The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1879-09-12
s.JESTIs..,
rrylxs Horse ThpiVes In Texas
gne EssssS DSys. -
sSa. Letter in Galveston News.

DANA Letter In galveston News
There vas a case of horse stealing
tried here in our District Court. ia
early days, that was very peculiar.
There wasn't very much style and cere-
mony abou trying cases then, aud
par;icularlyhOrse stealing cases And
this was mot particularly so when q
Mexican wa, accused of steuling a
horse Pretty much all that was nee
essary was to say: "GeurIemen Of the
jury, there's your Mexican, and they
would cry ou, Guilty of murder in
the fr>t degree without leaving their
seats. May be it was not quite that
uuceremonIous. but there WASH much
precious tune Ea>red before humping
him off TO Huntsville. Well. one day
a Mexican named Jose Maria Some
thingorother, vas brought into courr
10 be tried for undue recklesSness in
the transfer of live stock. The cour'
had appointed leading lawyer to de
tend the Mexican, he being without
funds TO employ counsel, but the coun-
sci was prevented by more important
business (being on a prorraeted >pree)
from consulting with his Mexican eli
ent In lacf, the lawyer never saw his
client until he Deputy Sheriff brough,
him into coIrt and dumped him down
10 his chair alongside of his attorney
Now the Deputy Sheriff happened TO
be q new hand, and didu't know one
Mexican fr'm another. and "a the
veuire had lun short, and the jury box
had to be filed up, he picked up all
the loafers 10 the court room, and
actually took the prisoner himself and
put him 10 he jury box to try his o~u
case. The prisoner was unfamiliar
with the way of courts, 80 he didn' I
say anything, and as another Mexican
,trolled ia sud took ihe vacant seat OF
the priso1ef, bis counsel vas none the
wiser, particularly as he himself had
been OUT in the meantime aud taken
several more drinks. The jury was
i'npsHeled and sworn, among them. OF
course, the prisoner. who lifted up hi
hand with the rest The prisoner :
attorney now turned 10 his client, aud
NOT Knowing Spanish asked him IN
Eugli>h II he really stole the horse. a.
charged Ia the Indictment The Mex
lean didn't understand a word aud as
is customary with Mrxicsns when they
are asked questions they dou'r under
stand, he answered. Isl. senpr; (ses
-iD whereupon the lawyer got up aud
told the court that his unfortunate eli
ent pleaded guilty, but he. the lawyer,
would like to address a few words 10
The jury The District Attorney not
objecting, the lawyer made the noblest
effort OF his lite He made out thar
his client was descended from noble
Castillian family that had shed their
blood like water TO hold his country
against the Indians. how bad company
had ruined him, how his family was IN
distress, and much more OF the same
stuff, until all the jury was more or
less effected, except the prisoner In the
jury box. who. being he only Mexican,
was not much moved. Ii wasn't bis
funeral The jury brought in a YER
dict OF guilty, and assessed The penalty
at FIVE years. The jury, among them
the real culprit, were dismissed, while
the sheriff put handcnffs on the inno-
cent Mexican in the chair. aud led him
Of 10 Jail. No doubt he had been
guilty of some rsscslity, for he went
along without murmuriug, he aIso not
being very familiar with our legal Gus
toms. The upshot of this was that
tho guilty juryman got wind OF II and
made his escape In the meantime the
friends of the missing Mexican hunted
the whole town over tor him, but in
vain. At last he was discovered iu
Jail with hobbies on AZ he owned
several carts and oxen. hence a man OF
wealth aud influence among the Mexi
cans. lawyer got him out on writ
o. abeas corpus On the examination
aISfhese facts came out, and the law
yer who had defended the Mexican had
great deal of fun poked at him
Judge Thomas J Devine, before whom
the Mexican was brought on writ OF
habeas corpus, aud Judge John H
Baker, City Attorney OF Houston, will
cheerfully substanriate the facts con
tanned IN the foregoing.