Native Son - Richard Wright [143]
“Did you try to keep that Negro from Miss Dalton?”
“I didn’t….”
“Answer yes or no!”
“No!”
“Have you a sister?”
“Why, yes.”
“Where is she?”
“In New York.”
“Is she married?”
“No.”
“Would you consent for her to marry a Negro?”
“I have nothing to do with whom she marries.”
“Didn’t you tell that drunken Negro to call you Jan instead of Mr. Erlone?”
“Yes; but,….”
“Confine yourself to answering the questions!”
“But, Mr. Coroner, you imply….”
“I’m trying to establish a motive for the murder of that innocent girl!”
“No; you’re not! You’re trying to indict a race of people and a political party!”
“We want no statements! Tell me, was Miss Dalton in a condition to say good-bye to you when you left her in that car with the drunken Negro?”
“Yes. She said good-bye.”
“Tell me, how much liquor did you give Miss Dalton that night?”
“I don’t know.”
“What kind of liquor was it?”
“Rum.”
“Why did you prefer rum?”
“I don’t know. I just bought rum.”
“Was it to stimulate the body to a great extent?”
“No.”
“How much was bought?”
“A fifth of a gallon.”
“Who paid for it?”
“I did.”
“Did that money come from the treasury of the Communist Party?”
“No!”
“Don’t they allow you a budget for recruiting expenses?”
“No!”
“How much was drunk before you bought the fifth of rum?”
“We had a few beers.”
“How many?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t remember much about what happened that night, do you?”
“I’m telling you all I remember.”
“All you remember?”
“Yes.”
“Is it possible that you don’t remember some things?”
“I’m telling you all I remember.”
“Were you too drunk to remember everything that happened?”
“No.”
“You knew what you were doing?”
“Yes.”
“You deliberately left the girl in that condition?”
“She was in no condition!”
“Just how drunk was she after the beers and rum?”
“She seemed to know what she was doing.”
“Did you have any fears about her being able to defend herself?”
“No.”
“Did you care?”
“Of course, I did.”
“You thought that whatever would happen would be all right?”
“I thought she was all right.”
“Just tell me, Mr. Erlone, how drunk was Miss Dalton?”
“Well, she was a little high, if you know what I mean.”
“Feeling good?”
“Yes; you could say that.”
“Receptive?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Were you satisfied when you left her?”
“What do you mean?”
“You had enjoyed her company?”
“Why, yes.”
“And after enjoying a woman like that, isn’t there a let-down?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“It was late, wasn’t it, Mr. Erlone? You wanted to go home?”
“Yes.”
“You did not want to remain with her any longer?”
“No; I was tired.”
“So you left her to the Negro?”
“I left her in the car. I didn’t leave her to anybody.”
“But the Negro was in the car?”
“Yes.”
“And she got in the front seat with him?”
“Yes.”
“And you did not try to stop her?”
“No.”
“And all three of you had been drinking?”
“Yes.”
“And you were satisfied to leave her like that, with a drunken Negro?”
“What do you mean?”
“You had no fear for her?”
“Why, no.”
“You felt that she, being drunk, would be as satisfied with anyone else as she had been with you?”
“No; no…. Not that way. You’re leading….”
“Just answer the questions. Had Miss Dalton, to your knowledge, ever had sex relations with a Negro before?”
“No.”
“Did you think that that would be as good a time as any for her to learn?”
“No; no….”
“Didn’t you promise to contact the Negro to see if he was grateful enough to join the Communist Party?”
“I didn’t say I’d contact him.”
“Didn’t you tell him you’d contact him within two or three days?”
“No.”
“Mr. Erlone, are you sure you didn’t say that?”
“Oh, yes! But it was not with the construction you are putting upon it….”
“Mr. Erlone, were you surprised when you heard of the death of Miss Dalton?”
“Yes. At first I was too stunned to believe it. I thought surely there was some mistake.”
“You hadn’t expected that drunken Negro to go that far, had you?”
“I hadn’t expected anything.”
“But you told that Negro to read those Communist pamphlets, didn’t you?”
“I gave them to him.”
“You told him to read them?