Call Northside 777 Page #5

Uh-huh. Go on.

Well, when they question you

hour after hour...

...you're bound to get mixed up

on a lot of little things the way I did.

That's another good angle--

railroaded, huh?

Then they took me

from one police station to another...

...every few hours--...

...taking me 'around the

horn,' they call it--...

...so my lawyer couldn't get me out.

And this Wanda Skutnik--...

...the first two times she saw me,

she said I wasn't the man.

Then, all of a sudden, she said I was.

- Finger woman, huh?

All right.

We'll play that up too.

I was home with my wife

the night the policeman was killed.

Does your wife visit you regularly?

My wife? Yeah.

We're divorced.

Well, we... better duck that angle too.

You duck so many things.

You don't believe me, do you?

Listen.

I talked to your mother.

She's a very fine old woman.

She believes you. I need proof.

I got no proof.

- Yeah. Yeah, I know.

All right. Now, what we'll

do with this thing is this.

We'll play up this mother angle

and the finger woman...

...and maybe a little police

and political corruption too.

I didn't say that.

Well, what difference

does that make? It's a good angle.

Probably true anyway.

See, you don't want a wishy-washy story.

This thing's

got to have sock-- mass appeal.

It's the only way we'll

be able to help you--...

...get sympathy, public support.

You leave it to me.

Okay, Warden.

Thank you.

That's all, Frank.

Are there any guilty men out here?

Not if you hear them tell it.

They sure make a hard pitch, don't they?

Ninety-nine years is a long time.

Maybe he'd been better off

if he got the chair.

Mr. McNeal is busy. But I'll tell him

you liked the story. You're welcome.

Yes, the Times is going to continue

with the Wiecek case. You're welcome.

[ Typewriter Clacking ]

Yeah.

Yes. Well, thank you very much for calling.

That's right, lady. I guess the Times

is gonna follow up the case.

Yes. Good-bye.

Say, what are you gonna

use for a follow-up?

What follow-up?

Well, the thing is snowballing.

I want more of it.

Well, do you wanna

give me a raise, or do I just get...

...the 5,000 from Wiecek's mother?

Look, Mac. My job's to print the news

that's fit to print.

Did it ever occur to you that we might be

sellin' this dead cop short?

Maybe he had a mother

that scrubbed floors too.

[ Ringing ]...

...[ Ringing Continues ]

And another thing,

remember what Wiecek said...

...about that judge that

promised him a new trial?

Well, the judge died

three weeks after the case was closed.

He's been dead for 11 years.

That Wiecek's a pretty

smart cookie, you know.

He gives me a lead

and knows I can't check up on it.

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