Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-04-19
STATES EVIDENCE.
Legal Incident of the Rio Grande.

with wrinkled skin and tanned, leathery
hands. He sat in his low chair and look
ed at the jury with haggard eyes. His
sparse gray hair rose straight from his
crown in front, and fell jagged and tapgl-
ed on his dusty coat collar behind. There
was nervous tw1tching in his tobacco
stained lips and shifty aspect in the way
ne moved his long neck and turned hur-
riedly to confer with his counsel. He was
the focus of five hundred pairs OF eyes.
He seemed to shrink and shrIyel under
their scrutiny. His face said that ne was
q hard man; a man of deeds against the
law and it's officers; of lax regard Tor the
rights of Others; of the intense selfish
ness SO prominent a part IN the make-up
of a true criminal. He was common
an, too, of the lower order OF mind,
lower order of society, which, by the way,
he called-when he mentioned it at all
''sassiet;" and in utter contempt.
One hand grasped with nervous hold
the scattering beard on his chin, and his
under lip was slightly swollen and SCARED
from the discolored teeth which be had
pressed against il at various periods of
the trial. Over by the rusty unused
stove in the corner group of young law
yers sat, hair thrown back to expose their
vacant chairs, shirt collars awry and
crumpIed, eyes tired and sleepy, laughing
and testing IN q whisper.
The Judge, old and hard with many win
tiers, many weary miles of arid desert cir
cults many nights with the boys, closed
his eyes and, by force Of long practice,
heard every word, while his thoughts were
a thousand miles away. The blue flies
hummed against the dim windows and the
jury, one and all, seemed intending sui
eide. A pale, tired woman, with an old
sun-bonnet set croOkediy on her aching
head and a snuff stick in her mouth, held
a sucking baby and gazsd steadily and
drearily at the prisoner.
There were other women, too, presnm-
ably relatives, all weary, all interested,
and all dipping snuff. A hum arose from
the spectators, who watched with tagging
zeal the legal tragedy before them. The
blare of a brass band foated into the room
with the cries Of ha~kers on the streets
for it was court week and the town was
full of people. Outside the sun riOted on
the white sand and paved walks and the
fronts of the houses. There was strength
and hope and freedom in the swooplDg
shafts of the heat and the soft breeze
that came over the leagues of prairie.
Knots of people stood in the dark stores,
or on the corners, eagerly discussing the
progress of the case, aud the chances of
the man who was on trial for his life.
For it was the state of Texas VS.. Ga
briel Wilkinson, indictment for murder
IL the first degree.
"Tell YER" said one man, as the shaw
ings flew from his virulent pocket knife,
and he looked around in enjoyment of
his superior knowledge, "tell yer, he's
hard old citizen, an had orter swing.
they IRE the tuffest crowd in the county,
an that's sayin' lots. You uns don't
relect, maybe, what OF Gabe's in the
hole fur, but / does. 1t were seven
years ago the KILN were done, but
Lord, it didn't make much stir in them
days.
''He we're a Jew peddlar, an he came
long hyar with q big pack o. notions.
He sold goods right in this town, lots o.
'em, an one morniE' he left for the Tor
GilIas settlement to take the folks down
thar. He were known to hev stopped at
OF Gabe's house, an he flashed big roll.
He were knoxn to leave thar mex mOrnin'
with oil Gabe fur pilot. Jesus! An he
weren't seen no mo- That is, he weren't
seen no mo- seIlin' goods. They foun'
him in the woods torerd evenln'. All his
money an most o. his goods was gone.
An he never knowd what hit him."
The speaker paused, expectorated free
ly and deliberately, smiled affably on the
listening crowd and resumed:
But it created no big stir them times.
Lord, no. Folks know'd in reason OF
Gabe done it, cause he was terrible flush
awhile, an his young wife-she were
han some gal, wen he married her-she
come to church in a red silk dress as
most o. the town folks reo'niZed. Many
a woman had a-wanted to buy that piece,
but the ihievin' jew he axed too much
far it. An he sold it mighty cheap at
las. Hawl haw!
Char come new people into the place
with ideas bout law an order an state
development an night school, an SIGH,
an the sheriff as were sheriff then we
weren't Iected no mo-. new man come
in an OF Gabe went on the 'quedow'-
dodge, YER know. He's bin on it ever
sence. He were run down like javelina
In the brush three months age, an he
made what yer might call good game
fight; hut Il wern't no sorter use. Never
Is. Some say as thar were er Duther man
in the KILN. Kinder helpln' Ga5e, an
the officers is keepin' him low. l dunno.
Gabe never needed no help take it,"
The hum in the court house had ceased.
Night came in the windows and the dirty
lamps were lit. The crowd leaned over
the benches, and from the dark back
ground their faces 'glared steadily. 1t
seemed to be the lonely man, sitting con-
strained and still, that they were all ris-
ing to the ceiling TO fall on and crush
him. The women were paler, and the
baby's cries were hushed. The officers
were alert. When any one opened the
door and tipped noiselessly in, hat in
hand, the sheriff's head turned and he
watched the jntruaer with steady eyes IN
til he melted into the CT ovid.
The droning unimpo-tant witness
stepped down from the stand; the Judge
Strengthened up and looked eagerly over
his Enclosure; the young lawyers at the
stove pretty we'll filled with stimulants
by this time, took down their feet snd
stopped Whispering; two deputies stood
up calmly; the lean, wiry prosecuting
attorney arose, cast one swift, triumphant
glance at the jury, another at the Judge,
one more at the nervous little attorney
for the defense, a last, long, searching
one at the prisoner, turned to the men
and said:
Bring in ST Brady, alias John Thomp-
son, alias William Parker"
The effect was like knife wound on
the man at the bar. Els dark skin grew
sickly green, bis small pale blue eyes
turned inward, his lips drew slowly back,
displaying the huge yellow teeth, and his
powerful hands gripped the chair arms
till his knotted veins rose III throbbipg