Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-04-18
RESTED THE CASE.

which the flies buzZed noisily, and the
dust dancing light fell over the crowd
ed courtroom. In the witness chair sat
q long, lank man, whose trousers wrin-
killed. over his boot tops. His face was
brown and lean, his sinewy hands clasp
ed and unolasped nervously, and his
keen, gray eyes rested f1xedly on the
face Of the man who stood before him.
The man in the chair was Vint Joskins,
on trial for his life; the man on the
floor before him was his attorney. The
witnesses for the defense had all been
examined, and now the prisoner had
been brought in to tell his story. The
preliminary questions were done with,
and the attorney spoke to his client.
"Tell the story in your own way" he
said.
The prisoner twisted his lean hands
together and looked from the lawyer to
the judge. go on, said the Judge, not
unkindly.
"IIl tell hit as near right as I kim"
the prisoner began. "This man Deer.
ing
"Thc murdered man," interrupted
the states attorney. The counsel for the
defendant objected to the interruption,
and the court told the attorney for the
state to let the prisoner proceed.
"This man Deering," again com.
menced the prisoner, she come down
tho the valley when they built that
there railroad two year ago. He was
n Of them men that lays out the way,
an while he was in our part of the
county he stopped at Sam Tees. I seen
him there frequent. Twas sorter keepin
company with Sans girl them" The
speaker stopped and looked toward one
Of the dusty windows.
go on" said his counsel encourag-
Cant you remember"
"Hit amt no trouble ter remember, "
the prisoner said slowly; "hit's the
trouble O. fergittin. Seems like I kin
remember ever leetle thing. Well,
Deering, he stopped at Tioe's, an be was
mighty soft spoken to 'em all, specially
ter Lizzie, but nobody didn't think
nothin o. that. When bad weather
come in the fall, the men on the road
quit work an went away, Deering with
'em. I was sorter glad whenst he went,
fer I thought l cd see more O. Lizzie.
! didn't, though, fer in less'n a week
after Deering went Lizzie was gone,
too, an we didn't none Of us hear moth
in Of her till Nate Rogers brung word
that he seen her In the city. Nate
lowed that che were dressed fit ter kill
IN were smilin an happy, an he heerd
her called Mrs. Deering. Then Sam he
got a letter from her, an after that he
an her mother got letters reg lar most
all winter.
lone night in April I was over to
Tice's, an we was settin there talking
whenst the door open all Of a sudden,
an Lizzie walked in. It was a.rainin
out, an she was all wet, an her hair was
kinder loose an her dress was muddy.
"'W'y. Lizzie, child, where'd you
some from an where's your husband?'
says old Mis- Tioe, IN went like ter kiss
her, but Lizzie sort o. sunk back in the
chair she had dropped inter an begun
ter cry, not lopd, but jest a sort O. dry
sobbin, like she hadn't no tears Left. An
then hit all come out, how she hadn't
never been married, on'y thought she
was, till Deering got full mi night an
told her. Then she ONT home.
can, mother she says, mother,
goin-goin'- An then she
clean broke down, IN we seen how hit
was. Old Mis- Tioe air an awful good
woman, powerful on churchgoin an re-
ligion m mighty up an down in her
idess, an she fiared up ter onst. 'Ye
good fer nothin hussy,' says she, 'air
that how 1t is? Ye kin jest go back ter
the city an yer fine man, Ye air no
child Of .mine-you, that we all wasn't
good enough ferl An this air what ye've
come ter, eh-bringin shame on ter
the rest Of us2' An with that she sits
down straight an stiff on the other side
o. the room m wouldn't nay another
word, not even whenst Lizzie got up an
started ter 60, sayin nothin but jest,
oh, motherl 7 kinder pitiful like. Old
Tice he didn't dare my anythin contrary
tar his wife, but ] wasn't tied no sech
way. ! jeSt slipped out'n the house aft.
ef Lizzie, an ! got her ter 60 over ter my
place, whar mann took keer Of her.
II reckon thar hain't no use tellin
what went on after that q bit. Any
wly, ! got Lizzie ter marry me, an
Sometimes she begun tor act real cheer