The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-11-04
JUSTICE IN MEXICO.
STRANGE DECISIONS GIVEN BY SOME
OF THE MAGISTRATES.
A Murderer Fined % and the Costs - A
Marriage Contract with . Time Limit.
Kindness to Poor Boy-A Queer Breach
Of Promise Suit.

Kindness to q Poor Boy-A queer Breach
Of Promise Suit.
Among the wild, weird and wonderful
things to be found in the southwest are
the decisions sometimes made by Mexican
justices of the peace. Most of the justices
in this territory are Mexioans. A few Of
them are men of sufficient intelligence and
education to know something about the
first principles Of law, but most Of them
are very meagerly equipped.
One such administrator of the law hold
ing office in northern New Mexico decided
! that it was his duty to try man who had
| been charged with murder Accordingly
he impaneled jury Of six persons and
tried the case. The jury found the man
| guilty, and the justice at once ordered the
prisoner to stand up for sentence. He de-
livered long lecture to the murderer up
Oh the Nervousness of his crime and warned
him never to appear in his court again up
on such charge. Then he impressively
pronounced sentence-$5 and costs-and
dismissed the court, his face beaming with
pride and satisfaction over his oratorioal
| effort.
Before another Mexican justice of the
peace who dispensed his ideas of law in
southern New Mexico there came Mexi.
can man and maid to be tied in wedlOck.
The judge looked them over critically and
apparently had doubts about the compati-
bility of their tempers, for he put time
limit upon the combination, and as he
pronounced the words that 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 dis
satisfied 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 offense
found him guilty and fined him s. and
costs, But this was too much for the pris-
oner at the bar who declared that he could
not pay the flne that he had not so much
money in the world. The Justice looked
him over with fine, large, Texan contempt
for any one so oruery, shrugged his shout
ders and turned to the marshal with the
nonchalant alternative:
Every 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 IA
nous through all that region for his re-
markable decisions. Before him Mexi-
can boy, through his father, sued an Amer
lean rancher for $50 which he claimed as
the wages due for three months work.
Between a Mexican and an American any
Mexican justice can always see that the
right il 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 sympa
thy. In this case the defendant proved
that the boy had been hired to do chores
for his board and that it had been express
ly 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 hi
case.
But" he added, "the boy is poor boy
and it would be shame if he did not gel
something out of his suit He is entitled
to something and hereby award him thu
defendants black mare that is tied In from
of the door"
The same Justice had to decide a unique
breach of promise suit. Among the Mex
leans il is the universal custom for thu
bridegroom to detray all the expenses o
the wedding. He must furnish the bride
rousseau and all the housekeeping equip
ment, and he must pay for the wedding
' feast and all the native wine that tn
e guests can drink. He may be 80 poor tina
he will have to live with his wife's parent
4 atterwaru, but he must not think of matri
mony until he has money enough TO pa.
for the whole affair from the first articl
q in his bride tTuusSeau tn the photograph
: in their Wedding garments, which they in
- yariably have taken after the feast is over
A Mexican bridegroom would no more OK
pect his bride to pay for her wedding
clothes than an American lover would OK
pect his bride to pay TOR the license.
An elderly Mexican in the town Of La
Cruces, whose heart was as warm as hi
Il head was white, had gained the promis
y of pretty young senOrita, and tOgethe
they went to the store to buy her tFous
' seau. From under her long black lashe
she flashed her black eyes at him wit
y such effect that he opened wide his purs
and bought her all the pretty clothes Sd