Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-06
COL. KNOX IN TEXAS.
His Experience as County Judge-An
UnaccOmmodating Prisoner.
Buying Whisky by the BarreI-Two Mexicans
Kill Each Other With One Knife-Pro-
hibition in Tom Green.

Avenue hotel yesterday l met a tall
sombrero- crowned man with a nose tina J
would blister the paper on the wall, a
smile like an open sky-light, and an ex-
preston of countenancs that would dis
perse a camp meeting.
"Wen, III be DID, said the
man, in his wild Western way, as he
shook me warmly by the hand.
E'Aud for heaven S sake how did you
happen to get here?'' replied as reoog-
nized my old time friend, once the sher-
if of Tom Green county, Tex. We were
very glad to meet each other, and had
quite a number of "reminiscences and
drinks and things. Baldwin Bragg was
the name of the tall man with the
broad brimmed hat and the aurora
boTealis countenance above described.
We hadn t met since 1874, when Bragg
was sheriff and l was county judge in
the newly organized county of Tom
Green, in the state of Texas. In those
days there were vast districts in Texas
unorganized, but which for judicial pur-
poses were attached to the nearest or
ganized county The district of Tom
Green, which was much larger tkan the
state of Massachusetts, had accumulated
enough residents to entitle it to become
county. 1 was staying there for few
months for the purpose of acquiring
health, while at the same time l was as
sociating with cowboys and accommodating
cattle by purchase and otherwise,
especially otherwise. Believing that the
best way to get along was TO do at Buff
falo as the buffalos do, l acted as much
like my neighboTs and associates as pos
sible, and for several months denied my
self the luxury of socks. Possibly it was
the fact that | did not use these evidences
of the effete civilization of the East that
ingratiated me so much with the citizens
of Tom Green county that they elected
me to the position of county Judge.
The first person who appeared before
me in my official capacity was man by
the name of jefferson Wilkes. He was
of the tramp trampy, limped from the
effects of a scalp wound on the ankle,
and had his mouth drawn all to one side,
as if he had been accidentally hit by
spent ham sandwich.
The man had , on the previous evening,
in the principal street of the town, fired
off his pistol, with muTderous intent, at
a reputable citizen named Wilkinson.
The bullet had missed its mark, but had
broken a large plate glass window in the
front Of the most popular saloon of the
town. The people were indignant, and
some of the prominent citizens insisted
upon an example being made Of this
man Wilkes, who was a stranger. They
hired lawyer to assist the county attor-
ney in prosecuting him, and so that the
most extreme punishment under the law
might be Sisited on Wilkes, the charge of
shooting at Wilkinson was abandoned,
and he was arraigned for breaking the
plate glass window, which was the pride
of the town.
MIR: Jefferson Wilkes had no defense,
and sentenced him to six months in the
county jail. The devil of it was that,
being only recently organized county,
we had not had time to build a jail.
After sentence Mr.. Wilkes was turned
over to the sheriff, who did not know
what in the world to do with him.
"Here, here, - said the sheriff tome,
''what have you gone and done? I've
got no jail to put this man in. What
am going to do with him?''
My reply was, "That is none of my
business. The Law says the man shall be
in the county jail for six
and the law also implies that the
sheriff shall be custodian of the prisoner
during that term: Now you may do
what you please
After some discussion between the
sh eriff and myself and the other county
we suggested to the prisoner
that he would stay within the bailiwick
during six months, and that we would
graciously waive the matter of putting
him in Jail. He said that he was a citi-
zen of the United States, that he knew
his rights under the constitution, and
that he would be dog-gasted if he would
do anything of the kind. He continued:
{ 1t is your duty-not only your duty,
but your privilege--to entertain, feed and
care for me during these six months, and
now what are you going to do about it?''
The first night the sheriff had to sit with
the prisoner under tree. guarding him
with q shotgun ; because the sheriff s wife
would not allow such a iisreputable per-
ron as the prisoner to come inside her
door,
The next day Baldwin Bragg, the sher-
if came to me and said: ''What kind
Of a judge are you, nohow? Dent you
know no law? What g the matter of
your sending a man to Jail when there
ain t no Jail? Why, man, dear, it will
cost me over $40 q week to keep this
scoundrel in the hotel at San Jose, and it
will cost another $40 a week to hire a man
with a gun to watch him. Now, see if |
you can't use your blooming influence to
induce this ruffian TO escape. You fix it |
and IL wink at his departure.
l called around to see Mr.. Jefferson |
Wilkes, the prisoner. He said in the |
delightful ldiomatlc language of his class |
hat he had no hard feelings toward me; |
hat l had only done my duty, and that I
ne was perfectly willing to abide by the /
of his acts. He seemed /
quite cheerful, and there was nameless |
ehSrm ABOUT his conversation. The rea-
son Prefer to it as ''nameless, - is be- |
cause l dislike to throw red hot profanity |
INTO cold type. It would not be relished |
BY the great and seething tide of |
humanity to whom the stainless pages of |
ny weekly article come like a soothing
balm and BENSON of peace.
"See here, Wilkes, l said, "'this is
l pretty tight place you have got into,
aud l am sorry for you, but l could not
10 anything else than give you six
months. The law allows me no discre-
ton in the matter, but like you, for
you are apparently a whole souled fell
ow, and l want TO tell you how 1 think
ION can get out of this snap.
''Well, how?''
EECcma hare oD6 toni him mn in 70 |