The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-11-24
HE FOOLED THE JURY
A LAWYERS CLEVER TRICK THAT
SAVED HIS CLIENT.

The Rascal On Trial Was GsiIfy anA
Proved So Beyond = Dosht. bat the
shrcwd Lawyer FosEa = Way to
Win His Case.
When Colorado was organized m n /
territory. there was little English used
outside OF Denver and the mining |
camps Ths rest Of the thinIy scattered |
country was as Spanish as any part Of |
cur latest America. Not Castilians Of |
course-more likely general mixture |
Of Aztec and Apache and lot Of other |
strains of blood. but certainly Spanish |
in name and in speech. The govern |
ment recognized that it had q difficult |
task before IL in bringing these 'greas- |
ers' to understand the very beginning of
the obligations and the duties Of their
American citizenship One Of the most
trusted agents in this campaign Of edu
cation was Judge Hallett, who was put
in charge Of the judicial system Of the
new territory. From that time to this
he has been at the head of the federal
judiciary in the great and prosperous
state Of Colorado Despite this fierceness
of rebuke and countless oddities of tenn
per no judge has ever been SO respected
as he along the great divide.
| When he first went on circuit the bar
left Denver with him and travelled in
body both for sociability and for safety.
Then there was no railroad, the only
means of reaching any place from any
other being along a slightly marked
trail barely passable for horses. By slow
stages the bench and the bar reached
Trinidad under the cold shadows of the
Sangre de Cristo range. These Spanish
names were an incessant annoyance to
Judge Hallett, who acclaimed against
each one i'll turn and announced his
purpose Of memorializing the secretary
of the interior to have them all made
American. OF piece with this was his
attitude toward the prevailing Spanish
speech of the country. He objected to
it. Among the first rules of his court
was that which provided that all its
transactions should be in English, and
that if litigants objected to the work Of
the sworn Interpreter that was their
own lookout. 1t might encourage them
to learn to talk American, as they
, ought.
In Trinidad Colonel Taylor Of the
, bar was retained for the defense in a
case where no defense was possible.
The place was full of witnesses who
. had seen the deed done, whatever it
may have been, for that is unimportant.
The prosecuting attorney put on wit
ness after witness to prove the facts.
He made perfect case, and he demand
ed that full punishment be inflicted. 1t
y was difficult situation for Colonel
Taylor His client was guilty beyond a
- doubt. Cross examination Of the wit
: nesses could only make that fact more
= distinct. and for that reason he did
> nothing so foolish. The case was alto.
a gether Spanish. Criminal, witnesses,
audience-there were not six words Of
a English in the whole outfit. The inter
n prefer had been called on for every wore
f. which had gone back and forth through
o out the trial. Colonel Taylor arose tt
@ make his plea. He surveyed the cluster
n of daAk faces which filled the shed il
J. which the court was sitting.
h "Caballeros. he began" caballero
del jurado''-
"a There was loud whacking of tn
d gave by Judge Hallett as soon as b.
a caught the sound Of the language which
+ he despised so heartily.
,e Mr.. Taylor. Mr.. Taylor" he shout
% ed, las a member of the bar Of thi
n court you must be aware that all it
I transactions must be conducted in tn
y English language, the language Of thi
a country. If l thought that you wer
to using Spanish maliciously, l shoul
,e punish you soundly for such contemI
or of this court. You will address thi
he court of the United States in Unite
ed States and in no other speech, languag
~ or dialect.
e. Il bow to your honor's ruling,' cor
no tinued Colonel Taylor and resumed hi
plea, but in English and with the al
adj sistance of the interpreter. He told tn
~ greaser jury how the sight of thej
ay proud Castilian lineaments had cause
is him to forget rule Of the court and I
address them in the sonorous speech {
ON Spain, from which their proud for
nd fathers came. He obeyed the judge, br
lat he felt the restraint Of having to mai
his pleading through the assistance
the interpreter. It was simple matte
which he could set right in a few gel
~ fences of their own language, but
~ feared that in English he could not {
- SO we'll; yet he hoped that they wou
nd not see fellow citizen punished sole
10 for the reason that his advocate was n
20 allowed to address Spanish jury
40. their own tongue. Harping on tn
~ theme, he avoided any discussion of tt
nd evidence which bore so heavily on b
nj client, and in his peroration he paid
10. glowing tribute to the language of D.
If Quixote and Queen Isabella. This don
no he fled from the spot and was not SCI
80 until court had arisen for the day.
10 When they next met, the prosecutil
attorney wanted to know why he b.
.ho not been Oh hand to receive congratu]
Nd tions on the acquittal of his client.
no 'They set him free without a sta
ne on his character and without their sc
mo and it was all due to yonx SPANS
I;s Why didn't you wait? Yours the he
ata Of the whole population"
m, "That's just the trouble, rejoin
COO Colonel Taylor. Il knew they'd acq,
nm that rascal and then they d fall all OF
DIN me with their Spanish. l just natural
100 had to hide. Those three words tt
- Judge Hallett choked me off on. tina
20 all the Spanish l ever knew in my Ii
,nd l couldn't afford to be congratulated
TO- New York Sun.
hen "scot Free"
Seo Scot is the equivalent of the Ang
- -: