My school group spent most of our time in the court room of Judge Ester Jenkins. His was traffic and misdemeanor court. During the questions one girl asked, “Do you think judge that paying 5 credits will stop that last woman from stealing in the drug store?”
“No,” the judge said, “but in her income bracket that is a large amount of money.”
My question was, “Where do the fines go in misdemeanour court?”
“Well son,” the judge said, “thats the salary of the judge.”
“So how did you get to be a judge?” I then asked.
“Only one question per student,” he said, “I have time for one other student’s question.”
“I want an answer to my question.” I said.
“Your in contempt son and your fine is 5 credits.” That’s when I decided to be a judge. I never got an answer the man turned in his robes and walked out of the room. The class and the teachers discussed that, and found him arrogant and not fit to be a judge.
Mayor Fink called a meeting of the judges, which he had appointed, that afternoon. I sat with all twelve of them in an empty courtroom.
“I’m Danny Von Meter” I told them from the podium they called, ‘The Bench’. “My father Phil Von Meter owned the city, but made it a gift to me on my thirteenth birthday. If you notice your commissions they were signed by Mayor Frank acting as the agent of Phil Von Meter.
I was on a school tour this afternoon, looking at my legal system here in my town. I sat in the courtroom of Ester Jenkins. He refused to answer my questions about how he got to be a judge. So I decided to reform my judicial system.
As of now you will be slave clerks and advisors of students, the ones that I appoint as town judges. Tonight you will be chained up to get accustomed to being slaves. Tomorrow you will get to know your new student owner.
Now I will answer your questions, and punish any I feel inappropriate. Raise your hand if you have a question.”
“Some of us have money, and property. Can we pay a sum of money and be released from our slavery.” said a big man with brown hair and a big head, he had very large ears.
“Whats your name slave?” I asked.
“Ed Farley Smith.”
“Well Ed all your bank accounts and property will be signed over to me tomorrow. That includes your families.”
A smaller man in the back raised his hand.
“Yes, give your name and question.” I said.
“Jerry Norton, you mean we will not be able to go home tonight?”
“I think that was answered Jerry. But to tell you again, stupid slave that you are, you are not free to come and go anymore.
I had them stand and be inspected before chaining them for the night. I picked Ed Farley Smith, the judge who handled serious crimes. I told him, “You Ed will be my personal property, I will be deciding cases from now on. You will tell me what you would have done.”
I left them chained and went back to my new house and had Cake. Cake is my favorite girl.
Serious Court began at 7 AM when I took charge, well not on the first day. My idea was to promote my friends in the advanced school class into government positions. I would pay them a small amount based on their results
I made my self Chief Judge, and ten of them 8 boys and 2 girls I made Temporary Judges. I paid them 100 credits per week. that was almost what a worker, lowly status, at the plants would make a week. They were students and didn’t need much money.
I put my teachers and once judges setting up sentencing guidelines. The first day I heard only two serious cases in the morning.
Ed Farley Smith, my slave aide said very respectfully, “You can never hear both sides of 2 cases in one morning master” He called me ‘master’ after seeing me castrate two of his the once judges for not having a good attitude. I did it myself, first thing, and that got the attention of all that saw or heard about it.
The first case I saw that morning was The Government Against Roy Wahner, Roy was twenty-eight years old, and had killed a forty year old worker at the plant where he worked. Roy’s story was told by the prosecutor (I had a girl Mattie Yeder watching to learn the prosecutors job), “Four workers saw Roy stab Panis Perkins 14 times in the face, chest and neck. The attack lasted 15 minutes.” I moved the testimony along. The prosecutor brought a doctor to court who said, “Roy was crazy at the time because he heard that Panis was fornicating with his wife Pam.
There were three other character witnesses who I didn’t hear because they weren’t still at the plant. The defense was 15 minutes and then I asked Roy, “Did you do this, and if so, why?”
The lawyer said, “He doesn’t have to answer if it might implicate him.”
“He has to answer because I order him to explain it, or I will sentence him now.” I said.
“In that case he can testify.” The lawyer said.
“OK I was angry when I came to work that my wife had screwed with Pannis in our back shed. She was pregnant and just told me the baby was his. I saw the scissors just laying there and I put them in his neck. the extra times I stuck him were mostly rage like the doctor said., on the spur of the moment.”
“Do you want to say anything before I sentence you?”
“Does that mean you find me guilty?” Roy said.
“Well you are guilty aren’t you?”
“Well I did it in a rage.”
“He wouldn’t be any less dead if you did it calmly? Yes I pronounce you guilty and you’ll be taken to the front of AVIS MEAT FOR ALL OCCASIONS — BUTCHER SHOP on Murry Street, just a block north of the courthouse. There after your head is chopped off by me your body will be used as meat products.” Well that caused screams in the court room, I guess by relatives An overweight woman rushed me from the first row screaming, “Kill the judge! Kill the judge!” My foot was bandaged up and I couldn’t run well, but I had a gun under my robes and pulled it out as one bodyguard punched her to the floor.
“Chain the fat animal and I’ll do her at the butcher shop to. Is this Pam?” I asked.
The defense attorney aid, “No this is his 1st wife, he has 6 children by her.”
“Good, and what’s your name lawyer?”
“Foster Melton Esquire.”
“Well Mr. Esquire you find the 6 children and bring them to the court so I can enslave them.”
“Really judge, but that isn’t what lawyers do. I just do the trial. You decide the punishment, but we don’t pick up children.”"
“Judges don’t usually carry out sentences, but in my court I’m the law, and I say pick them up, and you better do it or be punished.”
“I don’t even have a car, I’m a cheap lawyer, I ride a bicycle.”
“Well rent a car, pick them up on a bicycle, but if you have to walk them over here do it. Lawyers will be responsible for rulings of the court from now on, so get a fee that will be enough pay for extra duties.”
“Yes judge”, he said.
I walked over to the butcher shop with 2 bodyguards. It was a hot day in my robes. Before I got to the butcher shop the shop owner came out and said, “Judge I don’t think people will buy human meat. This might be bad for business.”
“I’ll cut off the heads, and you sell the meat. I expect to get the money from the sales. Charge more for the meat, they do in France and Brazil. Call it UNICORN some restaurants in Uruguay call it that. It’s very good. Make money for me or I’ll get another butcher for your shop.”
“Of course I will.” he said.
My bodyguard Rightly brought me the sharpened ax and said, “Master I will be glad to whack him. Your robe might get blood splatter.”
“All the better to cut down on crime.” I said.
I did one hard hack with his head over a footstool. I did not ask for last words or get any. The head came right off and bounced on the concrete, just one bounce. The butcher and his workers took all but the head off, the head was taken back to the courthouse as a outside decoration. My idea was to put the heads on poles near the courthouse entrance with a sign that said the crime like:: MURDER, ROBBERY. A little something to get the attention of wrong-doers.
The fat 1st wife of Roy was then brought forward and she said, “I meant no harm” she said, “really I wouldn’t have hurt you judge, please don’t kill me.”
When her neck was across the stool I cut it off. I did get a spew of blood on my robe that time.
I rushed back to the courthouse, and the street mob, who mostly cheered, when the heads rolled off walked with me. The woman’s tongue was out of her mouth, the crowd really liked that as we walked along the street with his and her heads on sticks.
All the onlookers couldn’t get in the courthouse and so many stood outside. They are waited, hoping for more executions.
My 2nd murder trial was a woman named Easty Yamer. “Easty”, the prosecutor said, “Is here on trial for killing her husband of one year. She drove over him with her car.”
“She pleads not guilty” a new more prosperous looking defense attorney said, “She asks the court for a jury of her peers.”
“There won’t be a jury.” I said.
“Lets be quick about this ” I said. “why do you think the wife did this?” I asked the prosecutor.
“I have three people who saw her do it, one is her church minister.”
“You three stand up,” Nod if you saw her do it — run down her husband.”
They all stood and nodded yes.
“OK, so defense counsel bring all the witnesses you have that she was somewhere else, or that it was an accident.”
“We need more time judge.”
“Why do you need more time?”
“For more investigation.”
“No, time is out, but the accused can speak now, or be sentenced on the evidence at hand.”
“I don’t know what to say judge.” the woman said.
“Well then answer my questions. Was your car damaged?”
“Yes judge.”
“Did you mean to run over your husband?”
“Yes judge.”
“So you are guilty and lied about not running over your husband?”
“Yes sir, but he beat me with a belt. I killed him a month ago or I could show you my bruises.”
“Why didn’t you leave him and go back to your family?”
“My family is very poor, my father is always out of work, and I can’t find a job.”
“I’m going to let you keep your head, but you will become a slave of the city, and will be branded on the forehead with a big ‘M’ for murderer. Then you will pull kids around in the city park days harnessed to a cart. At night you will be the sexual amusement of the maintenance slaves of the city.” She didn’t thank me for her head so I ordered a bit put in her mouth. She probably wished for her husbands belt, nights in the maintenance barn, or maybe she found true love there.
I rode back to school for the afternoon classes with the other students, and the teacher Gladis asked, “How much beheading do you want Master Danny?”
“I will be the only one to pronounce the death penalty. Then only if the case is extreme, and if making someone into food products seems necessary, well then refer the case to my court.
Most of the time all actions of the court should be harsh fines, selling property for city profit (my profit) or making defendants slaves. Always keep in mind who you are pleasing, not yourselves, but me the person who owns you.”
_________________________________________________
Leave coments here, or send them to rcates2@cox.net
Another story by Ray Cates with links is: http://unsightlyteeth.wordpress.com
