The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-01-22
THE NEW MEXICO JUSTICE.

the decisions sometimes made by Mexi-
gan justices of the peace. Most of the
justices in New Mexico territory are
MeXicans. A few of them are men Of
sufficient intelligence and education to
know something about the first princi-
pies of law, but most of them are very
meagrely equipped.
One such administrator of the law
holding office in northern New Mexico
decided that it was his duty to try
man who had been charged with muir
der. Accordingly, he impanelled jury
Of six persons and tried the case. The
jury found the man guilty, and the JUS
tice at once ordered the prisoner to
stand up for sentence. He delivered
long lecture to the murderer upon the
Nervousness of his crime and warned
him never. to appear in his court again
upon such a charge. Then he impress
sively pronounced sentence-five dollars
and costs-and dismissed the court, his
face beaming with pride and satisfac-
ton over his oratorical effort.
Before another Mexican justice of the
peace, who dispensed his ideas of law in
southern New Mexico. there came a
Mexican man and maid to be tied in
wedlock, The judge looked them over
critically. and apparently had doubts
about the compatibility of their tenn
pers, for he put a time limit upon the
combination. and as he pronounced the
words which made them man and wife
he added, with emphasis: For the
| space of two years only" AS they
went away he told them if they were
| dissatisfied with their venture before
| that time to come back and he would
| divorce them for the same fee.
Still another who won his fame in
| Texas, tried a man for some petty Of
fence, found him guilty and fined him
| five dollars and costs. But this was
too much for the 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 the fine, large Texan con-
| tempt for any one so "ornery,"
shrugged his shoulders and turned to
the marshal with the nonchalant alter
native:
Very well. Then take him out on the
mesa and shoot him"
| One venerable disciple Of the law who
| for 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 a
Mexican boy, through his father, sued
an American rancher for sixty dollars,
| which he claimed as the wages due for
three months work. Between a Mexi-
can and an American any Mexican JUS
tice 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 tc
do chores for his board and that it had
been expressly stipulated that he was
not to receive money payment. The
justice considered the case with frown-
inb 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, and it would be a shame il he did
not get something out of his suit. HI
is entitled to something, and hereby
award him the defendants black mare
that is tied in front of the door"
The same Justice had to decide 9
unique breach OF promise suit Among
the Mexicans it is the universal custom
Of the bridegroom to defray all the ex.
penses of the wedding. He must fur
nish the BRIDES trousseau and all the
housekeeping equipment, and he mus
pay for the wedding feast and all the
native wine that the guests can drink
He may be so poor that he will have t
live with his wife's parents afterwards
but he must not think of matrimony
until he has money enough to pay fol
the whole affair, from the first articl,
in the brides trousseau to the photo
graph in their wedding garments which
they invariably have taken after thu
feast is over. A Mexican bridegroom
would no more expect his bride to pa,
for her wedding clothes than an Ameri
can lover would expect his bride to pa,
for the license.
An elderly Mexican in the town O
Las Cruces, whose heart was as warn
as his head was white, had gained tn
promise of pretty young senorita. AM
together they went to the store to bu,
the trousseau. From under her lonl
black lashes she flashed her black eye
at him with such effect that he opene,
wide his purse and bought her all tn
pretty clothes she wanted. And tn
senorita took advantage Of the occasion
to want pretty much everything sh
saw.
AS soon as she had got the prett.
things safely slowed away at home sh
Tilted her elderly lover and would no
even allow him to come to her house
While clad in the dresses he had pai
for, she would sail past him in tn
street with her head in the air and Civ
him not the least notice That was to
much for the hot-hearted, but cool
headed lover to stand, and he brough
suit for breach of promise, askin
damages to the amount Of the value Q
the trousseau. 1t came out on the tris
that the elderly lover had borrowed tn
money with which he had bought tn
wedding finery. Then the justice dc
cided in the girls favor, on the groun
that the things didn't belong to tn
man because they had not been bough
with his own money
Many of these Mexican justices can
not speak English. But that is not s
much of a disqualification as it Nigh
annear for the territorial Law cnnr