50 PAPES , jack kelly

- 013

↳ [ court hearing ] ੈ‧₊˚ ┊͙

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"ALL RISE, ALL RISE. COURT IS NOW IN SESSION. JUDGE E.A MONAHAN PRESIDING." Bailiff introduced.

"Are any of you represented by counsel?" Judge Monahan questioned.

"What's counsel?" Mush asked. "That's what I said." Race shrugged. "No, sir" ellie answered for them.

"No. Good, good. That'll move things along considerably."

"Hey your honour I object" spot spoke up. "On what grounds?" The judge asked, crossing his arms and leaning forward.

"On the grounds of Brooklyn, your honour." Spot told him, the others getting a laugh out of it.

"Jesus Spot, youse gonna get us fined" ellie nudged him, hiding a laugh.

The judge hit his hammer against the desk. "I fine each of you $5. Or two weeks confinement in the house of refuge."

"I told ya" ellie shrugged.

"Whoa whoa, we ain't got 5 bucks. We don't even got 5 cents. Hey your honour how about I roll you for it? Double or nothin'." Race joked.

Eleanor held back a laugh as she stood between Race and Spot. "Alright, move along, move along." He ordered.

"Your honour, I'll pay the fines, all of them. Denton and David got through the gates and walked over to the group.

"Look, we've gotta meet at the restaurant, everybody. We have to talk." Denton told them. "Where's jack?" Davey asked, Eleanor shrugging in reply.

Jack was walked out in handcuffs, "hey, fellas. And ellie" he smiled.

"Hey cowboy, nice shiner." Race smirked.

"Case of Jack Kelly" an officer stood up and began taking. "Inciting to riot, assault, resisting arrest."

"Judge monahan I'll speak for this young man. This boys real name is Francis Sullivan. His mothers deceased, his fathers a convict in the state penitentiary. He's an escape from the house of refuge where his original sentence for three months was extended to six months for disruptive behaviour."

Davey and some of the guys looked around to see if anyone knew about it. Eleanor kept her eyes focused on jack, not looking at anyone.

"Did you know about this?" Davey asked. "Eleanor? Did ya?" Race asked.

She looked down, her hands beginning to sweat trying not to answer them but not wanting to lie so she just looked back at jack and didn't say a word.

"Like demanding we eat the food you steal from us." Jack fired back. "Followed by an additional six months for an attempted escape."

"Attempted? Last time wasn't an attempted escape. Remember Snyder? Remember me and teddy Roosevelt and the carriage?" Jack looked around to see only Eleanor was the one that looked like she still believed him.

"Therefor I ask he be returned to the house of refuge." Snyder finished.

"away for my own good right, movealong? For my own good and for what he kick back to you." Jack looked at Judge Monahan.

"And that the court order his incarceration until the age of 21 in the hope that we may yet guide him to a useful and productive life." Snyder finally added.

"So ordered" the judge his his hammer against the table.

"No!" Les yelled. "You can't do that! Snyder you bastard, he's a kid he aint done nothin' wrong!" Eleanor yelled, pushing past the guards to try to get to jack.

"Hey, watch it!" The man yelled, pushing her back.

~~~~

Denton walked into the restaurant as the others sat around the tables. Ellie hadn't spoken a word since she tried to fight the security holding her back from going to jack.

"Why didn't the sun print the story?" Davey asked as he held up the paper. "Because it never happened." Denton shrugged.

"What do you mean it never happened, you was there." Race argued.

"I tell you, if it's not in the papers it never happened. The owners decreed that it not be in the papers, therefore ... anyway I came to tel you fellas goodbye." He changed the subject.

"I got reassigned back to my old job as The Sun's ace war correspondent. They want me to leave right away. The owner thinks that I should only cover the really important stories, so ... yep. Wish me luck fellas." He sighed.

"At least half of what I wish for you. They don't always fire you, David. I would be blackballed from every paper in the country. I'm a newspaperman, I have to have a paper to write for." He handed dave a piece of paper.

Eleanor scoffed and grabbed her jacket, "wow ... I can't believe I ever trusted you Denton, that you'se gonna make me the first ever female writer and that you were gonna help us win the strike. How much more fucking stupid could I get?"

"Eleanor-" mush looked at her, knowing she hadn't spoke until now.

"Mush, save yourself the hassle." Denton had left before Eleanor could, so she went to walk out but was stopped.

"We get jack out of the refuge tonight." Davey stated as he stood in front of her, blocking the door. "And from now on, we trust no one but the newsies"

Everyone began leaving as Les grabbed the extra hot dog and wrapped it in the report Denton wrote.

Les soon began feeling tired and Eleanor carried him the rest of the way.

Davey finished his hotdog and Eleanor held onto the report she noticed that Les had used and stuffed it into a small pocked in her skirt.

Eleanor, Les, David, Mush, Race and Boots all snuck into the Refuge like they did for crutchy.

"That's where we saw crutchy" Davey pointed at a window. A whistle went off and the group hid behind a wall.

"It's jack ... it's jack!" Les walked out. Eleanor pulled him back, shushing him as they hid. "Where they takin' him dave?" Mush asked.

"There's one way to find out." He took his hat off and snook over to the carriage. "I'll meet you guys at the square."

"Eleanor watch him." He pointed to Les as he followed behind it beside jumping on the back.

"Alright, I'll see ya fellas. Gonna take les home" ellie smiled at them. "I'll go with ya" race nodded.

THE NEWSIES, J.KELLY
OCTOBER 3RD 2021