The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-03
NY FIRST CASE.


buoyant self more money ard legal reputo'
ton than | was likely TO accumulate In the
old country
Accordingly. early in Dune | packed my
grt,rark Nth what few buds | had, and my
"law library consisting Of a oneeared vol
ume of Blackstone patent Office report and
a Inst years aimanac-and started for my
new nonie, with considerably bigger pile OF
bright anticigGtions than cash.
In due time arrived IN that, then com
paraiively neW commonwealth Texas,
which had been taught was several times
bigger than all outdoors, aud which tradi-
ton said could boasi Of but one lonely star,
bu, enough thieves ard tickR 70 fertilize the
balance Of creation.
After loosing around bit for location, /
cast ancho' aud my old shoes in the little
town Of " -, the unpreteutious county
eeat OF B county, where | soon secured
boarding and little six by nine room for al
Office
| was not long in discovering that the
place was Us unnttractive 81 turnip patch
In December, with a population OF perhaps
100 souls, iuclHding the dogs and t2rrooms
Several meals OF paseabIe beef and corn
bread. LuiiermIlk and coilards he'd been
snugly tucked away IN the deep receSSes OF
nv anatomy where they would do the most
good, and sill no indications that any body In
that section had the slightest disposition to
monkey with law in any shape whatever.
| was growing desperate,
so was my landlord
But my hoard oil was growing faster than
the whole business
Weeks passed, then into months; summer
came and went. and | began TO think that
frost would catch me in the woods with my
pants unpatched before n client could be in
iuced TO come 70 the rescue
In this interesting dilemma | found myself
one night, early in September, Just about as
sky colored an Individual as there was in
Texas | vas sitting ~ my little cuddy OF an
Office debating whether | should set tho town
on fire and prosecute somebody for the Of.
Tense. or shove my unollending Blackstone
in the fire and then commit suicide by swal.
lowing the lnkstand, when the door was un.
tremendously pushed open to admit rough
looking, six-ice;-two specimen Of Texas hu-
manitv. who. without a word, Deliberately
planted himself on the only spare stool in the
office as II be was the head Of the family
| felt somewhat relieved when saw it
WASH, the sheriff or my wGsherwoman, but
| was not favorably impressed with the looks
of nv visitor, for imagined there was bad
case Of assassination pictured in bis connte
nance. md | know there were the handle
ends of two or three shooting arrangements
plainly visible in as many pockets Of his
outer harness
While / was locking at him and mentally
calculating where tie would hit me, he spit
On the stove as Il preface and commenced;
What mout your name be, strangerf
oGocgins, if you please" answered, very
politely
"Edzactly," said he Brown Is my name
I've heerd Of you down in our neck. Law
yerf
Some" ! answered, proudly. beginning
TO see fee in the dim distance, though,
Judging from Appearance | was not betting
on very big one.
"Edzactly," he went on, that's what
tho't. Wall, I've cot little bizness fer ye'
Precisely" said l. Name it," And ii
began 10 occur 20 me that my visitor was
quite a benevolent looking gentleman
"You see my son Johns in a bad scrape.
dinged eff he amt
"howS thotP
Hes In jail here for murder, that's hos's
that, be explained
You don't mean IT," | returned, with
feigned aStonishment
"Why don't lf
"W hen and where was the crime com
mittedf aske1
LAST February, down In my settlement
But, squire hes no more guilty Of murder
than my steer is,
"How do you know
Because be werH't thar whom the fellef
was killed
Gan you prove an slibiI queried
NO, can't prove lie by anybody, but I'm
clean satisfied that come oodys lied to clar
THEMSELVES"
"Who was the man kllledP
"A peddler named Reed, but what would
John or anybody else want to murder the
poor teller fori He wernt robbed"
"Who says your son killed himf"
"A felef named Smith sw'ars tie saw him
do the shootin'"
WHATS your defenseF asked
Got none" be answered But III tell
sou what III do"
Lets bear IL
"Ef you Git nv boy out'n the scraps II
poke 81 900 IN yer pocket Quickern you could
swaller a muskadine and I'll deposit the
cash with the county treasurer tomorrow.
"rll do my best" | readily assented, and
thus il was settled and my visitor departed
The next day. true 10 his word, my friend
Brown returned and deposited the fee as
promised. with written agreement that If
I succeeded the money was mine-otherwise
II wasn't But two weeks interviewed before
court convened AM II may be imagined that
went 10 work with hungry will to get the
matter in shape for trial | first visited the
scene Of the murder where ! learned that
the peddler was found dead on the 18th of the
preceding February near the residence Of
a man named Jones | next called on young
Smith the principal witness In the case, WHO
informed me that he saw the defendant do
mitment trial anu would repeat the dose be
fore the grand jury soon 10 investigate the
matter
didn't like the looks Of this fellow Smith,
though learned that 10 was man Of good
character In the community He seemed too
eager 10 get the defendant out Of the way, as
though such a result would benefit MIN In
some way This may have teen imagination
In me but learned on inquiries from other
parties that the TWO young men. Smith and
Brown. we're 10th visiting Jones daughter,