State your name

and oupation,
please.
I am a Deputy Marshal for
the U.S. District Court for the
western district of Arkansas,
having criminal jurisdiction
over the indian teitory.
we was headed back
to Fort Smith from the
Crk Nation and was
about four miles west
of Weers Fas.
Mr Cogburn.
Reuben J.
Cogburn.
Please describe in
your own words
what oued on
the second day of
November.
We, sir, not
long after dier
on that day

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Four other Deputy
Marshals and me.
We had a wagon-load
of prisoners and was
headed back for Fort
Smith.
About four miles west
of Weers Fas that
Crk boy caed Wi
came riding up in a
lather.
Said that morning he was
taking some es over
to Tom Spoed-Gourd
and his wife at their place
on the Canadian river.
Who was
with you?
He had news.


When he got there
he found the woman
out in the yard with
the back of her head
shot o
An objection!
Yes, your
honor.
We, Deputy Marshal
Poer and me rode on
down to Spoed-Gourds
place with the wagon to
come on behind us.
Deputy Marshal
Smith stayed with
the wagon.
and the old
man inside on
the flr with
a shotgun
wound in his
breast.
Confine your testimony
to what you saw,
Mr Cogburn.

When we got to
the place we found
everything as the
boy, Wi, had
represented.
The woman was out
in the yard. Dead.
With blowflies on
her head
and the old man was
inside, with his breast
blowed open by a
scaer-gun and his
ft burned.
He was sti alive,
but he only just
was.
Wind was whistling
in and out of the
bldy hole.
An objection!
He said them
two Wharton boys
had rode up there
drunk.

This is a dying
declaration, your
honor.
an objection!
Oveuled.
Procd,
Mr Cogburn.
He said them
two WharTon boys,
Odus and c.C. by
name, had roDe up
therE drunk
and throwed
down on him and
askeD HiM whEre
his money was.

He would not
te them
and they lit
some pine
knots
and held them
to his ft
and he told
them it was in
a fruit jar
under a grey rock
at one corner of the
smokehouse.

Said he had over
one-hundred
doars in
bank-notes iN it.
Said his wife was
crying, and taking
on a this time,
and being for
mercy.
Said, she tk
o out the
dr
and Odus
shot her.
Said, when he raised up
o the flr where he
was layin, Odus turned
and shot him.
Then they
left.
What
haened
next?
He died on
us. Paed away
in considerable
pain.
Mr
Spoed-Gourd
that is?
Yes, sir.
What
did you and
Marshal Poer
do then?
An objection!
The witne
wi kp his
speculations
to himself.
if the
prosecutor is
going to give evidence
I suest that he
be sworn.
Mr Barlow,
that is not proper
examination.
We went out to
the smokehouse, and
that rock had bn
moved, and that jar
was gone.
You found a flat, grey
rock at the corner of
the smokehouse with a
hoowed-out space
under it--
I am soy, your honor.
Marshal Cogburn, what
did you find, if anything,
at the corner of the
smokehouse?
What
was in the
hole?
What
did you do
next?
We waited for
the wagon
to come.
When it got there,
we had a talk amongst
ourselves as to who
would ride after the
Whartons.
Poer and me had
had dealins with
them boys before,
so we went.
We
found a grey
rock, with a
hole right
by it.
Nothin.
No jar or
nothin.
it was about a two hour
ride up near where the
north fork strikes the
CaNAdian
We got there
not long before
sundown.
And what did
you find?


Aaron
Wharton.
Uhuh?
U.S.
Marshals.
Nd
to speak
to your boys,
Wharton.
Damn you
to he, Cogburn,
its the devil
you nd to
talk to!
I know
whatcha are,
Cogburn.
Whatcha
want?
We got
the drop
on you.
PotTeR!
Dont
do it,
Wharton.
We, it was
a over.
Then what
haened?
I draed Odus
Wharton over to
a blackjack tr
and cued him.
I tended to
Poers wound with
my handkerchief as
best I could.
I went up to the shack
and Aaron Whartons
squaw was there but
she would not talk.
I searched the premises
and found a quart jar, under
some stove wd, that had
bank-notes in it to the tune
of one hundred and twenty
doars.
What
haened
to Marshal
Poer?
Leaves a
wife, and six
baBies.
Strike the
coent.
What
become
of Odus
Wharton?
There
he sets.
He died in
this city six days
later of septic
fever.
An
objection!
You
may ask,
Mr Goudy.
Thank you,
Mr Barlow.
Goin
on four
years.
How
many men have
you shot in that
time?
I never
shot nobody
I didnt have
to.
That
was not the
question. How
many?
How
long did you
say youve bn a
Deputy Marshal,
Mr Cogburn?
Shot, or
kied?
How
MANY people
have you K/(,
since you became
a Marshal for
this court?
Around
TW(V or
F/FTN, stoin
men in F(/HT,
and FN/N
myself.
I believe
them two Whartons
made TWNTY
THk.
its
dangerous
work.
And yet
how much MQk
dangerous for those
(UK($ individuals
who find themselves
being AkT
by YQU.
Let us restrict
it to K/(, so
we may have a
MANAA(
figure.
Around twelve or
fiftn, so MANY
that you caot
kp a Fk/
count.
I have a more
AUkAT figure
readily available.
QM now, how
MANYY
I felt Uk it
would come to
you with a lile
FQkT.
Now, let us s
Twenty-thr A
MN in FQUk years.
That comes to
about /X men
a yAk.
So it
would
M.

I wi
nd more
time, your
honor.
Mr Cogburn, you
wi return to the
witne stand at
that time.
The jury wi not talk
to others or converse
amongst themselves
about this case.
The defendant
is remanded to
custody.
Court
adjourned!
Mr Goudy,
darkne is
upon us.
Do
you think you
can finish with
this witne in
the next few
minutes?
Very we. You may
resume at eight-thirty
oclock, tomoow
morning.
Mr Rster
Cogburn?
What
is it?
I would
like to talk
with you a
minute.
What do you want,
girl? Speak up.
its suer
time.
They te
me you are a
man with true
grit.
To Be Continued--
in TRUE GRiT, The
Movie