 The Depart Company, maker of better things for a better living through chemistry, presents Rosalind Russell on the Cavalcade of America, and here's our star, Rosalind Russell. My husband was innocent of any crime, yet he was seized and thrown into prison. I devoted myself to his freedom, and perhaps to the freedom of every citizen in the American colonies. My name is Anna Zenger. The year 1735, Place, Philadelphia, in the home of Mr. Andrew Hamilton. Mr. Hamilton, I have traveled by carriage all the way from New York. I must speak to you on a matter of urgency. Oh, my dear madam, I fear you're an error. I'm a barrister, not a physician. Yes, yes, I know. All over, I'm past 80 years of age, rendered infirmed by gout, plagued by my relations, and what? Oh, please. Mr. Hamilton, there is a man in prison in New York. I shouldn't be surprised. He is innocent of any crime, sir. No doubt. If you say so. The name of the man is John Peter Zenger. My husband, sir. His crime, madam? He is accused of libel and slander. He is publisher of the New York Weekly Journal. His offence was that he printed the truth about a scoundrel. And the name of the scoundrel? His Majesty's governor of New York province, Colonel William Cosby. Well, your husband is either an extraordinary fool, or a very brave man. But he printed no slatter, he printed no libel. Every word against the governor was a true word. The governor of New York colony is corrupt and arrogant. Oh, it is truth and not sedition to say so. We are here, your fatigue, Mrs. Zenger. Pray be seated. Mr. Hamilton, I must say this to you. My husband could obtain his freedom tomorrow. Yes. He is only to threaten him the author of the attack on his Excellency the governor. Well? John printed the words he did not write them. I wrote them. Well, do go on. John has been silent and in prison for eight months. He protects me. If there is a criminal, Mr. Hamilton, I am that criminal. Mrs. Zenger, there are capable lawyers in New York. Sir, I implore you. In all the American colonies, there is no lawyer with greater reputation than Andrew Hamilton of Philadelphia. I implore you. Come to New York. I shall require all the facts. Oh, thank you, Mr. Hamilton. Now, please begin. I shall not interrupt you. When I married John Zenger, my family was greatly disappointed. He was immensely tall and immensely strong. My family conceded that he was a handsome man, but we were early settlers. And John Zenger was an immigrant from Germany. Moreover, he was employed by Mr. Bradford, the printer, whereupon they accounted him. No, gentlemen. Anna, what do you see in me? You. There is... there is too much difference between us. Well, I'm told that difference is customary. You are a man. I am a woman. That's usually so. You're not clever, Anna. Don't joke with me. I love you, John. Tell me why. Look at my hands. Look at my clumsy feet. Listen to my voice. It is a voice fit the great of vegetable. Still, it will serve to propose a marriage. I know I was a boy in Germany. I used to dream of someone like you. You will stay here. I will go inside and speak with your father. You are married. Can't it be urgent? Well, my urgent. John set up his own modest print shop. Those were good days. We prospered. Our children were born. We were content. And then His Majesty appointed a new governor. We became aware of the change the day Judge Morris came to the print shop. How soon will it be printed? In two days, Judge Morris. You do fine work, John. Thank you, Judge. I will send it to your chambers in the courthouse. Send it by wagon to my residence in Westchester. But the courthouse is only a short distance. I am no longer a judge. Have you resigned, sir? I have been removed. By whom? By His Excellency, Governor Crosby, Judge Morris. I'm afraid we don't understand. It's quite simple. The point of law came before me. I delivered an opinion which was not pleasing to the governor. I was removed from office. Well, who knows about it, sir? The governor and I, and now you. Perhaps all the citizens of New York should know. What would you have them know? That henceforth judges are to be intimidated. And how would you tell them? Well, by printing the information in handbills. My dear Anna, you have a husband. You have a family. With this governor independence of spirit is a liability. Good afternoon to you both. Morning, friend. I said good morning. John Zinger, printer. 10 shillings and sixpence, please. I'm afraid I don't understand. I'm the new tax collector. 10 shillings and sixpence. Well, there is some mistake. Anna! What is it? The tax collector's here. I paid it last week. Five shillings. You see, there has been some error. No error. This is a new tax. The assembly has passed a new tax. This is a new tax, decreed by the governor. Why was it not announced by the town crier? I announced it. 10 shillings and sixpence. That will be the second levy in one month. Oh, haven't you heard, John? The governor is a poor man. I am on King's business. I admonish you to guard your tongue. This is my shop. Get out! Get out before I carry them off. John, let me talk to him, please. There is nothing more to say. John Zinger, you have delivered a fate against the King's messenger. It will be noted. Don't look, Anna. It is not for a woman. Keep your eyes down, Anna. Tell me what has happened. Can't you guess? Yes. We are governed by William Cosby. I can guess. How many are there? Three. One in the pillory. The other poor devil tied to the whipping post. And the third? John, you said there were three. My eyes are closed. But I will tell you, the pillory, the whipping post, and also the hangman's yard, with the noose and the rope ready and adjusted for service. Why do I stand here, Anna? I am strong. I have fists. Wait a minute, John. What will that accomplish? There are only two soldiers. I can use my hands against them. The sheriff will send two more men. He will send 10 men, 50 men. John, there are better ways of dealing with the governor. Yes. Sabers and pistols. Words are better. They cop deeper. Words that can be printed. Words that can be read by every citizen of New York City. John, you are a printer. Print what the people have the right to know. Anna, I... I have no skill with words. I could write the words. And you could print them. Don't you see, John? We can do it together. We can have a newspaper. We called our newspaper the New York Weekly Journal. And, Mr. Hamilton, for the sake of our children, it was understood that no one was to know that Anna Zenger was other than a housewife and a mother. My housewifely duties became exceedingly strange. May I look over your shoulder while you work? If you wish. Why is there no accounting to the people by the governor as to how tax monies are spent? Why is it permitted by the freeholders of New York Province that the governor convene the assembly at his pleasure and dissolve the assembly at his pleasure? Anna. Come. Set up the type, John. I will help you lock it in the press. Anna. Yes. You make me ashamed for myself. Why? I am a lump. Two fists like hands and no mind and no culture. Governor Cosby has culture. He puts it on like a coat and wears it at public executions. No coat of culture on your back, perhaps. Nothing to get threadbare. But, John, the things that are yours are things inside. They don't wear out. We play with fire, you and I. You must know that I love you. This side ticket is the Zenger print shop. How do you do? I do exceedingly well, madam. My husband will return in a moment. Then let us not hasten the moment. You are quite charming when you blush. Who are you? An admirer. What do you wish here, sir? Your husband is the most fortunate of men. It would be a pity if he ceased to be a man. You speak in riddles. A man in prison is buried. Ergo, he is no longer a man. You come from the governor. I do, madam. My dear Mrs. Zenger, I come to warn your husband that several matters taken up in the columns of his newspaper are in poor taste. But it must be the truth is in poor taste. Yes, madam. I am quite sure that my husband will freely open his columns to you or to the governor for reply or rebuttal. Very friendly of you. But we shall not engage in controversy. Nor will you. Nor will your husband. I thank you for speaking more plainly. I shall hasten to the governor's mansion and report that certain indiscretions will not recur in the future. My compliments, Mrs. Zenger. That's you, John. Have you finished yet? Nearly. I have spoken with Morris. He promises that if there is trouble, he will defend me. Will he defend me too? There will be no need of that, Anna. Your name will appear nowhere in the journal. You're a wife and a mother. You have nothing to do with the New York Weekly Journal. Then perhaps you should hear what I've written. Listen. Under the administration of Governor Cosby, we see men's deeds destroyed. Judges arbitrarily displaced. Trials by juries taken away. Who is there in the province that can call anything his own? Or enjoy any liberty to save those permitted by the administration? John, I have signed my name to it. Anna Zenger. Anna, you cannot. We are husband and wife. I shall not allow you to be punished for what I write. We struck a bargain. You may not break it. There is no longer a matter of you or me. There is nothing personal in this now. It is larger than us. A bargain is a bargain. Scratch your name out. It was a bad bargain. You will not jeopardize yourself. If you do not scratch your name out, I set no type. The journal will not be print. John, scratch your name out. Just now you said this was larger than us. It was just talking. Scratch your name out, or there is no publication. I mean what I say. I will melt the type. Scratch your name out. If they arrest me, Morris will be able to find someone to set type. But if they put you in prison, Anna, the journal would die. I think... My dear Harrison, have you read this issue of the Weekly Journal? Unfortunately, I have, Your Excellency. Of course, you realize you've been a bundling fool. You told me these attacks against me would cease. I had every reason, sir, to believe... You gave me your assurance. Well, it was my impression of you. What can I say, Your Excellency? Nothing. Therefore, I have the grace to be still. Bradley, coming, sir. You called, Governor. What did you think I did? Where is the indictment? Your Excellency, a grand jury in Dites. That is English law. We shall assist the grand jury. I have been dispersed. My administration has been vilified. Seditious libers have been spread abroad concerning me. Harrison, the journal must cease publication. I understand fully, Your Excellency. Make sure you don't botch it again. Now get out. Both of you. You are listening to the Cavalcade of America starring Rosalind Russell and presented by the DuPont Company of Wormington, Delaware. In Philadelphia, a desperate Anna Zenger relates to Andrew Hamilton, the events which brought about the imprisonment of John Peter Zenger. It came, Mr. Hamilton. It was inevitable. We thought we were safe, but John was well known now. The weekly journal was eagerly read. Not only in New York province, but everywhere. It gave us a sense of security that was false. Nearly nine months ago on a peaceful Sabbath day, they seized him and threw him into jail. Court is acting illegally and refusing the right of trial to John Peter Zenger. What you have done is abhorrent to the spirit of the English common law. Are you finished, counselor? I am, Your Honor. I am not, Your Honor. Resume your place, Madam. I wish to be heard. Why does this court refuse to issue a writ of habeas corpus? Madam. I have a right to speak. The issue is law. Madam. The issue is the right of free men to speak freely, to assemble freely, to publish their writings freely. Madam. The issue is the right of the people to read the truth. The truth is God's truth that men are free men and shakers in God's eyes. This court chooses to ignore your intemperate outburst, Madam. You are a woman. You cannot know better being unaccustomed to our usages. But you, counselor, you do know better. Therefore, it is the judgment of this court that you be disbarred from the practice of law. You have ten minutes for the prisoner and no more. John. Anna, is that you? Yes, John. They lack even the ordinary humanity to unlock a prison door for ten minutes. No matter. If you will... How thin your hands are for the governor. Never mind now. This is good. They are fighting for you every moment. I know, I know. The journal comes out each week. The governor is mystified. That's amusing, isn't it? John. I said it was amusing. Anna. Who are we to challenge a world? Oh, don't talk like that, darling. We can't go back now. I have spent eight months in the shell. It is my caution. No. Four feet by eight feet. I step two pages lengthwise. One page sidewise. Two lengthwise. One sidewise. Two lengthwise. The people are proud of you, John. The weekly journal is now being read from Boston to Charleston. Newspapers throughout the colony produce our story of your imprisonment. Oh, there is a great lawyer in Philadelphia. The governor cannot... Well, he cannot delay the trial any longer. Not beyond next month. Andrew Hamilton will defend you. It is hopeless. You waste your time. Nothing is hopeless. Except this. I am going to Philadelphia. And so, Mr. Hamilton, you have become John Zenger's last hope. And my last hope. Governor Cosby and his judges will not dare to do to you to Andrew Hamilton what they have dared against others. I know that you are entitled to spend your final days in peace. But forgive me, sir. I had no one else to come to. Don't mention it again, my dear. For the first time in this new continent, there's been created a large issue. The freedom of the press. It will lead to larger issues. I'm not too old to say a word about that. Come, madam, we leave for New York. You may resume, Mr. Hamilton. Thank you. I call Anna Zenger once again. Put your hand down, my dear. You've already taken the oath once. Anna Zenger, I show you a copy of the New York Weekly Journal. Do you recognize it? I do. A question marked on the first page. Would you tell the jury who put that mark there? I did. For what purpose, madam? Because I believe that these words are the essence of the defense. You may read, Anna Zenger. It is charged that John Peter Zenger has committed false, scandalous and fuditious libel against Governor William Cosby. We assert that if you can prove that what a man prints is true, no libel is committed. Mr. Hamilton, the witness is a witness, not defense counsel addressing the jury. I am reading from the Weekly Journal, Your Honor. Do not address this court, madam. I address the jury, Your Honor. I say to them that the mere printing and publishing of statements in the newspaper is not a crime. I think that is enough. Not nearly enough, Your Honor. It is falsehood which makes libel and scandal, not truth. Mr. Hamilton, correct your witness. Not at all, Your Honor. I thought the lady who acquitted herself rather will. Mr. Hamilton, I warn you, I no longer address the court. The case is clear. I address you, members of the jury. The issue is freedom of the press, granted by your verdict, and all other freedoms will flow from it. You are twelve honest and lawful men. In you lies our safety. Our safety against governors who injure and provoke the people to cry out and complain, and then make that very complaint the foundation for new oppressions and prosecutions. Gentlemen of the jury, in your hands is the guarantee of our liberty. Is the jury ready? We are, Your Honor. John Zenger. Yes, Your Honor. You will stand and face the jury. Yes, Your Honor. Gentlemen of the jury, are you agreed upon a verdict? We are agreed. Do you agree that John Peter Zenger is guilty of printing and publishing the liable as charged? We have agreed that John Peter Zenger is not guilty. Zenger, my warmest congratulations. This is your day. My day. Mr. Hamilton, I would still be impressed but for you. And I too. You, Your Honor? Mr. Hamilton, when John was seized, I thought that only John Peter Zenger was in prison. I was wrong. We were all in prison. And now that you have freed him, you have freed us all. You have reminded the court that the Bible in which I took my oath declares proclaim liberty throughout all the land and into all the inhabitants thereof. Russell will return in a moment. Now here with a brief message for every listener is Cable Kidz star Rosalind Russell. Just to remind you to open your door wide when a Red Feather volunteer calls and open your heart too. Support all the Red Feather services through your hometown community chest. Thank you and goodbye. It's Cable Kid Play is an original radio drama by Morton Wishengrad, suggested by the novelized biography Anna Zenger by Kent Cooper, published by Farron Strauss. The director John Zaller, the music composed by Auden Cornwell, conducted by Donald Borey. Featured in the cast with Miss Russell was Peter Cappell as John Zenger. Rosalind Russell is currently starring in the Columbia picture, tell it to the judge. This is Ted Pearson speaking. We invite you to tune in next week when Cable Kidz will bring you the popular Hollywood star, Dane Clark in Lifeline, a true story of enterprising Bob Forrest of Port Angeles, Washington who founded Venture and a career deep down on the ocean floor. On the following Tuesday, Cable Kidz will present for his first radio appearance after his return from abroad as the star. Following that, Kerry Grant, Ray Mulan, and others, the best stars and the best stories of America and her people. And don't forget next week, Dane Clark on The Cable Kid of America. Cable Kid of America comes to you from the stage of the Velasco Theater in New York and is presented by the Dupont Company of Wilmington, Delaware, makers of better things for better living through chemistry. Listen to me and Janie on NBC.