The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-31
JUSTICE In MEXICO.
,1RANee DECISIONS GIVEN BY SOME
OF THE MAGISTRATES.


Kindness to Poor Boy-A Queer Breach
of Promise Suit.
Among the wild, weird and wonderful
,hings to be found In the southwest are
,he decisions sometimes made by Mexican
ius,,c-,, of the peace Most of the justices
a. this territory are Mexicans. A few of
,bem are men of suffloient 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
,no office in northern New Mexico decided
that il was his duty to try a man who had
been charged with murder. Accordingly
he impaneled a jury of six persons and
tried the case. The jury found tho man
guilty, and the justice at once ordered tho
prisoner to stand up for sentence. He de.
iiyered a long lecture to the murderer up
IN 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
nride and satisfaction over his oratorica,
effort
Before another Mexican justice of the
peace who dispensed his ideas OF law In
southern New Mexico there came Next
can man and maid to be tied in wedlook
The Judge looked them over critically and
apparently had doubts about the compati-
blity of their tempers, for be 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 II they were dis
II Al.
time to come back and he would divorce
them for the same fee.
Still another, who won his fame in
Texas, tried man for some petty offense,
found him guilty and fined him IS and
COSTS But this was too much for the pris-
oner 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 fine, large, Texan contempt
for any one SO ornery, shrugged his shout
ders and turned to the marshal with the
nonchalant alternatives:
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 Next
can boy, through his father, sued an Amer
lean rancher for $50 which he claimed as
the wages due for three months work.
Between Mexican and an American any
Mexican justice 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 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 no 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 his
case.
But, he added, "the boy is poor boy
and it would be a shame If he did not get
something out of his suit. He 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 a unique
breach of promise suit. Among tho Mex
leans it is the universal custom for the
bridegroom to defray oil the expenses Of
the wedding. He must furnish the brides
trousseau and all the housekeeping equip
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 IS parents
afterward but he ust not think of matri-
mony 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 in
variably have, taken after the feast is over.
Mexican bridegroom would no more OK
pect his bride to pay for her wedding
clothes than an American lover would ex-
pect 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 pretty young senorita, and together
they went to the store to buy her trous-
seau. 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 occasion to want pretty much ev-
erything 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
house. 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 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. IL
came out on the trial that the elderly low
or had borrowed the money with which he
had bought the wedding finery. Then the
justice decided In the girls favor on the
ground that the things did not belong to
the man because they had not been bought
with his own money.
Many Of these Mexican justices cannot
speak English. But that is not so much
of disqualification as 1t might appear,
for the territorial law commands all court
proceedings to be carried on In both Eng
fish and Spanish. Every New Mexican
court has its official Interpreter, and every
word spoken in either language by judge.
lawyers or witnesses Is translated aloud
into the other tongue. Cor. philadelphia
Times