80
PARTISAN REVIEW
believe what we were seeing. Maybe that is why we didn't jump
in right away. Anyway, there we stood, and there stood Tex
and Sam with the deputies buzzing around 'em like flies around
a coupla grizzly bears. I'm no writer, so I can't describe it like
I want to. But something grabbed my insides real hard seeing
those two giants standing there fighting back to back. I couldn't
see Tex's face, but Sam had his lips drawn back over his white
teeth only they weren't saying "Howdy" this time. All of a
sudden,
it
came over me what that slogan 'Black and White,
Unite and Fight' really meant. They'd finished three of those
deputies when the rest of us woke up.
We rushed in and grabbed the others and held them. Then
we had to grab T ex as he dove for the building. It was like.
trying to stop a elephant, but somehow we did it. We only
brought him to when we shouted about his wife. He sure wanted
that super bad, and me, for one, was always sorry he didn't get
the son.
Well, it was pretty much a stand-off then and Doc got
Tex's wife in'to the place. We let the deputies go after taking
their guns, and then we started bringing the sheriff to. Tex and
Sam was both cut bad as those leather-strip saps make a wicked,
jagged tear in a man's head. Doc came back out and had just
taken them inside to get fixed up when the City Police carne
raring up. There was three loads of 'em and a fire wagon, so
help me
I
It was so damn funny we all busted out laughing.
everything was all settled by that time anyway because the nurses
had found room for Mrs. Buckley. The super had beat it out
the back way and even the news reporters couldn't find him for
two days.
It all finally got caught up when Nate Brown, the Chief of
Police, arrested Sam and Tex on charges of Assault and Bat·
tery, Resisting Arrest, Rioting and a few other thittgs. The
sheriff wasn't in any condition to arrest anybody. Some of us
kinda grumbled, but it was like Doc Halper pointed out;
we
couldn't fight the whole San Arvin police force. He told us
that when the truth gqt out, they'd never be able to convince
either of 'em and he was right. We bailed 'em out that night, and
before the trial, Jimmy wrote a swell leaflet and we sure plas–
tered the town with it. Even some church women and business
men's wives sided up with us. Sure enough, the case was dis–
missed without being brought to trial.
All in all, the whole thing was mighty good for the move-
