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“He did at first. But they beat him with sticks, and told him they knew where he lived and would kill all his children if he refused. He knew there was no choice except to sail the ship to Florida.”
Woodson said, “Tell us about the voyage, what you saw.”
We came on the ship at night, and the crewmen put us all in the hold.” She shuddered. “It was dark, and stank. There were too many people inside.”
“Go on.”
“It was so hot, and we had no water. Some men pushed open the hold and got on the deck. But they were tossed overboard.”
Woodson asked, “Were you in the hold for the entire trip?”
“No. I was one of the first women to come out of the hold. They made me sit on the deck and watch.”
“What did you see?”
“Crewmen throwing people overboard as they came out of the hold.” She glanced at Villard. “And Captain Villard trying to stop them.”
John and Hunter looked at each other. Hunter mouthed, God-o-mighty.
Woodson said to the woman, “Do you know how many they threw overboard?”
“So many I could not count. More than a hundred.”
“What else did you see?”
“Sharks. Behind the ship, eating those in the sea.”
Woodson looked at the Justice Attorneys as he said to the woman, “That is horrifying. You are very brave to tell us your story.”
She said, looking at the bare corner again, “It is the truth.”
Woodson said, “Did you witness anything else about Captain Villard?”
She nodded, “He brought us water, and some food, even though the crewmen threatened him. He whispered to us what he was going to do.”
“What was that?”
“Run the ship aground so we could escape the crewmen. And live in America.”
Woodson said, “One final question. Why did you voluntarily come here to tell us your story?”
She looked at Villard, “I heard he had been arrested and accused of terrible crimes that I knew he did not commit. He saved all of us, and should be free to walk under the sun as the good man he is.”
Woodson said, “Thank you.” She left the room.
Hunter asked Grant, “She’s here illegally, are you going to let her walk out of the building?”
Grant said, “They’ve all been given temporary status as government witnesses.”
“All of them, or just these forty?”
Grant looked irritated, “Does it matter? These do, and they are who we are interested in.” He turned to Woodson, “Please continue, Mr. Woodson.”
Woodson called for another Haitian, but this one only spoke Creole. The translator interpreted everything, from the Haitian to English, and from English to Creole for the Haitian. The same questions were asked, and the same answers were given. Villard was a hero, a benevolent man, and innocent. The translations tripled the time the questions and answers took to finish.
The next witness was the same, with the translator doing all the work. Through all of them, the stories were identical.
At noon, Grant had sandwiches and soft drinks brought in, and they continued through the lunch hour without a break.
