Justice Once and For All
Three Blind Mice, Three Blind Mice, See how they run...BAM!
Here's how it all went down...
Three Blind Mice, Three Blind Mice.
See how they run, See how they run.
They all run after the farmers wife,
And she cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a sight in your life,
As Three Blind Mice
As the Mice were resting up in the Hospital...
The Police were arresting the farmer's wife for assault and battery. It was decided in the wife's arraignment hearing that the farmer's wife, whose name was now known as Rye, would be held until trial with no bail.
Rye's Decision
Rye could not afford an attorney, so she was given a public defender, who turned out to be Donald Duck. While Rye wasn't exactly pleased she would be represented in court by a duck, unless she could find the money, it wasn't like she had any choice. Donald told her that she had two options. She could either enter a plea bargain or go to trial to prove her innocence. Rye decided to go to trial.
The Build-Up
The first step in the trial of Mice v. Rye was to notify the mice, who decided to get a move on with their physical therapy so that they could be there. Next, the DA (or district attorney), Mickey Mouse was notified and he got straight to work (but not without the help of his trusty sidekick Pluto). Mickey told Pluto to subpoena the witnesses. Pluto was willing, but he had no idea what that fancy word meant. Mickey explained that Pluto just had to find and tell all the witnesses to be in court 2, room 7 at 7 am. on February 30th. Pluto ran off as fast as he could.
The Witnesses
Pluto had a hard time finding the witnesses to the crime. The first people he tried were the neighbors of the farmers...until he found out they lived a mile away from them. Pluto was getting tired, he'd run all over town but nobody seemed to have been near Rye's farm at the time of the crime. Except two people. Buggs Bunny came forward as a witness, as did Peter Rabbit.
The Hiccup
Unfortunately, Buggs and Peter had been at Rye's house because they were stealing carrots. This gave Mickey a huge headache. How could he put these witnesses on the stand? Donald was sure to draw attention to the fact that both rabbits were not only trespassing, put stealing too! In the end, after some aspirin from Pluto, Mickey decided to go ahead and put them on the stand anyway.
The Trial
On the day of the trial, Mickey ran into yet another problem. Pluto really wanted to go with him to the court, but he wasn't allowed because he usually drooled all over Mickey's papers. Mickey had no idea what to do, but he had to figure it out fast. When Minnie got home from her run, he asked her if should would be willing to take Pluto to the trial, explain everything to him, and possibly take him on a tour of the building. Minnie was more than happy.
When everyone got to the court, the trial swiftly began. Minnie tried her best to explain everything fast enough. First, she told Pluto that Mickey was operating on the side of the mice, known as the prosecution. And that Rye was known as the defendant, since she was being faced with the charges. Minnie also explained that Rye was facing assault and battery charges, which were misdemeanor charges. Pluto interrupted her to tell her that the man who was sitting in the big chair in the front of the room was the Judge. Minnie smiled and told him that the judge's name was Sylvester the Cat . Then, Mickey gave Minnie the signal to take Pluto out of the courtroom and begin his tour.
The first witness on the stand was Peter Rabbit (who had lost the coin toss against Buggs). He said that he had seen Rye with a large knife, screaming her head off. Then, he heard a thud and squeals. But, he said, the squeals did not sound like they came from Rye, but from a smaller animal. Following Mickey's instructions, Peter steered clear of any mention of carrots. That is, until Donald asked him what he was doing there. Peter hesitated, Mickey had told him that he had to tell the truth or else he'd be charged with perjury but Mickey had also told him to steer clear of carrots, and then told the courtroom that he had been in Rye's yard to eat her carrots. All the heads in the room turned to, not to Peter, but to Buggs who was eating a carrot. Sylvester banged his gavel and ordered Donald to continue. Mickey objected before Sylvester put his gavel down. Mickey said that the only crime being investigated was that of Rye, not Peter. Donald smugly walked back to his seat.
Buggs' questioning continued in a similar fashion. He, however, had actually thought to look in the window when he heard the racket and saw Rye chop off the mice's tails before he ran away. Again, he was forced to say that he had been there to steal carrots and again Mickey objected.
Meanwhile, Pluto was having a great time on his tour. Pluto had visited the case next door to Mickey's and saw that the jury there was much bigger than the one in Mickey's courtroom. Minnie said that was because the person in this courtroom was being tried for murder, which was a felony. Felonies, she said, required a grand jury. Mickey, she explained, was prosecuting an assault trial. Assault was a misdemeanor and only required a petite jury. She also told him the murder suspect had received an indictment. Indictments, she said, were accusations of serious crimes. Pluto said he needed some time for that knowledge to settle and he and Minnie went up to the second floor to look at the art on the walls.
While Pluto and Minnie observed art, Mickey and Donald were making their closing arguments. Donald argued that the mice had trespassed on Rye's land and that she was defending herself. Mickey said that Rye was six feet tall and 165 pounds. There was no way three four-inch tall mice were endangering her life in any way.
Waiting...
Pluto and Minnie joined Mickey while he was waiting for the verdict. Before Pluto could even ask, they told him the verdict was the decision of the trial. Then, Mickey got Pluto and Minnie a hotdog and they sat down to wait.
The Verdict
Everyone went back to the courtroom, including Pluto and Minnie. The jury walked in, followed by the judge. They handed Sylvester a piece of paper on it. Sylvester vegan to read. "We the jury hereby find the defendant guilty of three counts of assault and battery" said Sylvester. even Pluto knew what this meant. Rye had been convicted of three counts of assault and battery and was sentenced to two years in prison and then one year of house arrest
It's Not Over Yet
Rye was furious! She and Donald decided to appeal the case, but it was knocked back to them. While that was happening, Peter and Buggs pleaded guilty to larceny and were sentenced to community service. Rye served out her sentence and never hurt anything else in her life, nor did Peter or Buggs ever steal again.
The End
Buggs Bunny
Witness 2; served community service with Peter for committing larceny (of carrots, with Peter)
The Dream Team
An amazing lawyer, a dedicated and curious dog, and a supporting girlfriend
Peter Rabbit
Witness 1; served community service after being charged with larceny (of carrots)