The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-04-21

| and a>comIng head on with their tails
hanging out between their teeth-Oh,
spllnlers, and cord-wood, and thunder and
lightning, and hail and snow; odds and
ends OF hay stacks and things, and dust
oh, dust amt no name for tit was
just clouds, solid clouds of dust land in
the midst of all that wreck and destruc-
tlon sot that cussed Morgan on his gate
post, a-wondering why didnt stay and
hold possession likely took just one
glimpse of that spectacle, General, and l
lit oufn the country In three jumps ex-
actly.
But what grinds me is that that Nor
gan hangs on there and won't move otf'n
that raDche-says it's his'n and he's go>
ing TO keep it-liSes it better'n he did
when it was higher up the hill. Mad
| Well, I've been SO mad for two days that
| couldn't find my way to town-been
wandering around in the brush in "a starry
ing coudition-got anything here to drink,
! General! But I'm here noc, and I'm
! a-going TO law. You hear me !''
Never in all the world, perhaps, were a
mans feelings so outraged as were the
of such high handed conduct in all his life
/ as this Mergan's. And he said there was
no use in goirg to law-Morgan had no
shadow Of right to remain where he was
nobody in the wide world would up-
hold him in it, and no lawyer would take
his case and no Judge listen TO it. Sides
said that right there was where he was
mistaken-every body in the town sus~
| tanned Morgan; Hal Brayton, a very
smart lawyer, had taken his case the
courts being in vacation, it was to be tried
| before a referee, and ex Governor Roop
had already been appointed to that office,
and would open his court in the largest
parlor of The Ormsby House at two that
afternoon.
The innocent General was amazed -
He said he had suspected before that the
J people of that Territory were fools, and
now he knew it, But he said rest easy,
rest easy and collect the witnesses, for
the victory was just as certain as if the
conflict vas already over Sides wiped
away his tears and left.
\ two in The afternoon Referee Roop's
Court opened, and Lha; renrorseless old
Joker appeared throned among his sheriffs,
his Witnesses and a.''packed" jury, and
wearing upon lis face a fraudulent sol
emnity So awe-inspiring that some of his
fellow conspirators had misgivings that
maybe he had not ccmprehended, after
all, that this was merely joke. An
unearthy stilluess prevailed, for at the
slightest noise the Judge uttered sternly
the command:
"Order in the court !"
And the Sherffs promptly echoed it.
Presently the General elbowed his way
through the crowd of spectators, with his
arms full of law books, and on his ears
fell an order from the Judge which was
the first respectful recognition of his high
official dignity that had ever saluted them,
and it saturated bis whole system with
pleasure.
"Way for the United States Attorney
The witnesses were called Legislators,
high Government officers, ranchmen, mi
ners, Indians, Cinnamon, negroes. Three
fourths of them were called by The defend
ant Morgan, but no matter, their testimony
invariably went in favor Of the plaintiff
Sides. Each new witness only added new
testimony TO the absurdity of a mans
claiming TO own another mans property
because his farm had slid down on top oi
it. Then the Morgan lawyers made their
speeches, and seemed to make singnlariy
weak ones they did really nothing to
help the Morgan cause. And now the
General, with great glow of triumph on
his face, got up and make mighty effort
he pounded the table, he banged the law
books, he shouted, and roared and howled
he quoted from everything and everybody
poetry, sarcasm, statistics, history, patho:
and b!asphemy, and wound up with {
grand war- whoop for flee speech, free
dom of the press, free schools, the Glori
Gus Bird of America and the principles o
eternal justice Applause.
When the General sat down, he did /
with the comfortable conviction that
there were anything in good strong testi
mony, a big speech and believing an'
admiring countenaDccs all around, Mr
: Morgan's cake was dough. Ex-Governo
! Roop leant his head upon his hand 70
some minutes, thinking profoundly, an
, the still audience waited 5reathlessly for
decision. Then he got up and stood erect
with bended head, and thought again
Then he walked the floor with long, deliL
: crate strides, and his chin IN his hand
: and still the audience waited. AT last h
| returned to his throne and seated himself
j The SheriffS commanded the attentio
t of the Court. Judge Roop cleared hi
/, throat and said:
Il "Gentlemen, feel the great respons
bility that rests upon me this day. Th
d is no ordinary case. On the contrary 1t
y plain that it is the most solemn and awfl
e that ever man was called upon 10 decid
y Gentlemen, l have listened attentlvely
: the evidence, and the weight of 1t, IL
y overwhelming weight of it, is in favor