The record-union., 1898-03-18
With the nonchalane alternative:

with the nonchalanf 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 re-
gion for his relnarka BILE decisions Be-
fore him a Mexican boy. through his
father. sued an American rancher for
$50. which he claimed as the wages
due for three months work. Between
a Mexican and an American any Mex
lean Justice can always see that the
right is plainly on the side of the suit
or of his own nationality, and no mat
ter 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 it had been expressly stipulat-
ed that he was not to receive any mon
ey payment The Justice considered
the case with frowning brows and la
boring brains for some time. Then he
announced that the plaintiff had failed
to prove his case.
But" he added, 1.-The boy is a poor
boy, and it would be a shame if he did
not get something out of this suit He
is entitled to something. and I hereby
award him the defendants black mare
that is tied in front of the door,
The same Justice had to decide a
unique breach of promise suit. Among
the Mexicans it is the universal Gus
tom of the bridegroom to defray all
the expenses of the wedding. He must
furnish the brides trousseau and all
the housekeeping equipment. 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 wife's PAR
ents afterward but he must not think
of matrimony until he has money
enough to pay for the whole affair,
from the first article in his brides
trousseau to the photograph in their
wedding garments which they invari-
ably have taken after the feast is 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
license.
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
the trousseau. From under her long
black lashes she flashed her black eyes
at him with such effect that he opened
wide his purse and bought her all the
pretty clothes she wanted. And the
senorita took advantage of the occa-
sion 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
mouse. 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 the hot-hearted. but
cool-headed lover to stand. and he
brought suit for breach of promise
asking damages to the amount of the
value of the trousseau. IT came ont
on the trial that the elderly lover had
borrowed the money with which he
had bought the wedding finerv Ther,
the Justice decided in the girls fayor
on the ground that the things didn't
oelong to the man because they had
not been bought with his own money.
Many of these Mexican Justices cam
not speak English, But that is net so
much of disqualification as it might
appear, for the Territorial law com
mands all court proceedings to be car
r1ed on in both English and Spanish
Every New Mexican 3 court has It's
official interpreter, and every word
spoken in either language nv T,,dgo
lawyers or witnesses. is translated
aiodd INTO the other tongue Kansas
City Journal