| O'brien |
|
Card player - laments poor land, slaves too expensive,
wants to get rich quick. Compulsive gambler loses his property in small
doses. Wants Samantha. Gambling to get enough to buy her. Claims it will
change all his luck. |
| Bartender Joe Clay |
|
Owner of local tavern, cuts hair, collects money
as a pimp to use room upstairs as a whore house. |
| Rev Harrison |
|
Old man womanizer, wife left him due to adulterous
attempt to rape of a slave. Lost his flock. Full of hate of black men. Kibitzer
in card game. Uses every occasion to preach that the end of the world coming
with war. |
| Samantha - sister of Dangerfield |
|
Works in tavern. Is slave of Bartender. She gets
tips she collects for paying for freedom. Tavern owner Joe turns her into
a part-time prostitute the please his patrons and gives her some money to
look nice for the customers. |
| Jeb Johnson |
|
Ex-foreman on a small plantation that failed due
to runaways that were never replaced. Wanted to be sheriff but had to settle
as inept deputy. Full of bravado. Slanders sheriff as secret abolitionist.
He cheats at cards |
| Sheriff Obrien |
|
Tall lean mean cigar-in-mouth redneck plantation
hired hunter and slave breaker |
| Dangerfield Newbee |
|
Recent run away Black field slave-courier
for John Brown to recruit other slaves. |
| Virginia Donnelly |
|
Plantation Master's only daughter -
18 years old - very independent educated in North. |
| John Brown |
|
Veteran from Kansas Armed Resistance
to slave-owner mercenaries. Bounty on his head. Friends with Frederick.
Organizing armed revolt near Harper's Ferry. |
| Frederick Douglass |
|
Well known run away slave and recognized
leader in many militant abolitionist circles. |
| Quaker Brother Moran |
|
Offers help for runaway - his own family is torn
on whether to use violence to defend family and runaways |
| Act 1 |
Thumbnail description of Scenes |
| Scene 1: |
Tavern scene - has 3 different bar-flies.
One is a dispossed white farmer who lost everything to a large plantation
owner, The second character is a minister who got caught trying to commit
adultery and was thrown out of his parish. The third character is
an ex-plantation foreman who now works as a deputy for the sheriff.
They set the tone for the issues of the impending Civil War. Two big
pictures of John Brown and Frederick Douglass have circles around them with
darts stuck in their eyes. |
| Scene 2: |
Rescue - The plantation daughter returns
from being educated up North and she is rescued from a swimming hole accident
by a run away slave. |
| Scene 3: |
Secret meeting - Fred Douglass and John Brown
meet late at night. Fred Douglass provides him with maps and updated
political information on impending elections. |
| Scene 4: |
Attempted seduction - Sheriff is spying and
stalking Virginia and tries to blackmail her in order to seduce her. |
| Scene 5: |
Falling in love - Virginia and Dangerfield
are falling in love and meet at a pre-arranged picnic. |
| Scene 6: |
Plotting insurrection - Fred Douglass and
John Brown meet again to discuss insurrection at Harper's Ferry. |
| Scene 7: |
Attack in the woods - Sheriff confronts
Virginia and Dangerfield as they finish their picnic. He wants to
kill Dangerfield and a violent confrontation breaks out. Two shots
are fired as an unknown shooter and the sherriff exchange fire. |
| |
|
| Act 2 |
Thumbnail description of Scenes |
| Scene 1: |
Aftermath of attack in the woods
- Jeb wounds Virginia. The Sheriff is killed by the rock the Dangerfield
threw. Dangerfield wrestles the shotgun from Jeb and starts beating him.
But stops as Douglass and Brown come on the scene. Jeb flees leaving the
shotgun behind. |
| Scene 2: |
Jeb retreats to the bar - Jeb
staggers bedraggled and with two black eyes into the bar. Both his
are puffed up. He tells his version and declares that both Dangerfield
and Virginia are dead. He asks the bartender for a gun. He has
to deal with the other barflies asking about where the sherriff is. He shows
his trophy not knowing it was originally a gift from the bartender to Samantha
and Samantha gave it to Dangerfield. Samantha sees bracelet and drops tray
and runs away. Both Jeb and the bartender run after her.
Obrien takes the money and leaves after raiding the liquor cabinet. |
| Scene 3: |
Time to flee - Samantha hits
Jeb with a pan and knocks him out. She takes back the bracelet from
his pocket and takes his gun. She waves it at the bartender who tries
to have her stay and wants money and clothes to have him remain silent.
She hands him money and finishes packing and leaves. He points out
that she has no place to go. She leaves and Bartender brings Jeb to
consciousness and points to her dress to have Sheriff get the dogs on her
but not to kill her. He offers money to bring her back unharmed.
He gives Jeb his gun and the sheriff takes the dress and exits. |
| Scene 4 |
Underground Railroad Plans set
- Samantha meets Douglass, Brown and Dangerfield. She and Dangerfield
hug each other. She is relieved he is alive and tells Jeb's version.
Dangerfield tells her what really happened. Douglass offers to help
her escape. Brown wants to know if the Jeb is following her.
She tells about trying to shoot the bartender. Brown admonishes her
for not shooting the bartender when she had the chance. Douglass is
anxious to have her escape. Samantha wants her brother to go with
her. He does not want to go but will join Brown. Douglass gets
Samantha to leave clothes in a pepper circle. They leave together
after she gives her brother a final hug. He tells her to hurry.
Brown asks if Dangerfield is coming as he lingers to watch his sister leave.
Dangerfield says he will be a minute and will catch up. He grabs the
shotgun and says to Brown that he has some unfinished business. |
| Scene 5 |
Lover's Part - Virginia and Dangerfield
meet and she wants to have them both flee. Dangerfield can't go with
her. He wants Virginia to take care of his sister. He tells
her he must stand-up and fight so that love can have some meaning. |
| Scene 6 |
Douglass and Brown part - Douglass
tells Brown his plans to recruit union forces and black workers in the North
and to escallate the underground railroad connections in the South. Brown
admits that Douglass has a practical plan but can't change plans.
He wants to force the South to be exposed and not pretend they live off
slavery. |
| Scene 7 |
The Die is Cast - Dangerfield
is hiding behind a tree and cocks the shotgun. Jeb comes and sees
the bloody dress and bracelet and as he reaches for them he starts to sneeze.
He talks to himself. He thinks out loud. He will get the dogs.
Dangerfield emerges behind the tree and shouts as he shots - not
today. Jeb falls and wonders what has gone wrong. Dangerfield
turns his dead body and addresses God. |
