Declamation piece

Guilty or Not Guilty Anonymous

He stood at the bar of justice; creature wan and wild, in form too small for a man, in feature too old for a child, but he stood so worn and pathetic -- 'twas stamped on his pale young face. It seemed long years of sufferings must have left a silent trace. "I will tell you just how it was, sir. My father and mother are dead, and my little brothers and sisters were hungry and asked me for bread. At first I earned it for them by working hard all day, but somehow the times were hard, sir, and then work fell all away. I could get no more employment. The weather was bitter cold and the young ones cried and shivered; little Johnny's but four years old.

So, what was I to do, sir? I'm guilty, but not condemned. I got, oh was it stealing the bread to give to them?" Every man in the courtroom graybeard, and thoughtless youth knew as they looked upon him that the prisoner spoke the truth. Out from their pockets came kerchiefs, out from their eyes sprang tears; and out from the old faded wallets treasures hoarded for years.

"Your name?" said the judge as he eyed him with kindly look at kin: "Is... Mark McGuire, if you please, sir".

"And your age"

"I'm turned fifteen."

"Well, Mark", and then from a paper he slowly and gravely read, "You are charged here, I am sorry to say it, with stealing three loaves of bread. You look not like an offender and I hope that you will show the charge of stealing three loaves of bread to be false. Now tell me are you guilty of this or no?” A passionate burst of weeping was at first his sole reply; and he dried his tears in a moment then looked at the judge's eyes.

** I feel it is a bit short of drama if you end here, so perhaps you can add more lines for the boy and perhaps the last line can be... "Sir, I ask you, am I guilty or not guilty?"