henry enters and approaches Ben.
 
Henry: How’s the story going?
 
Ben: It’s good. This trial is about over.
 
Henry: Well, it’s about time, it’s been three months already. How’s the trial playing out?
 
Ben: It seems a little unusual that eleven men are being tried for the murder of one man.
 
Henry: Well these are unusual times. So tell me, What have you written so far?
 
Ben: reads the story he has just written- Here’s my lead. “Closing arguments will begin today in the trial of the eleven IWW members charged with the murder of Warren O. Grimm. It was three months ago that the defendants plead “not guilty” under the condition of self-defense. It remains unclear whether the defense has made a strong enough case”.
(gavel bangs)
Henry: Good, sounds great. I’ll get out of here before the trial starts. Good luck.
 
-Gavel Bangs-
Judge: Court, come to order. Will the prosecution proceed.
 
 
P. Lawyer: Could you please describe for the jury what occurred on November 11th, 1919.
 
 
Guy: It was about 2:00pm when the members of the American Legion,
including the deceased Mr. Warren Grimm, gathered at their
headquarters and began their parade. The parade marched the IWW
headquarters once and continued on to the end of the road at which
point they turned around to head back toward the Legion. When the
parade passed the IWW Union Hall the second time the commotion started.
 
P. Lawyer: Please describe to the jury everything you saw when the
commotion started.
 
Guy:  Well, I believe first there was some yelling and then the doors
of the IWW Union Hall opened and then there were shots from inside the hall into The War Heroes Parade!!! The next thing I knew
Warren Grimm is walking toward me with his hands on his stomach saying
that he had been shot!
 
P. Lawyer: So, what you are saying is that the IWW members shot into
the crowd-unprovoked and with the intent of murdering members of the
American Legion?
 
D. Lawyer: Objection- Your honor he’s leading the witness.
 
Judge: Overruled.
 
P. Lawyer: cocky bastard ass smile. No further questions. The prosecution rests, your honor.
 
D. Lawyer: Mr. Shankly, You claim that the members of the IWW fired on
the parade unprovoked, correct?
 
Guy: Yes, sir.
 
D. Lawyer: How would you respond to the claim that Mr. Grimm, the
victim of this murder, and you, yourself, were present at a meeting
that occurred on the night of Oct. 20th, in which the plans to attack
the IWW union hall during the Armistice Day parade were laid.
 
P. Lawyer: Objection, your honor, this is irrelevant to the murder of Mr. Grimm.
 
Judge: Agreed, please strike those claims from the record.
 
D. Lawyer: Then sir, how would you respond to the fact the IWW
headquarters had been attacked on four previous occasions..
 
P. Lawyer: Objection! Your Honor, again I must point out that this is
irrelevant to the case at hand.
 
Judge: Sustained, strike that from the record also. 
 
D. Lawyer: Alright, then sir, how would you respond to the detail that
the members of the IWW had asked for police protection from the
paraders and were denied!
 
P. Lawyer: Objection! I beg the defendant to make a relevant point immediately or to discontinue badgering my
witness.
 
Judge: Sustained, Do you have any questions for this witness that
pertain to this case, Mr. Rogers?
 
D. Lawyer: These questions pertain to the motives of the Members of the America Legion. It’s important to show-
 
Judge: The American Legion Members aren’t on trial, Mr. Rogers. Please put an end to your tom foolery or I’ll hold you in contempt! (pause) Let’s get on with the closing statements.
Mr. Buviea, please proceed. 
 
P. Lawyer: Members of the Jury, These eleven men here represent
something more than an incident in Centralia. These men and men like
them all over the country are threatening our way of life. Their
violence and theft will not be tolerated any longer! If you let these
men walk away today, you are telling them that their standard of
living is acceptable. And they are not acceptable.
Murder is not acceptable!
 
D. Lawyer: Members of the Jury, Today I ask you to forget everything
you have heard about the IWW and think only about the men that sit in
front of you today. They are husbands, fathers, brothers, and workers.
Their only crime is wanting a better chance at life, for themselves
and for their families. They are not murders. They defended
themselves, as each of you would have¦
 
Judge (interrupting):  Ok, Mr. Rogers, we get the picture. The jury
will now deliberate and we will gather at their discretion.
 
The jury exits and then enters from the other side of the stage (or
does something to indicate that the deliberation only took a few
seconds). They return to their seats.
 
Judge: Very well then, Has the Jury come to a verdict? 
 
Man (from scene 2): Yes, your honor. We the jury, find the defendants
guilty of murder in the first degree.
 
Judge: Very well then, I sentence the defendants to forty years in
state prison. This trial is adjurned. BANGS THE MOTHERFUCKIN GAVEL.
 
Bailiff enters and escorts the Wobblies off stage.. Soon it is just the man from scene 2 in the court room.
Ben from scene one enters and approaches the man.
 
Ben: Weren't you on the jury in this case, sir?
 
Man: Yes, I was. 
 
Ben: Would you mind giving me the scoop, I just got this job reporting
and if I want to keep it, I need a story.
 
Man: I suppose I could tell you about it.
Ben: Alright! So, was it tough to reach a verdict?
 
Man: Oh, No. It was clear from the start that those men are dangerous.
There wasn't a question about it!
 
The two men exit as the Man tells Ben some more details.