Summary: Joseph Francis Cartwright awaits sentencing. The judge is quick to blame the adults in his life for the boy\u2019s actions. What can Joe say in defense?<\/p>\n
Rating:\u00a0 K+ \u00a01500<\/p>\n
In Defense<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ben Cartwright paused outside the courthouse and took in another deep breath of air. His mind reflected painfully back on the past week as he once again silently chastised himself. \u201cI should have kept a closer eye on him. We should have spent more time together.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n Ben lowered his head, giving it a slight shake. The words slowly spewed out from his lips \u201cWhere did I go wrong?\u201d Then, with a heavy sigh, he walked towards the entrance.<\/p>\n Inside the courtroom, Ben took a seat. The same seat he had sat in for the past 4 days. His son, Hoss, was already situated beside him. He glanced up nervously at his father. There was a look of uncertainty in his eyes. Neither said a word, but they both knew what today would bring. In just a few brief moments, a court judge would be passing sentence on Joseph Francis Cartwright.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s eyes rose at the sound of a side door opening. Roy Coffee entered. Two solemn looking figures followed; the last one, being his son. A realm of emotion instantly cascaded through his body as he watched, not a man, but a twelve year old boy shakily make his way to his assigned seat. He was the youngest of the two by 3 years and the week in jail had obviously taken its toll. The boy looked gaunt. He had deep, dark circles under his eyes, and his shoulders sagged from the sheer humility and disgrace of the situation.<\/p>\n Once again, Ben sat silently chastising himself. Had he made the right decision by refusing to post bail? When the news first reached him about Joe\u2019s transgressions, he was angry…angrier than he had ever been before. He marched into the jail like a hurricane, demanding to have his son released at once.<\/p>\n Roy Coffee, however, had other ideas.<\/p>\n \u201cBen, if you go in there filled with anger, just think of the consequences. The boy knows he\u2019s done wrong. You\u2019d certainly be making a bigger statement by giving him some \u201cquiet time. That is if\u2019n you know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n After much persuasion, Ben relented and begrudgingly let his son remain behind bars under the care of his friend; judging by the boy\u2019s demeanor, that \u201cquiet time\u201d had left a definite impression.<\/p>\n \u201cAll Rise!\u201d<\/p>\n A middle-aged judge entered and took his assigned position. \u201cBe seated,\u201d he simply stated. He then fumbled through some papers and took a moment to gather his thoughts before addressing the court.<\/p>\n \u201cThis week we have all seen what can happen when the youth of today are left to their own discretion. Personally, I look upon these juveniles in pity, not hatred. Yes, they committed a crime for which they have been found guilty, but really are they the ones to accept full blame? I think not.<\/p>\n Children need love, reassurance, and guidance. It is a parent\u2019s responsibility to set guidelines and monitor whereabouts. It is up to the adults to set strict rules and follow through with consequences. This is how children learn right from wrong. This is how they learn the rules of society and establish themselves as worthy citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n The judge banged his gavel down once for emphasis, then turned his eyes towards the cowering youth before him.<\/p>\n \u201cJacob Anthony Roberts, please rise.\u201d The boy nervously rose and stood quivering. \u201cHave you anything to say in your defense before I pass sentence?\u201d<\/p>\n The boy simply shook his head and answered with a soft, \u201cNo, sir.\u201d The crowd remained silent. Jacob\u2019s father was not present due to a work obligation while his mother was too overcome with emotion to speak on his behalf.<\/p>\n \u201cI see here that this is your fourth time before a judge in the past year. Obviously we haven\u2019t made that much of an impression on you. Therefore, I find it necessary to leave a more lasting footprint.<\/p>\n You shall be immediately transported to California where you will take residence at the San Francisco Home for Wayward Boys. There you will receive schooling and strict guidance as a last means of rehabilitation.\u201d<\/p>\n The boy looked up at the judge with a shocked look upon his face. He instantly turned towards his mother. \u201cMa… Don\u2019t let them send me a way… I promise to be good. I don\u2019t want to go…Ma… please.\u201d<\/p>\n His mother crumbled into the arms of her sister sitting next to her.<\/p>\n Roy Coffee grabbed hold of the boy and sat him back down in his chair. He instantly buried his head in the table and sobbed.<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright felt his gut wrench as the judge passed sentence. He scooted himself to the edge of the bench on which he sat. His eyes fell not on his son, but the judge, who, at that moment, held his family\u2019s future in the palm of his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph Francis Cartwright, please rise.\u201d Joe solemnly complied. \u201cHave you anything to say in your defense before I pass sentence?\u201d<\/p>\n The boy simply nodded and replied, \u201cYes, sir. I have, but it isn\u2019t in my defense… but in my father\u2019s defense.\u201d Joe took a moment to swallow and gather his thoughts.<\/p>\n Light mutterings emerged from the crowd and Ben Cartwright looked over at his son with a furrowed brow. \u201cWhatever is that boy thinking?\u201d he thought.<\/p>\n \u201cJudge…sir. I cannot let you blame my father for why I am standing in front of you today. I am the sole reason I\u2019m here. I am the one that listened to a friend rather than my own family. My father tried to warn me, but I chose not to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe paused to glance over at his father and brother. This brought a wave of emotion, and the tears began to uncontrollably fall.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a good father… the best. He\u2019s given me love, reassurance, and guidance. He sets guidelines and strict rules. Please don\u2019t send me away. I know I have to be punished, but please don\u2019t send me away from my family. I\u2019ve had a good upbringing. Pa always taught us right from wrong and I know he will administer the proper consequences for my actions… And believe me, it will be far worse than what any home in San Francisco would ever do for me.\u201d<\/p>\n A few snickers arose from the crowd at Joe\u2019s blatantly honest words.<\/p>\n A hush fell over the courtroom as the judge thoughtfully paused and reflected.<\/p>\n \u201cIs this boy\u2019s father present?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, your honor.\u201d Ben Cartwright arose. \u201cI\u2019m his father, Ben Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see. Your boy has no prior record?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo sir. Joseph is a good boy… mischievous at times, but still a good boy…And one a man can be proud of\u201d<\/p>\n Joe winced at hearing words of praise come from his father\u2019s mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cVery well,\u201d the judge acknowledged. \u201cJoseph Francis Cartwright I hereby sentence you to 3 months of service to your community. You will sit down with your father and establish a work schedule amongst the business owners here in town. You will report your hours to Sheriff Coffee once a week who in turn will send me confirmation of 120 hours achieved. In six months, we will review your file, clearing you of your record if, and only if, your school grades have remained up, and there haven\u2019t been any further instances with the law.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not fair!\u201d Jacob Roberts announced and lunged at Joe without warning. The two boy\u2019s landed in a heap on the floor, but Roy Coffee was quick to grab Jacob by the arm and swiftly escort him out of the room.<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright rushed forward assisting his son to his feet. The boy instantly wrapped his arms around him, squeezing ever so tightly. It was a moment he had waited for all week. Tears fell as he softly uttered, \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Pa. I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Cartwright held tightly to his boy, he too had longed for this precise moment. There the two remained in silence.<\/p>\n The judge swung his gavel down one last time and arose. \u201cThis court is now adjourned.\u201d Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by Hoss addressing him. \u201cI just want to thank you, Your Honor… for giving my brother a chance to prove himself. He\u2019s really a good kid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo need to thank me, young man,\u201d The judge simply replied.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you can be rest assured that my Pa will make sure Joe learns from this experience.\u201d<\/p>\n The Judge chuckled. \u201cYou sound like you speak from experience yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss\u2019s face turned a slight shade of pink. \u201cWell, let\u2019s just say Pa has a way of getting his point across… with emphasis.\u201d<\/p>\n The judge laughed as he shook Hoss\u2019s hand. \u201cGood day,\u201d he said cheerfully as he strolled out of the courthouse.<\/p>\n At that precise moment, he knew full well that he would never have to worry about Joseph Francis Cartwright again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Summary: Joseph Francis Cartwright awaits sentencing. The judge is quick to blame the adults in his life for the boy\u2019s actions. What can Joe say in defense?<\/p>\n Rating:\u00a0 K+ \u00a01500<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":3814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[2,23,1008,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actionadventure","category-drama","category-family","category-prequels","wpcat-2-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-id","wpcat-30-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/joe-angst.jpg?fit=400%2C320&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nAs he turned to leave, he glanced over at father and son and smiled.<\/p>\n