The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-21

prisoner at the bar, who declared that he
could not. pay the fine; that he had not so
much money in the world. The justice
looked him over with fine, large Texas
contempt for anyone so emery, shrugged
his shoulders, and turned to the marshal
with the nonchalant alternative:
"Very we'll Then take him out on the
mesa and shoot him
one venerable disciple of the law, who
for a long time has balanced the scales
of justice in the town of Las Cruces Is
famous through all that region for his
remarkable decisions. Before him Next
can boy, through his father, sued an Amer
lean ranger for $50, which he claimed as
the wages due for three months work
Between Mexican and an American any
Mexican justice can always see that the
right is plainly on the side Of the sutton
of his own nationality, and no matter
what the evidence, he can usually find
some way Of making his decision express
his sympathy. In this case the defendant
proved that the boy had been hired to
do chores for his board and that 1t mad
been expressly stipulated that he was not
to receive money payment. The justice
considered the case with frOWning broWS
and laboring brains for some time. Then
he announced that the plaintiff had failed
to prove his case.
But" he added, "the boy Is poor boy,
ana It would be a shame II he did not
get something out OF his suit. lie Is en-
titled to something, and | hereby award
him the defendants black mare that IS
tied in front of the door"
The same justice had to decide unique
breach Of promise suit. Among the Mexi-
cans Il is the universal custom for the
bridegroom to defray all the expenses of
the wedding He must furnish the brides
trousseau and all the housekeeping equip
tnent, and he must pay for the wedding
feast and all the native wine that the
guests can drink. He may be so poor that
he will have to live with his Wifes par
ents afterward, but he must not think OF
matrimony until he has money enough 10
nav for the whole affair, from the first
article in his brides rousseau to the pho
tograph in their wedding garments, which
they invariably have taken after the feast
ia over A Mexican bridegroom would no
more expect his bride to pay for her we'd
ding clothes than an American lover
would expect his bride to pay for the IL
cense.
An elderly Mexican in the town of Las
Cruces whose heart was as warm as his
head was white, had gained the promise of
"a pretty young senorita, and together they
went to the store to buy her rousseau
From under her long black lashes she
flashed her black eyes at him with such eff
feet that he opened wide his purse and
bought her all the pretty clothes she
wanted And the senorita took adVan-
tage of the occasion to want pretty much
everything she saw AS soon as she had
got the pretty things safely slowed away
at home she Tilted her elderly lover and
would not even allow him to come TO her
house. While clad in the dresses he had
paid for she would sail past
him in the street with her
head in the air and give him
not the least notice. That was too much
for a hot-hearted but cool-headed lover to
stand. and ne brought suit for breach of
promise, asking damages 70 the amount of
the value Of the rousseau. 1t came out
on the trial that the elderly lover had bor-
rowed the money with which he had
bought the wedding finery. Then the jus
tice decided In the girls favor on the
ground that the things did not belong TO
the man because they had not been bought
with his own money.
Many of these Mexican justices cannot
speak English. But that is not 50 much
of a disqualification as IL might appear
for the territorial law commands all court
proceedings to be carried on In both Eng.
lish and Spanish. Every New Mexican
court has it's official interpreter, and ev
cry word spoken in either language By
| judge, lawyers or witnesses is translated
! aloud into the other tongue.