They're coming. Run!
- No. Come on, this way. - I think I see them, Mr. Glenn.
- To the water. - They're heading for the beach.
- Down by the beach. - Look out. Run.
No. Doc, no!
- Don't stop moving. - They're down there, Mr. Glenn.
- There they go. - Okay.
- Lay down. - Hurry up.
Lay down or I'll shoot you, goddamn it.
- Hurry up. - Lay down!
That's right, shoot them!
I give up, Mr. Glenn. Please
- Shut up, Henri. - Please, don't hit me. Please.
Clean him up. Take him to the hole.
And call the press.
Dateline, San Francisco.
Alcatraz was the scene last night of a dramatic escape attempt.
Four desperate prisoners were apprehended...
...on the rocky beach below the prison.
The recently completed Golden Gate Bridge serves as a backdrop
So near, yet so far from freedom the surviving escapees. . .
...Henri Young and Rufus McCain, are escorted back to lockup...
...while their less-fortunate cohorts are destined for the morgue.
The body of Doc Barker, son of the infamous Ma Barker...
...lies bullet-riddled, cooling on a steel gurney...
...attended by a triumphant guard.
The squad of jubilant correctional officers who foiled the escape...
...congratulate each other and reluctantly show their battle scars.
A proud Warden Humson , supervisor of three penitentiaries...
...Folsom, San Quentin and Alcatraz, and confidant of J. Edgar Hoover...
...congratulates his troops.
Uphold the honor of Alcatraz.
Humson returns to his duties...
...as the inmates are sent through metal detectors...
...cells are searched, extra guards are called up
...and Alcatraz goes on full alert to forestall any additional trouble.
As public interest reached a frenzy...
Warden Humson and Associate Warden Glenn...
...left the island in the bay for a press conference...
...headed for the San Francisco City Hall...
...which was inundated with a veritable plethora of reporters...
...from around the globe, all gathered to hear the official reaction.
Associate Warden Milton Glenn introduces Warden John Humson.
Warden Humson will now make a brief statement...
...and if you please, no questions at the end.
Thank you.
I just want to reassure...
...the American people that...
...Alcatraz is an escape-proof prison.
They have nothing to fear.
The inmates, McCain and Young...
...will be brought up on escape charges.
There will be time in solitary confinement.
Privileges will be taken away from them.
And the whole rehabilitation process will begin.
"To restore to a state of physical, mental and moral health...
...through treatment and training. "
Hello.
Hello, hello, hello.
Eleven times eleven...
...121.
Twelve times twelve...
...144.
Thirteen times thirteen...
...169.
Fourteen...
When Henri Young began his rehabilitation...
...I was in my first year of law school at Harvard.
How long?
Alcatraz was opened...
...as a federal penitentiary in the spring of 1934.
In the era of the gangster, it was opened more for the publicity value...
...than the incarceration level.
Alcatraz was the most feared prison in the world...
...and the most expensive.
There were only so many AI Capones and Machine Gun Kellys...
...so the prison had empty cells.
In order to justify the costs...
...the government took incorrigibles from other prisons...
...men that had committed smaller, more petty crimes...
...men like Henri Young.
Hallowing be thy name.
Our Father who art in heaven...
...hallowing be thy name. Our Father...
Prior to 1938...
...there had been five escape attempts.
No one had made it.
The reputation of Alcatraz as being unescapable was secure.
Six inmates had died.
The ones who didn't die sometimes wished they had.
The federal guideline regarding solitary confinement states
...that the maximum stay for an inmate shall not exceed 19 days.
Our Father who art in heaven...
...hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done...
...on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread...
...and forgive us for our trespasses...
...as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Thank you, gentlemen.
Alcatraz is a half-mile off the coast of San Francisco.
There were 276 inmates...
110 guards, with their wives and children stationed on the island.
And the associate warden, Mr. Glenn.
This is the story of Henri Young as I know it.
October 2nd, Game 2, 1936 World Series.
American League Yankees versus the National League New York Giants.
The Yankees... The Yankees score 18 runs, a series record.
Every single man in that lineup hits at least once.
Every single man in that lineup scores at least one run.
Daddy. - Hello. Hello.
Have you been a good boy? Here, take Daddy's lunchbox.
We'll go see Mommy.
Good news, Henri.
It's over. You're out of the hole.
You stink, boy.
I did it. I made it.
Unh, come on.
- Did good. - I made it.
I did it. I did it. I did it.
Unh, come on now. Unh.
You did good.
The only other survivor of the escape attempt was Rufus McCain.
He had betrayed his fellow inmates by tipping off the associate warden.
McCain was rewarded and left in the general population.
Henri Young was sent to solitary.
- Come on. - Hey, hey, hey.
Okay, okay, okay.
GLEN Henri.
Some men are broken by the laws that they break.
Unable to resist the forces that are pulling them down.
Other men live by the rules...
...that society has set down.
You're not one of them.
Henri, I have a job to do here at Alcatraz. Do you know what that is?
To protect you from yourself.
You were among the selected sinners the state set apart...
...so that you could simmer in scum.
The good people of the United States have decided...
...that you are better off here.
I had nothing to do with that decision.
But where I play a part in your life is to make sure that you stay here.
That you rehabilitate yourself...
...become a model prisoner...
...a better human being.
That's my job, Henri.
You, too, have a job.
And trying to escape...
...is not one of the duties of your job description, if you follow me.
In life, Henri...
...for every action...
...there is a definite and distinct reaction.
Action...
-...reaction. - Yes, Mr. Glenn.
Now, if you escape, action:
I lose my job.
I have a family...
...that I will not be able to provide for!
I'm not done yet, Henri.
Now, knowing this information, Henri...
...can you tell me...
...why you would possibly want to escape...
...and jeopardize my family?
I've done nothing to you but my job.
And instead of letting you learn by breaking the rules...
...I feel I need to show you how to obey them.
Tolerance.
Tolerance for pain.
My tolerance of you.
But tolerance can be mistaken for kindness...
...and kindness can be mistaken for weakness.
And we can't have weakness, can we, Henri?
I understand. I'll-- I'll-- I'll be good.
I'm not gonna try and run again.
- No, you won't, Henri. - Action, reaction, Mr. Glenn.
Action, reaction, Mr. Glenn.
- Action, reaction. - Action, reaction.
Good.
Take him to the hole.
Clean him up, take him to the hole.
Christmas, 1939...
...I celebrated visiting with my brother.
Henri Young celebrated in Alcatraz.
Stop it!
Get in here.
Please, no, no, no. Please, don't put me back.
Don't put me back.
No. I don't want to. I don't want to.
No. No. No!
--ivy
- They sound great. - Nice.
Merry Christmas.
- Very good, children. - Really sounded good.
Standing round a flagpole
And he caught himself a head cold
Been singing it over and over. I can't get him to shut up.
It gets on your nerves, you know?
In January of 1941...
...I had passed the bar exam.
Henri Young was in his third year of rehabilitation.
No, Mr. Glenn!
Welcome to Alcatraz, gentlemen.
Step off the boat and onto the dock.
Eyes straight ahead at all times.
There was one boat named after Warden Humson...
...which handled traffic to and from Alcatraz. In the morning and afternoon...
...it shuttled the school children to San Francisco for classes.
It was also used to transport prisoners to the island.
Whenever possible, having children and prisoners on the boat at the same time...
...was avoided.
Don't look at the children.
I'll take the kids into the city...
...and we'll go shopping.
Honey, can I call you back? The warden's here.
- Good morning, warden. - Good morning.
- When did you arrive on the island? - About 20 minutes ago.
Good.
- Sit down. - Thank you.
Mr. Glenn...
...I've been going over the rotation figures...
...in the solitary-confinement cells.
Is there something wrong, sir?
Well, I don't know. I don't think this can be right.
What's that, sir?
Well, here, 244.
According to this, he's been in there since March of '38.
I don't believe there's been an attitude change...
...with regard to 244, sir.
He's not like the other inmates.
But that's over three years.
He masterminded the escape attempt in '38.
And there hasn't been an attempt since.
If you let those animals believe that escape is possible...
...heh, you might as well stick in a revolving door.
I think he has learned his lesson.
Come on, Henri. Let's go.
Henri Young had been rehabilitated.
I was now a public defender in San Francisco.
We would meet in three days.
Eat, Young!
You know the rules. You don't eat, you go to solitary.
Now, get with it!
Two times two is four.
Two times three is six.
Two times four is...
...eight.
Two times five, 10.
Twelve times eight...
...ninety-six.
Hey, Henri, McCain, he put you in the hole.
Put you in the hole.
McCain's still here. Look.
McCain put you in the hole.
Put you in the hole.
McCain, put you in the hole. Put you in the hole.
Get them back. Get them back against the wall now.
- What happened? - I don't know.
The United States of America...
.... Henri Young.
Charged with murder in the first degree. Approach the bench.
Charged with murder in the first degree.
"Henri Young, Rufus McCain, in there, striking and wounding...
...sharp steel instrument, to wit, a spoon."
A spoon. A spoon? Heh.
This can't be right.
That's right. - If you say so.
"To wit, a spoon, about four inches in length...
...which, striking and wounding, described as foresaid...
...caused the said Rufus McCain thereafter...
...to wit, on June 11, 1941 to die."
Trial set one week from Thursday, June 22.
This court stands adjourned.
I know you can do it.
The fourth at Pimlico, the derby. Come on, boy.
You can do it. You've got four furlongs.
Don't be cursing this streetcar.
Pick them up and lay them down. Let those legs just pump like pistons.
Yes. Come on. The spirit is willing. I can see it in your eyes, boy.
Aw, come on.
Pump and go.
Remember Jesse Owens at the '36 Olympics?
Ha-ha-ha. Maybe tomorrow, sonny boy.
Watch it, buster.
- Sorry, counselor. - Jeez.
Gosh, you all right? Heh.
Mary, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. Mary. you okay?
- Stop that now. - Okay, okay, I'm sorry.
If Henkin saw us, he wouldn't think twice about suspending me or you.
- All right. - Fix your tie.
Why?
You need to look good when you thank Henkin.
Thank Henkin? What do I wanna thank Henkin for? The man's a cretin.
- He's given you a case. - Case of what? Scotch?
Yes, James, a case of Scotch.
What, you mean an actual case where I stand in front of a jury?
- Federal murder one, no less. - Henri Young.
He's a convict who killed another convict in front of 200 witnesses.
What? Wow.
Was it self-defense?
- With a spoon. - What with a spoon?
That was the murder weapon. Your client used the spoon to kill the man.
There weren't any forks or knives available? Great.
My first case, I can't possibly win.
Do this one for the experience for the next time when maybe your guy didn't do it.
You could learn a lot.
Go see your client and make nice to Mr. Henkin.
- I'll see you tonight? - Maybe.
Mr. Henkin, uh...
I wanna thank you very much for your confidence in me...
I don't have any confidence in you. The guy is guilty.
A monkey could try the case and not make it any worse than it is.
- I see. - Remember that.
- Thank you, sir. - A monkey.
Heh. I guess I'm a monkey.
James Stamphill here to see Henri Young.
I need you to sign a release.
- It's a nice day, huh? - Yeah, great.
Where are you going? I wanna go into the cell, talk to my client.
What, are you nuts?
I'd like to speak to him face to face.
Well, ahem...
...you've already signed the release.
It's your life.
Hi.
So, then, Mr. Young, is it?
You're Mr. Young, is that correct?
Mr. Young. That is your name, isn't it? Henri Young?
Why don't I just assume that's your name until you tell me differently. How's that?
Mr. Young, I will be acting as your defense attorney.
My name is James Stamphill and anything you tell me...
...will be protected under the rules of confidentiality and privileged information...
...of the attorney-client relationship. So feel free to answer my questions...
...in a totally honest and forthright fashion.
Now, just for the record, your name is Henri Young, right'?
Mr. Young, this isn't an admission of guilt. It's just your name.
You speak English?
Yeah, you do speak English. It says so right here in the file.
Okay.
Mr. Young, I am your attorney...
...but I'm not gonna be able to provide much of a defense if one of us is catatonic.
You see, we both have to at least be able and willing to answer up...
...when our name is called, you know?
Can you hear?
Mr. Young?
You okay, Mr. Young?
Henri Young was born in Kansas in 1913.
His parents died 10 years later, leaving Henri to raise his younger sister.
At the age of 17, Henri went into a local store to try to get a job.
He was refused work.
Out of desperation, he reached into the cash register and took $5.
The store also doubled as the town's post office.
Henri was tried and convicted of the federal crime of mail robbery.
Henri's sister was taken to live in an orphanage.
He would never see her again.
Eleven years later, Henri would kill Rufus McCain.
Mr. Young, you went and killed a guy...
...so you're not catatonic.
So I know that you can talk.
Or at least, I don't know...
...maybe you could write something, huh?
You wanna write something? Write here.
Something. Just...
Look, you wanna give it a try? You wanna write?
Just something, please.
Mr. Young, you're looking at me.
You hear me, don't you?
If you don't wanna answer my questions, maybe we can start with something else.
What do you want, Mr. Young? There has to be something.
It can't be to sit there, because if you do, they're gonna stick you in the gas chamber.
Do you understand that?
Look...
...Mr. Young, I've read your file.
I am trying to help you.
That's all I'm trying to do. I just want to help you.
Maybe there are extenuating circumstances in your case.
Getting sentenced to Leavenworth for stealing $500, that's extenuating.
Now, isn't it?
Look, Mr. Young, you have to understand, I'm on your side.
- Five dollars. - What, Mr. Young?
It was $5, not $500.
Bingo. I knew you had it in you. Now, come on, Mr. Young...
...why did you kill Rufus McCain?
Come on, come on. You just talked. Don't do this again.
Come on. No, no, don't quit now. Come on, you just talked.
Why did you kill McCain?
Huh?
What? Huh?
- What are you saying? - How...?
How? How? How?
Are you saying "how"?
- How. - How...
- How? - How...
- How...
How. What are you, a fucking Indian? Come on, don't quit now. How what?
- How is...? - How is... How is...
You wanna know how somebody is? I'll find out.
How is...
- Who? How--? -...DiMaggio.
DiMaggio. How is DiMaggio?
What, is he a prisoner over at Alcatraz?
How is DiMaggio doing this year?
DiMaggio, the baseball player?
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
How is Joe DiMaggio doing this year? That's what you're asking me?
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
Mr. Young...
...I don't really follow baseball.
You know?
Excuse me, Mr. McNeil? I'm James Stamphill.
Yes?
- I'm counsel for Henri Young? - Yes.
I was wondering if I could talk to you about a continuance?
- No. - You don't understand.
He just sits. I can't get him to speak.
Maybe he's practicing for the gas chamber. Tell him to take deep breaths.
Heh. Seriously, you won't even consider a joint motion in the interest of justice?
Are you old enough to be a lawyer? - Yes, sir, I am.
No joint motion for a continuance...
...no psychiatrist, and trust me, pal, no plea bargain.
Your boy's gonna suck the pipe. I don't know who you pissed off...
...to get this piece-of-shit case and I don't care. No breaks.
Mr. Young, DiMaggio is having a great year.
Last year, he was American League batting champ with a .352 average...
...which was just a little bit off the year before when he had a .381 average.
Now, the Yankees, they too had a good year.
"New York defeats Chicago 4-0, led by jolting Joe DiMaggio hitting .400."
Four hundred. That's pretty good, isn't it?
June 17, 1941...
...our friend DiMaggio hits safely in 32 straight games.
Twelve more and he will tie the record held by Wee Willie Keeler...
...who set the mark in 1897 for the Baltimore Orioles.
Joe Louis emerges the victor in what some consider to be...
...the toughest win of his career.
Here we go. Here's some entertainment news.
Betty Grable. See?
It says here, she, uh... She finished filming--
- How old are you? - What, Mr. Young?
How old are you?
Me, I'm 24.
I think I am too.
No, you're, uh...
You're 28.
Mr. Young?
Would you like me to keep reading to you?
Henri?
This ought to make you a little bit more comfortable, Henri.
First, the defense requests a new jury. Having been eliminated from this process--
Three new members.
And that's it. Next?
Your Honor, the defense respectfully requests a continuance of 60 days...
-...so I may confer with my client. - Your Honor, he doesn't need 60 days.
The facts in this case are so clear, six minutes would do it.
My client has been almost catatonic since I met him.
- Yesterday was the first day-- - He wasn't so catatonic...
...that he couldn't walk over and slit a guy's throat in front of 200 witnesses.
Mr. Stamphill, is it your contention that the defendant is insane?
Is that what you mean by "catatonic"?
Approach the bench, counselor.
Is this laying the groundwork...
...for a "not guilty by reason of insanity" plea?
I don't know yet.
I haven't even spoken to him about the case.
- The first I've got-- One week, counselor.
Then you will either come in and tell me you are ready to come to trial...
...or you will come in here with a request for a competency hearing.
But, Your Honor-- - One week.
This court is in recess.
Mr. Young, you and me, we've gotta talk now.
Would you like a cigarette?
No, thanks.
That shit will kill you.
That's kind of funny.
That shit will kill you.
I'm gonna die in that gas chamber anyway, so that's kind of a joke, huh?
What's this about Nazis? We at war?
No, not yet, Mr. Young.
- It's brand-new. - What?
- Mr. Glenn told me. - The associate warden?
He says it's brand-new. He said they're gonna try it out on me.
No.
Henri, you only have a week.
You've got to talk to me. Okay?
Why did you kill Rufus McCain?
Henri, why did you kill Rufus McCain?
HQW?
How could you not know about baseball?
You said, "I don't follow baseball."
- How could you not? - Why'd you kill Rufus?
Over and over, it must have been maybe a year, maybe more, I don't know.
All I did was hear them in my head.
What? What are you talking about? Are you talking about McCain?
I'm talking about baseball.
I'm talking about the great American pastime.
I went over every game I ever heard on the radio.
I mean, I went over every game I ever heard.
Just playing them over and over in my head.
You had all those games to go to and you didn't even care.
Henri, I'm talking about Rufus McCain.
And I'm talking about three fucking years they had me in that bucket!
Three fucking years! Without any fucking light even!
You had all those games to listen to!
You don't even know what DiMaggio hit this year.
What kind of asshole are you?
Calm down, boy.
Do you know the average length of time an inmate would be in solitary?
Nineteen days.
- I understand, but he killed a man. - Young did more than three years.
- Three years in total darkness. - That's tragic, but he took a life.
Your brother's gonna tell you you're not gonna get him off.
My brother is the best lawyer I know. Somebody to tell me...
...we've got a chance for some kind of insanity plea.
Your brother's not gonna give a damn.
Your client is a two-time loser.
This case is much more about you than him.
He has no future.
This is your first time in the spotlight. It's what you worked for.
This case is a lost cause, so you must handle it like a lost cause.
Maybe you're right, but the guy's not exactly Al Capone, you know.
No. No, he isn't.
All they had him on was income tax evasion.
Your boy, they got on murder one.
Hi. How are you?
Hi, Henri.
Hey, listen.
You're not mad at me for blowing up at you yesterday?
Because, you know, nobody talks back.
Mad at you? No, I'm not mad at you.
And I'll get the hang of it. I got a sense of humor.
We gonna have some good times before this is through.
You know how to play cards? Could you get some?
Look, look, look, I set this up for you. Here, sit down.
How much light got into the cell you spent three years in?
Like when you offered me that cigarette.
I said, no, that shit will kill you. That was pretty good.
Henri, you gotta help me if I'm gonna defend you, okay?
Yeah, sure, sure. - All right.
Look here.
Did you kill this man here? Rufus McCain?
I must have. I'm here.
I don't remember it, but everybody saw me, so, yeah.
- But you don't remember it? - No. But so what?
Did you want to?
You know, once there was this spider that crawled over me.
It was like having company.
I looked for him again. I couldn't find him. He had a way out.
McCain was the reason you landed in the bucket.
One hundred forty-two times 93. Ask me.
- How long after you came out of the hole--? -13,206.
Thirteen thousand. You mean, days? What are you talking about'?
That's the answer, 142 times 93.
- Henri, concentrate on what I'm saying. - I know what you're saying.
- How long was it? - I don't know. Okay? I don't remember.
Hey, what's this new girl I've seen in the papers? This Ingrid Berger?
She's some kind of looker. You seen the movies?
- Goddamn it. I want you to think. - I don't wanna think!
I spent three goddamn years in the dark, smelling my own shit and piss...
...doing nothing but thinking.
I hate thinking.
I'm sorry, Henri.
I'm sorry.
I'm just trying to help you.
Hey, you got a girl, right?
- Yeah. - Take your jacket off.
- What? - Let me smell it.
You were easier to understand catatonic.
- What's she like? - Who?
Your girl. That's perfume on your jacket Let me smell your jacket.
Look, I'll make you a deal.
I'll give my jacket, pants, whatever you want. Sports, girls, whatever.
But you gotta tell me just one memory about something I ask.
- Deal? - Sure.
Okay.
I never been with a girl, you know.
Let me try it on.
How long was it that you went without any daylight?
Did they ever let you out for any exercise?
- Aah! Please, don't hit me. - Merry Christmas.
- Get the tear gas. - How long I been in here?
- You're out of the hole. - I made it. I did it.
It's Christmas, 1940. You've been down there two years.
Two years.
I did it.
Two fucking years.
I made it. I made it.
I'm not too crazy, am I?
I did it. It's over.
Nothing's over, Henri.
Thirty minutes exercise, that's all you get.
No!
You don't want it, we take you back.
No, no. I want it.
I want it.
I'll be good. I'll--
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...
...the defendant, Henri Young, is accused of murder in the first degree.
It is your responsibility as a juror to deal with truth.
Rufus McCain was murdered by Henri Young.
Mr. Stamphill, the public defender, will play upon your sympathies.
He will use every trick in the book. Why?
To avoid the gas chamber.
The United States of America will demand that you return a verdict of guilty...
...so that this... This animal...
...will receive the punishment commanded by the Bible.
An eye for an eye. A life for a life.
For if ever there was a man guilty of murder...
...it is Henri Young.
And if ever a man deserved to die for that crime...
...it is the accused.
Thank you very much, Mr. McNeil.
Mr. Stamphill, are you prepared to make your opening statement at this time?
Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury.
When I was a kid, my heroes weren't Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig...
...they were Clarence Darrow, Emile Zola.
In other words, I have waited for this moment all of my life.
To stand like I am right now in front of a jury of 12 good people...
...to plead the case of an innocent man who's been unjustly accused.
The only problem is he did it.
I know it, the prosecutor, Mr. McNeil, knows it.
Henri doesn't know it because he can't remember it, but he won't deny he did it.
All those witnesses the prosecutor's going to bring forth will tell you.
Henri Young killed Rufus McCain.
So now that we all know that, why don't we find the man guilty...
...and gas him because that's what we all know is going to happen?
- Right, Henri? - What?
There's only one problem that's gonna keep us from wrapping this up in record time.
Henri Young did not act alone. They haven't caught all the killers.
There was a co-conspirator.
It is because of this co-conspirator, whom we shall name in this courtroom...
...that Henri Young is innocent of the crime of murder.
What?
Objection, Your Honor. I must protest.
I kind of figured you would.
Your Honor, this is absurd.
Before the counselor is allowed to waste this court's time and this jury's time...
...I would request that he supply some proof or evidence of this co-conspirator.
Mr. Stamphill, can you bring forward evidence...
...of the existence of a co-conspirator?
Not at this time, but it is my intention to during the course of the trial.
He's not going to provide such proof because no proof exists.
This man spent three years in solitary confinement...
...during which time no one had any influence over him...
...because no one had any contact with him.
He came out of solitary. He went directly to a shower.
Then he went directly to a haircut. Then he went directly to the dining hall...
...where one convict had said one sentence to him.
Your Honor, this does not a co-conspirator make.
I'm inclined to agree with the prosecution, young man.
Unless you can justify that line of defense...
...I will sustain the prosecution's objection.
The district attorney, with his own words, has just made my case for me.
That'll be the day.
Your Honor, for three years, three long, torturous years...
...no one and nothing had any influence whatsoever over Henri Young.
No one and nothing.
This was a man whose only crime was to steal $5 from a local post office...
...so he could feed his starving sister.
He came to Alcatraz a petty criminal...
...who had never harmed or attempted to harm another human being in his life.
And he came out of the dungeon a vicious, barbaric, maniacal murderer.
A man who had been put into a kind of psychological coma.
Within an hour of coming out of that hellhole...
...he did what would have been unthinkable to him three years before.
Unthinkable.
His only thought was murder. His only instinct was murder.
His first act was murder.
Now, he himself was a murder weapon, but the hand that held that weapon...
...and plunged it into the throat of Rufus McCain belonged to someone else.
I point to the associate warden, Mr. Glenn, the warden, Mr. Humson...
...and the institution Alcatraz, and say, "I accuse."
Objection. - I accuse them individually and collectively.
I accuse Alcatraz of the torture of Henri Young.
I accuse Alcatraz of the murder of Rufus McCain.
Silence! This court will come to order.
Clear the courtroom.
Henri Young is not going to be the only defendant here.
No. Alcatraz is on trial.
I will address your objection tomorrow morning.
Henri Young, on trial for his life...
...is seen leaving the San Francisco courthouse...
...followed by his young and now very popular public defender, James Stamphill.
Stamphill has accused the infamous Rock of torture...
...using the tagline, "crimes against humanity."
Stamphill has turned the once-quiet trial of a convict killing into a media circus.
In most cases, they do get better.
And in the case of Henri Young, uh...
...this happens not to be true.
Young is a noisemaker.
Some prisoners have a problem when they're in, uh...
...ahem, solitary.
All we do is try to discourage misconduct.
This is the first verbal attack...
...on the jewel of the prison system.
This bastion that houses evil opened in 1934.
It brought gangsters like Capone...
...Machine Gun Kelly and Henri Young close to the magical city by the bay...
...less than one half-mile from world-famous Fisherman's Wharf.
We went to the streets to find out public opinion.
That's ridiculous. You can't put a place on trial. It's a prison for prisoners.
Now the murderers are accusing the wardens of this and that.
That doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Warden Humson seems like a good guy. I like him.
If that place wasn't here, I wouldn't live here.
- You think it's too close? - I think it's perfect.
He's innocent until proven guilty and he'll get a fair trial.
But nonetheless, he's a murderer.
This grizzly evidence bears mute witness...
...to the brutal crime perpetrated by Henri Young.
Note the spoon.
Can a prison be put on trial?
Judge CIawson's ruling tomorrow may clear the way...
...to put Alcatraz on trial.
"The warden can be relied upon to carry out the instructions of the bureau...
...that no brutality or inhumanity shall be practiced.
Sustained food and medical attention shall be given."
And we have wholeheartedly followed those instructions.
Thank you.
So many opinions being expressed.
We attempted to get a statement from the recent graduate of Harvard
...assigned to defend Henri Young.
Why don't we just keep the trial in the courtroom? Thank you.
I would like to address a few words...
...to the counsel for the defense.
Mr. Stamphill, you are hereby put on notice...
...that this court has no interest in newspaper headlines...
...and will not be swayed by them.
And I further admonish that counsel's attempts to try this case in the press...
...and not before this court, will put him in the utmost peril.
Is that clear, Mr. Stamphill?
Yes, Your Honor.
Well, good.
Bailiff, approach the bench.
Before I hand down my ruling on Mr. McNeil's objection...
...I would like to address a few words to the counsel for the defense.
While I cannot give legal advice and sit on the bench at the same time...
...I will express grave concern with the defense's strategy.
Counselor, I strongly recommend you walk a straight line...
...in terms of your defense.
Anything you state in this courtroom will be evaluated not only by the jury...
...but very closely scrutinized by myself.
- Is that understood, Mr. Stamphill? - Yes, Your Honor.
Very well.
Prosecution's objection is overruled.
Mr. Stamphill, you may pursue your line of defense...
...concerning the penitentiary at Alcatraz...
...and I will rule on any objections on a point-by-point basis.
- Exception. - Noted.
Mr. McNeil, you may call your first witness.
Prosecution calls Terrence Swenson..
Court calls Terrence Swenson..
Witness shall remain standing...
...until sworn in.
Put your hand on the Bible.
Cut it out.
Swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth...
...in the matter before this court, so help you, God?
So help me God. - You may be seated.
Mr. Swenson, as a guard at Alcatraz, did you know Henri Young?
- Yes, sir. - Could you point him out for us?
That's him right over there, sir.
Thank you, Mr. Whitney. Thank you.
Now, on the morning of June 11, 1941, where were you?
I was on duty in the dining hall. And everything was normal.
And I saw the defendant--
- Henri Young. - That's correct.
I saw him standing over Rufus McCain.
He lifted up his chin and...
- Heh. Excuse me, I'm nervous. - That's all right.
And he plunged a metal object...
...which I later learned was a spoon, into McCain's throat.
He then ripped it open.
Did the defendant ever appear...
...to be ranting or raving?
No, sir.
Mr. McKeon, was he frothing at the mouth?
No, sir.
Did he in any way give the impression of one who was insane?
Objection. This man is not a qualified psychiatrist, as far as I know.
Sustained.
So it appeared to you that it was a cool, calculated and deliberate act?
- Objection. - Overruled.
The witness may answer the question.
Yes, sir. Young did it, just as cool as a cucumber.
Thank you. No further questions.
This court will reconvene after the holiday...
...9 a.m., July 5th.
All rise. - You should have played cards with me.
Alcatraz.
It was built by the military during the Civil War.
In May of '33, the War Department abandoned the island.
It was leveled, all except for the lower floor, which is now used for storage.
I have to get access to the lower level...
...because that's where the dungeons have gotta be located.
The only guard on record to be fired or dismissed during Henri's solitary time...
...was Derek Simpson.
Locate Simpson.
The prison opened in June of '34 under Warden Humson.
He insisted on a high level of guards to prisoners.
Glenn was the first appointee.
Mr. Henkin.
First, you work for me.
- I was just on my way. - Let me finish.
You work for me, which means when I call you, you drop everything.
You return my call or you will cease to work for me.
I don't care if you're holed up with Rita Hayworth. Understand?
- Yes, sir. - Good.
Now, what the hell you think you're doing with this trial?
Trying to defend my client.
Then why don't you defend him for chrissake?
Knock down the charges, say it was a crime of passion...
...or figure out how you're gonna cross-examine witnesses...
...instead of this psychological coma crap that doesn't mean anything in a court of law.
But, sir, I think it does. As long as this is my case--
Fair enough. I tried to talk reasonably to you, but you're not going for it...
...so you're not handling this case anymore. Done.
Mr. Henkin...
...they're printing my opening statement in 250 newspapers across the country.
If you wanna take me off this because you're afraid of taking on Alcatraz...
...that's your choice.
But I'm just gonna go to Jerry Hoolihan and tell my side of the story.
If you wanna play hardball, sir, I'll play hardball too.
I'm trying to be your friend, James.
Do you know who the warden of Alcatraz is?
He is the most respected warden in this country...
...dealing with the world's hardest criminals.
If you try to make Humson look like a Nazi...
...they will eat you for breakfast.
Henri, you are gonna die if I can't get corroboration about what goes on there.
I need names. Names of men who'll come and testify.
What makes you think these men are gonna come and testify?
Maybe you got some friends you don't know about.
- You wanna play cards? - I can get a court order. Make them testify.
What's your court order do for them back on the Rock'?
Mr. Glenn gonna kill them, that's what.
This is the only chance we've got. We're talking about your life.
For a smart guy, you're awful slow. I'm already dead. I told you that.
You know, you can't change Alcatraz It just is.
So why fight it?
I see you standing up in court preaching. I don't even know what you're talking about.
Justice. I'm talking about justice.
Jim, I killed him, they saw it, they gonna kill me.
Nothing you say gonna make any difference.
So I don't see what you got to get so excited about.
This trial doesn't interest you at all? You don't care about it in the slightest?
Well, you know, you look like you're having a good time, so I mean...
No, I don't care.
Main thing is, I got a friend my age to talk to till they gas me.
I'm not your friend, Henri, I'm your attorney. I'm trying to save your life. Guard.
You know, I had a sister...
...but I ain't seen her since they put me in jail.
I got nothing. I got nobody.
I don't need a lawyer. I need a friend.
And this so you can prove something to some guy named Darrow or something...
...you're not doing that for me. Hey, hey, you wanna do something for me'?
Let's play cards.
You go ahead and play cards. I got a case to try.
Jim. Jim, Jim? Where are you going?
Where are you going? Hey.
I'm Henri Young's attorney.
I'd like to ask you a few questions.
I'm gonna call prisoners to the stand to testify about life on Alcatraz.
I wanna know where the dungeons are.
What solitary time in those dungeons is like.
I want the jury to know and understand.
You tell them to get caught robbing a bank. They'll find out.
I'm done talking.
Mr. Murphy, if we can get decent treatment for you...
...it makes decent treatment possible for everyone.
If we ignore cruelty in one place, it makes it more acceptable everywhere.
I ain't gonna do shit for you.
You can't get me no good time knocked off.
You can't get me no privileges.
You can't even get me seconds at dessert.
If I testify for anybody, I testify for the DA. He's got some juice here.
Mr. Baker, could you tell me anything...
...about Henri Young?
Don't know Henri Young.
Could you tell us anything about Mr. Glenn?
Warden Glenn has always been good to me.
Have you ever been in the dungeons?
Ma'am, I don't know nothing about no dungeons.
That's all, ma'am. I gotta go now.
Fuck you.
Did Mr. Glenn tell you...
...not to cooperate with me?
Fuck you.
Where are the dungeons located?
Don't take my fucking picture.
Did you know I can get a writ of habeas corpus...
...that can force you to come and testify in a court of law?
Fuck you.
Thank you very much for your time.
Don't mention it.
And you, sweetheart?
I'd like to fuck you.
Well, I hope your day has been fruitful.
I don't see your photographer. Is he still taking pictures?
He's trying to.
We're not receiving a great deal of cooperation.
It almost seems someone spoke to the prisoners and told them not to talk to us.
There's no conspiracy. No one talked to them.
Maybe it's because they are dangerous people who belong here.
They have no interest in you or your case.
I would like to see the dungeons. - I'm sorry? Dungeons?
The old Citadel, the sub-level of the prison.
That's mostly storage, a few solitary cells. No dungeons.
I would like to see the solitary-confinement cells.
I would love to show those cells to you, but I can't.
They're an insurance risk to visitors in case of a riot. We won't be able to protect you.
Thank you for your concern.
I could show you the exercise yard, though.
You have papers.
Yes, I have papers. So you can cut the good-guy act.
Mr. Stamphill, the fact is I do consider myself as one of the good guys...
...and perhaps more than you, I know what the bad guys are like.
No, no, no. I'd like to read them. Please.
Thank you.
That is a court order...
...instructing you to permit us access to the solitary-confinement cells.
And allow the photographer, Mr. Kelly, to take pictures of the same...
...to be used as exhibits in the trial of People v. Young.
You are also instructed to hand over to us...
...the complete medical and disciplinary files as to therein.
If you refuse to do so...
you will have to appear in court and show just cause.
Why don't you take Miss McCasslin out for some air?
- I was instructed not to leave you alone. - I don't care.
You may be used to these conditions but obviously she's not.
We've already been searched.
Why don't you take her outside? Or else we can go right to Glenn.
All right. All right. No more photos.
You all right?
Thanks, Mike.
I just need some air.
My God.
Listen, my name's James Stamphill. I'm Henri Young's attorney.
I can force them to let you out so you can testify...
...in San Francisco in a court of law.
You just have to give me your name. I promise I will do what I said for you.
Hey, James, she's okay.
Just needed some air.
Can we go now? - Feeling any better?
I guess I'll make it.
- Did you get anything? - I got three names.
Let's go.
Where did Stamphill get the three names on this list?
I don't know, Mr. Henkin.
You think you can trust these cons?
They're smart enough to look after their interests.
They told Glenn your boy James said he'd get them out of solitary...
...as long as they testify for the defense and lie on the stand.
That's a lie.
He wanted to find one convict willing--
Mary, Mary, this is goddamn bribery.
It's prejudicing a witness. Conduct that could get you disbarred. It's gone too far.
Fire him. And I don't care how you do it.
- Why do you have to make it be like this? - Because Henri Young is my client.
- It's my job to defend him. - Not anymore.
What?
He's already been notified that Henkin wants you off the case.
- Henri will never go for it. - He went for it.
- He's been assigned another attorney. - Who?
Me.
Me. Henkin assigned me to the case.
He said I could take it or be fired. I didn't have any choice.
- A choice to stab me in the back? - Not stabbing you in the back.
- I'm trying to save your job and mine. - What about Henri?
What about, there's more to being a lawyer than profit?
I don't have a brother who's a partner in a big law firm.
There aren't any other jobs waiting out there for me either.
The only option I had was to do what he told me to do.
- What could I have done, James? - I'll see you, Mary.
What we need to do is establish exactly--
We have a lot of work to get to today, if you don't mind.
Stop that, Mr. Young.
Jesus Christ, all I was doing was looking.
I wanna set you straight about the way--
You set me straight the minute you walked in here.
- Mr. Young-- - Please, call me Henri. Please.
Mr. Young, I am not here to satisfy any sexual fantasies that you may have.
You're not?
No, I'm your attorney.
Well, they're gonna kill me anyway.
You're not gonna do me any good as an attorney.
You might as well be good for something.
- Mr. Young, I can't-- - Please, please, call me Henri, can't you?
I just wanna hear a lady call me Henri.
Can't you, please, please?
Just once.
Please?
- Henri, listen, we have so-- - Yeah, yeah. That's it. That's it. That's it.
Now I'm gonna touch you just a little.
- Just a little. - Are you crazy?
Yeah, sure. It's not gonna hurt you to let me touch you.
Don't make me call the guard. We're running late on this--
Stop that.
Stop.
Stop that. Stop that.
What? I'm not touching you. I'm touching me.
Guard? Guard?
You have a problem, ma'am?
Did he do anything?
- No. No. - You let me know if he does.
No, I'd like to leave now, please.
He wants to see you in there. - What?
He wants to see you in there.
So why'd you wanna meet here? Neutral territory?
So you wanna be my lawyer again?
Why? What happened to the other one?
I don't know if I want her.
Since I had her, I mean.
She was good, though.
She was everything I wanted my first experience to be.
You know, I was just talking and she came over.
- She started touching me right on my-- - That's great. That's great, Henri.
Jim, I'm just playing a joke on you.
I know she was your girlfriend.
I remember from the smell of that perfume on your jacket.
So, lawyer...
...you wanna come back?
I resigned.
So I guess that means I'm in private practice now, huh?
I could have had her though.
Of course...
...she don't play cards.
After I got arrested...
...they took my little sister away.
They put her in a home or a orphanage...
...I don't know.
I don't know what happened to her. Never saw her again.
My parents died when I was 7.
It was just me and my brother...
...and he didn't know anything about raising a child...
...so he sent me off to boarding school.
I did get to come home on holidays.
And he put me through law school...
...then got me the job at the public defender's office.
He always wanted me to do well.
We had a plan until you came along and messed everything up, Henri.
I wish I had been able to take care of my little sister, you know?
I mean, family's family, right?
Henri, I'm sorry you're here.
Hey, this here's paradise compared to my last home.
So how about the case? You wanna talk about that a little bit now?
You never give up, do you?
Okay, what about the Redskins?
How do you think they're gonna do against the Yankees this year?
Jim, the Redskins are a football team.
Yankees are a baseball team.
Personally, I think the Redskins would kick the shit out of them.
Henri, I'm trying.
I know.
This is gonna be a private conversation, Byron.
It never took place, all right?
- Is that all right with you, Thurgood? - I'm the one who suggested it.
That brother of yours...
...is making quite a little name for himself.
We've even heard his name in Washington.
My brother has resigned from the case.
Well, he was hired back again last night.
What do you mean, he was hired back again?
Byron...
...since you made partner, your work here has been stellar.
- I would hate to see anything-- - What are you trying to say?
This administration is not going to allow...
...public attention to be diverted from all the good it's done...
...by some kind of a witch hunt in the Justice Department.
I'm just telling you what the score is, Byron.
It's up to you to take care of him.
Why would J. Edgar Hoover care about what happens to Henri Young?
Grow up, James.
He doesn't care about what happens to Henri.
He cares about Alcatraz, the Justice Department...
...Humson, the administration.
He can't have some kid from the PD's office-
I'm not a public defender anymore.
Don't play games. You know the point.
Yeah. The point is I'm trying to do what's right. I'm talking about justice here.
You're disgusted about what happened on Alcatraz. So am I.
But if you tear the whole system down, what does that say about America?
We're wrong.
We can't be wrong.
The world is fighting right now to preserve our system, our way of life.
You can't attack it blindly.
Byron, we're talking about one man here. It's not that big of a deal.
- You're under surveillance. - What?
Everyone is watching you. Tell me how you plan to continue.
You have to realize, no one will talk. Everyone has been gotten to.
I have somebody.
Who?
I can't tell you.
- So now you don't trust me? - Byron, you're my brother. I love you.
I need your help.
L-- I can't do it, Byron.
I'm sorry, but I can't.
I can't.
James, as a consolation...
...please don't put Humson on the stand.
Why?
Humson was handpicked by Hoover.
It would save a lot of embarrassment if you were to avoid Humson.
I'll think about it.
Thank you.
I'm sorry, Byron.
Yeah?
Mr. Stamphill?
Yeah. Yeah, this is James Stamphill.
This is Derek Simpson. Remember we talked before?
Right, right. Of course. Of course, I remember.
Have you made your decision?
I've been thinking...
...about what we were talking about and I'd like to be a witness.
Wonderful.
Now, you do understand that you'll have to testify in court under oath...
...about the brutality you witnessed at Alcatraz.
Yes, I know that.
Particularly in reference to Henri Young.
I know some things.
Mr. Simpson, do you hold any sort of grudge...
...against Warden Humson or Associate Warden Glenn?
No.
Why don't I just come over and we can speak in person?
Yes. I'm in Chinatown.
It's an alley called Scotland Court. The number there is 964.
Mr. Simpson, are you in here?
Mr. Simpson, are you all right?
You all right?
Mr. Simpson, you still wanna be a witness?
- Who's she? - She's a court reporter.
- What happened to your face? - My face had a little accident this morning.
Listen, Henri, we need to get one more deposition...
- No. -...regarding the beatings you received.
Your eye, your leg. Everything.
Henri, remember when you told me you'd never been with a woman before?
Henri, this is Blanche. Blanche, this is Henri.
Nice to meet you, Henri.
You got about four minutes before the next guard arrives, so you gotta hurry.
Now, I can't leave the room.
I'm just gonna be over here in this corner. I'll turn my back.
We can get acquainted.
Come on, honey, we don't have all night.
Thanks, Jim.
You're a good friend.
Boy.
- Um-- Thanks. Hi, Charlie. - Hey.
What's the story?
The attorney and a reporter inside with the prisoner.
Is he shackled?
Yeah. Other than that, everything's pretty quiet.
Sweetie, you have to get it up first.
That's like trying to stick an oyster into a slot machine.
Give me that.
Aw, I-- I ca--
- I can't. - You can.
- Yeah, you can. - I can't. I'm sorry. Sorry. Sorry.
The 5 bucks you owe me. - For what?
What, you didn't listen? Louis knocks Nova out in the sixth round.
- That bum. - Yeah, yeah. Give me the money.
- I can't. - You can.
I can't. I can't. I can't.
- You can. - I can't.
Adios, Charlie.
All right, kid.
You know what?
It's gonna cost extra, you know.
Just do what you have to do.
I can't.
I'm sorry.
I can't.
Hey.
Hey, we only had a few minutes.
You got another guy in the room. That's okay.
Hey. Shh.
Aw, shh, baby.
Hey. Shh.
Your Honor, the defense calls...
...associate warden, Mr. Milton Glenn.
Do you swear to tell the truth...
...and nothing but the truth?
- So help me God. - You may be seated.
As associate warden, you are responsible for the day-to-day running of the prison...
-...are you not? - You could say that.
You must be familiar with the dungeons.
Dungeons?
I'm sure you've heard of them.
Some prisoners refer to the lower levels as dungeons.
They refer to bread and water as piss and punk.
Mr. Glenn, the dictionary definition of a dungeon is:
"A close, dark prison or vault, commonly underground."
Now, the walls of those cells measure 6 feet by 9, and the roof is 5 to 6 feet tall.
- Would you call that close? - As a matter of opinion, no.
- Are there any light fixtures? - No, but there aren't any books.
Your Honor, the defense offers these photographs...
...as defense exhibit B, C, D, E and F.
How much light comes in with no window when the door is closed?
- Not much. - How long was Henri held in such a cell?
I don't know exactly.
Three years and two months. I have the records here, if you'd like to see.
- That sounds right. - Three years and two months.
In that time, how often was Henri Young allowed outside for exercise?
Mr. Stamphill, I do not believe that the exercise time of an inmate is relevant.
Well, I do. Answer the question.
Objection.
Objection overruled. - Henri Young tried to escape.
Now, when a criminal escapes from prison, he doesn't go job-hunting.
He robs somebody or kills somebody. We do all we can to discourage escape.
In three years and two months, how often was Henri allowed outside for exercise?
- I do not believe men sentenced-- - Answer the question I'm asking.
How often was he allowed outside for exercise?
Objection. Badgering the witness.
Objection overruled.
Mr. Glenn, you will answer that question.
Young man, I do not recall.
Heh. You don't know?
Surely a half hour a year isn't too difficult to recall, now, is it?
Mr. Stamphill, there is no place in my courtroom for sarcasm.
Sorry, Your Honor. Mr. Glenn, I have here a list with 32 names on it.
Now, these are all men who were prisoners at Alcatraz during your tenure. Correct?
I can't remember the name of every prisoner.
I have committal papers with your signature...
...as well as the late Dr. Wendell Kiley.
We'd like this to be marked defense exhibit G.
All of these men were taken off Alcatraz in straitjackets and placed in institutions.
- Is that correct? - Objection. The question is immaterial.
Immaterial? Your Honor, I'm saying in lay terms that Alcatraz drives people insane.
It has already done so in 32 instances.
If not true, the witness ought to have the opportunity to say so.
If it is true, it is most material...
and the jury ought to be privy to that knowledge.
- Objection overruled. - Thank you.
Now, is it not true that these men were taken off Alcatraz in straightjackets...
...and placed in mental institutions and you and Dr. Wendell Kiley signed the papers?
- True. - Is it not also true that of these 32 men...
...28 of them had never before set foot inside a mental institution?
- Ha-ha-ha. I don't know. - I have their records if you'd like to see.
- Well, I'll take your word for it. - Okay.
Here are men who came to Alcatraz legally sane...
...were subjected to the conditions of Alcatraz, then deemed to be insane.
- Is that correct? - Yes, but you can't say...
...that one causes the other.
Well, insanity's not a virus, is it? It's not something we're all going to catch.
Objection, Your Honor. The witness is not a psychiatrist.
Objection sustained.
Mr. Stamphill, confine your questions to areas of Mr. Glenn's expertise.
Very well. Mr. Glenn's expertise. Have you ever beaten a prisoner?
No, that would be illegal.
- Not even when provoked? - No.
You've never hit, kicked, used a blackjack or straight razor?
You've never punched a prisoner in your entire career?
- Objection, Your Honor. - Sustained.
Confine yourself to one question at a time.
Is it not true that you ordered two guards to throw Henri down a steel flight of stairs?
That you smashed his face with a blackjack?
That you took a straight razor, sliced open his ankle, hobbling him for life?
That's the truth, isn't it?
- Objection. - The witness has already testified...
...he didn't beat any prisoners.
Are you aware that, in a federal court system, perjury is a crime?
You could spend time in prison.
I would remind you, young man...
...Henri Young is the one on trial here, not me.
I am a public servant. I am not the bad guy.
I will not be treated the same way as this lying, murdering, two-time loser!
Silence, Mr. Glenn.
Mr. Stamphill, you are perilously close to contempt of this court.
You will proceed with caution. Is that understood?
Temper, temper.
Well, would you care to withdraw any testimony?
You wouldn't want somebody to come along and testify to the contrary, would you?
No. I would not withdraw any testimony, no matter what Henri Young has told you.
I'm not talking about Henri Young. Who would believe him?
Mr. Simpson, did you ever beat this man, Henri Young?
Objection, Your Honor. This has no bearing.
No bearing? Your Honor, beatings have a bearing on a man's state of mind.
Three years of darkness has a bearing.
Do we need to be psychologists to know that?
You know that, Your Honor. I know you do.
- Objection overruled. - Thank you, Your Honor.
Mr. Simpson...
...did you ever beat Henri Young with a blackjack?
Yes.
Did you ever throw Henri Young down a steel ?ight of stairs?
- I did. - You were ordered to do this?
- Yes. - Tell us the name of the man...
...who was your superior, who ordered you to do these things.
- Mr. Glenn. - Mr. Glenn.
- You never went to Warden Humson? - No, sir.
Thank you very much. I won't ask where you got your bruises. I know.
Your witness.
The prosecution would like to mark for identification...
...the employment records of Mr. Derek Simpson.
Do you recall, Mr. Simpson, being suspended on November 4th, 1936...
...and again on July 6th, 1937?
- Yeah. - Speak up, Mr. Simpson.
Yes.
Is it not a fact you were fired from your job as a guard because you are a drunk?
- Objection. - That's not true.
- Objection. - Overruled.
And that Mr. Glenn would not tolerate this in a federal prison.
Isn't it true, Mr. Simpson, having cost you your job...
...you would say just about anything to get even with Mr. Glenn?
The jury will disregard.
...Mr. Simpson's testimony.
Good afternoon. Mr. Stamphill, Mr. Stamphill, is everything all right?
You son of a bitch. - What happened?
You know what happened. You set me up.
- What are you talking about? - You took Simpson's picture.
They never would have known to tear Simpson down if you hadn't told them.
Are you gonna hit me now, James?
Go ahead.
It's about time you grew up and were a man.
You're my brother.
- You had me beaten up. - James, that was not supposed to happen.
Only Simpson. You walked in, it was bad timing.
Bad timing?
I'm putting Humson on the stand.
Why, James? Humson doesn't know anything!
Man runs three prisons. He has to know something. Unless he's never there.
Son of a bitch.
He was never there. Never there.
You never saw him?
No. You'd hear about him visiting, but I never saw him.
Now, your own brother did that to you? Your brother did that to you?
Yeah. - Jesus, rich people are weird.
Hey, he)'-
You hear DiMaggio broke Keeler's record? Forty-five straight games.
Wouldn't it be great if he never stopped?
Dock records show when he was here. Every trip to Alcatraz is recorded.
- I had to sign in that time I went. - Hey, Jim.
- What? - We friends, huh?
Yeah, sure.
Is it over? I mean, you know? Is that all?
Nothing more you're gonna do with the trial, I mean?
- Thought you didn't care. - No, I don't care. I don't care.
It's just, you know, long as you got shit to throw at them, we can keep talking.
But when it's over, it's over, huh?
I'm not here to keep you entertained until the executioner comes.
- This trial isn't just a game. - Hey, Jim.
What?
If I was on the outside-- I mean, you know, if there was, like, a good fairy...
...and she waved a wand and I was on the outside...
...you and me, would we be friends then?
- Yes. - No, no, no, we wouldn't.
You wouldn't have nothing to do with me. You know it.
What I can't figure out is why, you know.
I mean, we both ain't got nobody else and we're the same age, sort of.
And if I'd have lived in your house...
...and they'd have switched us when we was babies...
...I could have been just like you.
If they stuck you down in the hole...
...you could be sitting here just like me...
...asking how come we couldn't be friends on the outside. You ever steal 5 bucks?
Once, when I was a kid, from my brother's wallet.
What happened?
He told me not to do it again.
Why'd they put me in that hole for three years?
I could have been just like you.
I'd just like to ask them, you know.
Raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
So help me God.
You may be seated.
Warden Humson, in a book you wrote, you refer to the convicts as your children.
That you liken your job to that of a parent, providing for their physical needs...
...and molding their character.
Mm-hm. Yes, I wrote that.
I have a record of a prisoner named Johnson who did 500 days in the lower cells.
The hole, the dungeon.
This was a 10-year period for such offenses as not finishing all the food on his plate...
...having an extra pair of socks in his cell, keeping an untidy cell.
Um, smuggling food from the dining room, crumbs, in fact, to a pet lizard.
Is this what you mean when you say "molding character"?
No, no, no. You're twisting things here.
The isolation cells were simply a tool of a temporary nature...
...for extreme cases within the general population.
Moreover, you make it sound like the prisoner did 1500 days at one stretch...
...for one infraction.
That's not true.
No. Prisoners were held for 19 days at a time.
- That's all. - That's all.
Perhaps you can tell me why Henri Young did over 1000 days in the dungeon?
Not 19 days, but 1000 days...
...in total darkness with only 30 minutes of daylight a year.
Yes. But he tried to escape.
You can't compare his offense with that of a man who smuggled food to a lizard.
Now, this was the first time a sentence of three years had been imposed?
It wasn't a sentence.
It was an administrative decision to place him there, uh...
...for an undetermined amount of time.
Why not a time limit? Doesn't that seem a little bit inhumane? No time limit.
Put simply, no.
While we strive to prevent crime...
...what shall we do with the man who has committed it, hm?
We aim to make him his better self.
His better self.
Well, I'm sure that Henri Young thanks you for his better self.
It's a fact you simply put Henri Young in that dungeon and forgot all about him.
Washed your hands of him.
Henri wanted me to ask you why. Why would you do that, sir? Why?
- Objection, Your Honor. - That's not true.
I withdraw the question. I apologize to the jury--
It's not necessary that you apologize.
Actually, Your Honor, it is. You see, I made a mistake.
Warden Humson couldn't simply have washed his hands of Henri Young.
He couldn't have.
Because he had absolutely no idea he was there.
Isn't that true, warden? You are never there.
And you permit Glenn to run that prison any way he sees fit.
I am there as much as I need to be. I run three penal institutions.
It's impossible to know every detail of every inmate.
I have the port authority records...
...which you signed every time you went to Alcatraz.
You went seven times in '38, five in '39, 10 in '40...
...and only twice so far this year. Twenty-four day trips in three and a half years...
...while Henri Young was in that dungeon over 1000 days.
Twenty-four out of 1000 days.
That's as much as you needed to be there?
You knew nothing about a man who was left to die in a dungeon...
...for three and a half years, did you? Absolutely nothing.
In fact, you have never even met Henri Young, have you?
Right now, in fact, is the first time you have ever seen this man. Look at him.
That's him there. That's Henri Young. Right there.
- He tried to escape. - He tried to escape.
But the fact, the cold, brutal fact, Warden Humson...
...is that this man, who had never, never before in his entire life...
...harmed or attempted to harm another human being, never...
...was now a murderer. That is a fact, is it not?
- Yes. No, he tried to escape. - It is equally a fact--
You can't let them get away with this.
If we let them get away with this, where would we be?
- What? Should we let murderers roam free? - Henri Young was not a murderer.
Henri Young was not a murderer until Alcatraz got a hold of him.
Now, the prison runs under your guidelines, so you created the murderer, didn't you?
Didn't you?
He tried to escape.
That's the thing, you see.
Mr. Stamphill...
...do you have any further questions for this witness?
- No, Your Honor. - The witness may step down.
But he tried to escape.
I'd been trained all my life for that day.
Control the witness, go for the kill.
Win, victory.
School prepared me well
My brother, he had prepared me well.
Years later, he and I would reconcile.
Family's family, you know.
Mary congratulated me, but we'd already begun to drift apart.
When you only try to win, you sometimes lose sight of the goal...
...which should have always remained Henri.
No way they're gonna send you to the gas chamber.
Most is second-degree murder. Maybe manslaughter.
Ten years, if you get clemency, and you'll walk.
- You'll have your whole life in front of you. - Monday morning...
...I want you to get up to that judge and tell him there's been a change of plan.
I want you to get up there and change my plea to guilty.
- That's a joke, right? - Not to me, it's not.
I'm not doing it.
What the hell have I been doing here? Why have I been wasting my time?
I never thought we'd win.
I thought you wanted to fight.
I just wanted a friend.
- Henri, I am your friend. - No, you're not. No, you're not.
It's always about you. It's never about me.
You don't understand.
I already lost.
You just keep talking and talking and talking. And you never listen.
You certainly don't know what you're talking about.
- You just don't know what it's like. - What what's like?
Alcatraz!
Where do you think they're gonna send me those 10 years you're talking about?
They're gonna send me back to Alcatraz.
- Henri, when it's over, you'll be alive. - I'm Henri.
I'm the one that's gotta do the time, not you.
And I can't do it. I can't do it.
I can't, all right?
Listen, it's not worth it.
It's not worth it.
Nothing's worth going back there.
Mm-mm.
Sixty-seven thousand fans...
...at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland...
...watching to see if Joe DiMaggio can keep his 56-game hitting streak alive.
Jim Bagby on the mound, works the count to 1 and 1, runner on first base.
Here's the pitch. Joe DiMaggio swings.
It's a ground ball hit out to short to Lou Boudreau.
He ?ips it to Ray Mack for one out. The relay to Grimes at first...
...it's in time for a double play.
Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak is stopped.
Yeah? - Mrs. Rosetta Dial?
Why are we in here, Jim?
Maybe there are some things worth fighting for, Henri.
Henri?
Do I know you?
I'm-- I'm Rosetta, Henri.
I'm your sister.
Um...
My, uh...
My baby's name is Henri.
You know, Mr. Stamphill says that--
I was...
...beginning to think...
...that you wasn't real. That I...
...made you up in my mind.
- I want you to come-- - Rosetta.
I want you to tell Jim that I appreciate him bringing you down here...
...and knowing that you turned out okay.
That means a lot. I want you to tell him, come Monday morning...
...he's gonna plead me guilty just like I said.
I wish I wasn't so scared of them, Rosetta.
I wish to God I wasn't.
You take care of yourself now.
You may call your next witness, Mr. Stamphill.
Your Honor, be just a second.
I'm your friend.
On the outside, I'd be lucky to consider you my friend.
Therefore, I'm not gonna kill you.
Are you going to call a witness sometime today, counselor?
Yes, Your Honor.
If you wanna change your plea, you go up there and do it. I'm not gonna do it.
- Plead me guilty. - I don't think you are guilty.
- That doesn't matter. - It does to me.
Okay, counselor, I am very close to finding you in contempt of--
Your Honor, the defense calls Mr. Henri Young.
No.
He just lost the case.
You wanna change your plea, you go up there.
I repeat, I'm not gonna do it for you.
Counselor, unless-- He's coming, Your Honor.
Go ahead, tell them.
Tell them, not me.
- You better ask me the right questions. - I'll ask what I want.
- And I'll answer what I want. - Fine.
Fine.
Guilty, guilty, guilty.
Stand up. Put your hand on the Bible.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth...
- ...so help you God? - So help me God.
- State your name for the records. - Henri Young. Henri Young.
Be seated.
Your Honor--
Wanna wait until I've asked a question?
- I haven't asked yet. - He's trying to trick me.
Please instruct the witness to refrain from speaking until I ask a question...
...and then just to answer the question I ask.
- He's your witness, counselor. - He won't listen to me.
- He trying to trick me. I just-- Silence, Mr. Young.
Now, here's the way it works. Mr. Stamphill will ask you a question...
...and you may answer that question.
However, Mr. Stamphill cannot coerce you into testifying against yourself.
Now, you do understand that?
Yeah, I just want to--
Did you and I have a conversation in which you told me you wish to change your plea--?
Mr. Stamphill, you will wait until I have finished instructing the witness.
That's okay. That's the question I wanted him to ask.
It is not okay.
And I do not need you to tell me what is or is not okay.
In this courtroom, I am the one who decides...
...what is or is not okay.
Okay?
- Yes, Your Honor. - Well, thank you very much.
Counselors, approach the bench.
Now, you wanna tell me what the hell is going on here?
I'm just trying--
I mean, your own defendant is looking to me to protect him from you.
So, what's going on?
I know, Your Honor, it seems very strange but--
As far as I'm concerned, you're an idiot to put him on the stand for any reason.
Asking your own client to testify against himself.
It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, but the prosecution isn't objecting so--
No, I'm not. Let him continue.
Shut up.
- Stamphill-- - Enough damage has been done.
- I don't think I can mess things up any more. - Yes, you can.
All right. All right. But you're on a very short leash, Stamphill.
A very short leash.
I will throw you in jail for contempt myself.
Now, let's get this goddamn show on the road.
Don't let him rattle you, James. I think you're doing a great job.
Mr. Young, stop playing with that.
Now, do you or do you not wish to continue testifying, Mr. Young?
It's okay. He asked me the right question.
Counselor, you may proceed.
Mr. Young, did you and I not have a conversation last Friday...
...which you told me you wished to change your plea to guilty?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's...
I wanna change my plea. That's what I told you.
I'm gonna ask you the single most important question I can ask you.
It's what this whole trial is about.
Are you guilty of the murder of Rufus McCain?
I wanna change my plea to guilty. That's what I said.
I didn't ask what you said you wanted to do. I asked if you are guilty.
Objection, Your Honor. He's badgering the witness.
- He's my witness, for chrissakes. - I'm not your nothing.
If the accused wants to enter a plea of guilty, I don't know why--
Silence. Mr. Stamphill, you are skating on very thin ice here.
Maybe, Your Honor, but I'd like to get to the other side.
Very well. You may proceed, at your own peril.
Thank you.
Let me take this one step at a time.
Mr. Young, we had a conversation in which I told you...
...I felt with the way the trial was going, the most you'd have to face...
...more than likely, would be another 10 years. Maybe even less.
- You don't give a shit-- - Ten years, that's what I said.
Yeah, yeah, but--
And then did you say to me, that you were Henri...
...you were the guy who had to do the time, not me?
You were the one back in Alcatraz to do those 10 years, right?
That's what I told you. Why are you doing this to me?
Because, Mr. Young, if you change your plea to guilty, they will execute you.
You will die.
So fucking what?
I'd rather die than go back there!
- What did you say, Mr. Young? - I said...
I said I'd rather die than go back there. Can't you understand that?
Why, Henri? Why do you want to die?
Because.
Because I'm...
I'm scared of them.
I'm scared to go back there. I'm scared.
I'm scared. I'm scared.
Objection. He's finished-- I haven't finished anything.
Henri, look at me.
Henri, look at me. Look at me.
You were right. You were right, I was wrong. I'm sorry.
I'm just talking to you right now. Not the judge or the jury.
If you wanna die, we'll back you up.
I swear to God, I will fight these bastards...
...so they will never do this to anyone again.
You are not gonna die for nothing.
The choice is yours, Henri.
What do you wanna do?
I wanna stop being afraid.
All right.
Henri Young...
...are you guilty of the murder of Rufus McCain?
I was the weapon...
...but I ain't no killer.
They're the murderers.
Bailiff, you may remove the prisoner.
Escort the prisoner to the holding room.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...
you have received your instructions.
You may find the defendant guilty of involuntary manslaughter...
...which carries with it a maximum penalty of three years...
...in which case the defendant will be remanded...
...to the custody of the warden of Alcatraz.
Or you may find the defendant guilty of murder in the first degree.
Without a recommendation for mercy...
...that verdict will carry with it a sentence of death.
This court is now in session.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, how do you find?
The defendant will rise.
We, the jury...
...find the defendant, Henri Young...
...not guilty of murder in the first-degree...
...and guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Order. Order.
Your Honor...
...we would like permission to address the court, if possible.
Very well.
Your Honor, we have this day signed a petition...
...which I would like to read to the court.
"We would like the following to be read into the record of this proceeding.
Though we know it will have no legal or binding effect...
...we'd hope that it will have a moral effect.
We, the members of the jury, recommend and request...
...an immediate investigation by the proper federal authorities...
...of the federal penitentiary known as Alcatraz.
We find this institution, its warden, and associate warden...
...guilty of crimes against humanity."
Thank you. The jury is dismissed.
This trial is concluded.
All rise. The defendant is remanded to the warden of Alcatraz.
News from San Francisco.
The Young trial concludes.
The Rock will be investigated as Young is vindicated...
...by a verdict of involuntary manslaughter.
As I walked out of the courtroom that day...
...I did not fully realize how much Henri and I had actually accomplished.
It all just happened so fast.
Henri, Henri, I'm gonna be up to see you as often as I can.
And then you can bring that Blanche back for a second shot, huh?
Yeah, I'll try. See what I can do.
No place like home.
Henri, it's not over.
It's not over. I'm gonna appeal to have you moved to another prison.
I'm gonna file motions to have your original case reopened.
Henri and Jim, together again, huh?
That's right. Henri and Jim, together again.
- Henri and Jim, together again. - Hey, Jim.
I won, didn't I? I mean, I really did something.
I won.
That's right, Henri, you won.
Hey, Jim, how many games was DiMaggio's hitting streak?
- Fifty-four? - No.
No, I got you.
It was 56, wasn't it?
Yeah. Ha-ha-ha.
I'll see you soon, Henri.
Take care of yourself.
The definition of victory is:
"Success in any contest or struggle.
Engagement ending in triumph."
That was to be the last time I was to see Henri Young alive.
Before the court date was set for an appeal, his body was found in a cell.
- He laid beneath a single word-
"Victory. "
Henri Young taught me the meaning of the word.
He was the only man that I have known who gave more than he asked.
All that he ever wanted was a friend.
And I will always remember him as one of the best friends I have ever had.
Unlike many men that live much longer, Henri Young did not die in vain.
In the end, he was not afraid.
He lived and he died in triumph.
If only we could all do that.
Welcome home.
I've missed you, Henri.
Mr. Glenn...
...you can beat me, you can put me back in that hole...
...whatever you wanna do...
...it doesn't matter to me.
Action:
I won.
Reaction:
You can't ever take that away from me.
Take him to the hole.
Charles Dickens once said that solitary confinement was inhumane.
Seven months later, the Supreme Court agreed.
And as a result of the facts brought out in the trial of The People v. Henri Young.
...the dungeons of Alcatraz were closed forever.
Associate Warden Glenn was brought up on charges of mistreatment.
He was found guilty. He would never work in the penal system again.
I remained in private practice.
I also became a baseball fan.
You did it, Henri.