Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-05-12

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--everybody in town sustained
Morgan; Hal Brayton very smart law
yer, had taken his case; the courts being
in vacation, it was to be tried before re-
feree, 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 2 o'clock that
afternoon.
The innocent General was amazed.
He said he had suspected before that the
people of that territory we're 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 was already over. Sides wiped
away his tears and left.
AT two in the afternoon referee Roop' s
court opened, and that remorseless old
joker appeared throned among ms sher-
liffs, his witnesses, and packed jury,
and wearing upon his face fraudulent
solemnity soNawe-inspiring that some OF
his fellow-conspirators had misgivings
that may be he had not comprehended,
after all, that this was merely joke.
An earthly stiffness prevailed, for at the
slightest noise the judge uttered sternly
the command;
"Order in the Court
And the sherifIs 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 his whole system
with pleasure:
Way for the United States Attorney
The witnesses were called-legislators,
high government officers, rancho men,
miners, Indians, Cinnamon, negroes.
Three-fourths Of them were called by
the defendant, Morgan, but no matter,
their testimony invariably went in favor
of the plaintiff, Sides Each new wit
ness only added new testimony TO the
/ absurdity of mans claiming to own
another mans property because his farm
had slid down on top of it, Then the
Morgan lawyers made their speeches,
and seemed to make singularly weak
ones-they did really nothing to help
the Morgan cause And now the Cen
eral, with a great glow of triumph on
his face, got up and made a mighty
effort; he pounded the table, ne banged
the law-books, he shouted, and roared,
and howled, he quoted from everything
and everybody, poetry, sarcasm, stats
tics, history, pathos, and blasphemy,
and wound up with grand war-whoop
for free speech, freedom of the press,
free schools, the Glorious Bird of Ameri-
ca and the principles of eternal justice
Il Applause.
When the General sat down, he did it
with the comfortable conviction that If
there were anything in good strong testi-
mony, a big speech and believing and
admiring countenances all around, Mr..
Morgan's cake was dough. Ex-Governor
Roop leant his head upon his hand for
some minutes, thinking profoundly, and
the still audience waited breathlessly for
his decision. Then he got up and stood
erect with bended head, and thought
again. Then he walked the floor with
long, deliberate strides, and his chin in
his hand, and still the audience waited.
At last he returned to his throne and
seated himself The sheriffs commanded
the attention of the court. Judge Roop
cleared his throat and said;
Gentlemen, feel the great RESPONSE
bility that rests upon me this day. This
is no ordinary case. On the contrary 1t
is plain that il is the most solemn and
awful that ever man was called upon to
decide. Gentlemen, have listened az
tentively to the evidence, and the weight
of it is in favor of the plaintiff Sides
have listened also TO the remarks of
counsel, with high interest-and espe-
cially will commend the mastery and
irrefutable logic of the distinguished
gentleman who represents the plaintiff.
But gentlemen, let us beware how we al
low human testimony, human ingenuity
in argument and human ideas of equality
to influence us to our undoing at a mo-
ment SO solemn as thisl Gentlemen, it
i'll becomes us, worms as we are, to med
die with the DEGREES of Heaven. 1t is
plain to me that Heaven, in its insrcu-
tible wisdom, has seen fit to move this
defendants rancho for q purpose. We
are but creatures, and we must submit.
If Heaven has chosen TO favor the de-
fendant, Morgan, in this marked and
wonderful manner; and il Heaven, un-
satisfied with the position of the Nor
gan rancho upon the mountain side, has
chosen TO remove il to position more
eligible and advantageous for its owner,
il IN becomes us, insects as We are, 10
question the legality Of the act. No
Heaven created the ranches, and it is
Heavens prerogaiiFs 70 rearrapge them,
TO experiment with them TO shin their
around at its pleasure. II is for us to
sabmit without repining warn you
that this thing which has happened is a
thing with which the sacrilegious hands
and brains and tongues Of men must
not NEEDLE. Gentlemen, it is the YER
dict OF this court that the plaintiff,
Richard Sides, has been deprived Of his
rancho By the visitation of Godl And
from this decision there is no appeal
Buncombe seized his cargo of law
books and plunged ont Of the courtroom
raving madman, almost He pro
nounced Roop 10 be a miraculous ass, a
fool, an inspired idiot In al good faith
he returned al night. and demonstrated