The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-07-18
An Accommodating Judge.

4 An Accommodating Judge.
The following story, only the con-
Guiding portion of which4 we give, is
told of Judge 3, of jackson,
Texas, and John Rolfe, a baekswoods-5
man. Rolfe-a tall hunter. dressed
in deerskin, and armed with
revolver, rife and bowie knife-visit-
ed Jackson. called on the Judgeat his
residence with the nafratofl, and
thus relieved his mind i. t.s-.s s. 8sG
You see, Judge, early day-bef0ref
yesterday morning | started for this
place. and, as / wouldn't chisel, [
went without eating the whole day |
slept in the woods, and yesterday
morning / got up as hungry as a
panther; and as [ walked along,
| thinks /, what am / to do? [ never
see game so scarce; there wasn't so
much as a squirrel to be found I'm
above cheating any man out of his
dinner; but dinner / must have.
just then a fellow comes riding along
the road [ talked to him, and tried
! to borrow, swearing to pay at any
place he might name, in week; but
the critter told me he paid his way out
of his pocket, and he'd too little to
divide
How much have you got?'' says L.
Two fifty" says he.
Now, thinks [, that is too little to
divide. So, while he is looking anoth-
er way, shoots him through the head,
and gin him as decent burial as /
could under an old log, and took the
two dollars and half But it won't
do; my conscience misgives me. I'm
sorry for it, and wish the Teller had
his money back, if he could be alive.
Between you and me, as it is too late
for that, | think ought to be
hung"
The Judge called his little black
boy, ordered three papers of tobacco,
and we smoked in silence.
"Then you really think you ought
to be hung?" he said, with compass
sion, as he whitfield cloud of smoke
towards the ceiling.
Il do in fact" answered Rolfe,
emitting a similar volume of vapor.
The Judge smoked, and considered
again.
! We'll, wen try to hang you, he
added.
There was an expression of graft
tude in Rolfe's eye as he replied:
THANK you. That will ease my
conscience"
Il The Judge again knocked the ashe,
/ from his pipe, and spoke:
/" Well, come here in half an hour
} I'll try to get jury"
Rolfe and myself, laying our pipes
on the table, were about leaving, wheI
/. the Judge asked us to take a drink
which having done, we babe him gooC
morning.
At the expiration of half an houl
we returned, when we found som'
twelve men drinking and smoking
with the magistrate, awaiting us. w
were politely requested to sit down.
Now" said the Judge, addressing
himself to Rolfe, $ tell these gentle
men what you have already told me.
, Whereupon Rolfe repeated thu
statement ne had before made.
Now, gentlemen" continued thu
first speaker, +" | wish to say, if thii
gentleman Rolfc, your name is
Ell? we'll, there's some fine old brandy
make youself perfectly at home
whether, gentlemen, you find JOIN
Rolfe guilty, or not guilty of murder
In addition to what he said, / vii
observe for your information, that
have sent out and found the body JUS
where he stated it to be.
The jury smoked, rose up, took
little brandy and water, and then sa
down again, and smoked in silence 70
some time. At last one of them, VIII
appeared to be the foreman, said:
The case is tolerably clear, and VI
= rather think he's guilty
There's more tobacco on the ia
ble," said the Judge to Rolfe, tn
best you can find anywhere. Yol
have heard what these gentlemel
have said" Well" he continued
little uneasily, Il don't like to tel
u you in my own house; but
=, Let there be no hindrance," sal
g Role, filing and lighting his pipe
I, Well, then, continued the Judge
n leone here at ten o'clock tomorrow
e morning, and I'll have you hung"
Rolfe looked disconnected, and ap
peared mortified at the idea of askin
a favor.
''You-you have been so kind t
q me-" he said, hesitatingly, that
hardly like to ask you for anythin
more"
mot atEall," replied the Judge