"Your honor, the county jail is already filled to capacity. so is every county jail within reasonable transport distance! I have no place to PUT this many prisoners! The only possibility I would have would be to commandeer the two factories outside of town, and make temporary facilities there. But it would take me two or three weeks to set that up. At the moment they have us in a nonfunctional situation, and we are approaching the middle of the first encampment where the former First Lady and the former President are waiting to be arrested. Your honor, I really don't want to have to transport them miles away. I ask you take limited action now, and give me time to set up a proper operation."
The judge stared at him for several moments then shrugged. "If there's nothing else we can do," he finally answered, "there's nothing else we can do! Thank you sheriff. Be assured I understand you are doing your best in this situation. Begin to make the arrangements you have to make. We will continue the operations today. We have shown our resolve. We will set up the needed facilities then if cooperation has not been arranged we will continue."
The sheriff nodded and backed off. Out loud the judge remarked, "As these unreasonable individuals have forced us into a situation we are currently unprepared for, I must make some consesions 'til we can deal with these people properly. Bail is withdrawn. I release each individual on their own recognizance. Again I remind them forcibly that they are not to return to the area of the resort. It IS off limits to them. They have caused enough difficulties with the local authorities. They have made their point. Get these people OUT of here!"
The prisoners were removed and released. Within fifteen minutes they were back to the resort, slipped through the deputies' lines, and reoccupied the tents they had been taken from.
The sheriff told the deputies to concentrate on those they had not yet removed. The LAST thing he wanted was to take people that had already been released back into the courtroom!
As he was getting done the day he felt something in his pocket. It was an index card. On it was written "Mr. Wu at the laundry would like you to drop by this evening for a few hands of cards, say 7 o'clock?"
The sheriff slipped the card back in his pocket and patted it. That afternoon as they were finishing in the courts, a U.S. Marshall appeared.
"Judge Wentworth," he announced, "I have a federal order here blocking the fines you are leveling against The Spiritist Church. They are declared unwarranted and unnecessary."
"What?!" the judge shrieked. He took the papers and examined them. "Legal and correct," he muttered. "Thank you marshal!"
The marshal nodded and departed. The judge was beginning to realize he was going to get NO cooperation anywhere, none whatsoever!

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