The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-07


validity Of Petes unique claim TO d-stinc-
ton. At either extreme, that of sobriety,
or inebriety, Fete was a good-natured.
companionable fellow. 1t was in the tran
sition stages that he always got into trou-
Bile. and frequently got other people into
trouble from which they never recovered.
AT another time, Pete would never have
thought of firing upon woman. or OF
resenting the manner in which his effront
cry had been rebuked. Just now he was
incapable of reasoning. The only impress
sion that forced itself clearly upon his
maudlin brain was that he had been in
suited and must avenge the insult.
Park Raymond saw Pete's menacing
gesture toward the girl, and he realized
that he must act more quickly than the
man across the street, if he would save
her life. There was no time to shout to
her to get out of the way; she was walk
ing calmly down the street with her para
sol over her shoulder. and probably would
not even turn her head if he called out
TO her There was but once course and
the boy followed it almost instinctively.
His right hand grasped at the breast of
Long Pete, who dropped to the ground,
his weapon being discharged into the air
as he fell.
AS the echo of the shot died away Parks
head swan, his senses seemed to be leav-
ing him, the revolver dropped from his
nerveless grasp, and he sank down on n
box close beside the spot where he had
been standing. He had had no clear In
tention of killing the man, yet doubt that
he was dead never entered the boys mind.
He did not even reflect that he had saved
the girl which had been his one thought
moment before. His mind was all
confusion of sensations, with one fact
bearing down upon him with overwhelm-
ing force-he had taken a life.
Evans had conspired against Park Ray
mond on this day, as they sometimes do
against all of us. That very morning the
district attorney Of the county had arrived
in Gordon City, coming to investigate what
the Almira Sunbeam was pleased 90 call
carnival of crime" and 60 see what
was the condition of the new towns legal
apparatus. He was a smooth-faced, call
culating young fellow with a turn for
politics, and he knew how to impress a
mining camp, in order to bring 1t TO his
own way of thinking. And Gordon City
was no less anxious 10 impress the dis
trict attorney. Here, then, was their OPP
portunity, most fragrant case that called
for Immediately attention A group of
sleepy and disheveled citizens gathered
lesurely about Park Raymond and the
body Of Long Pete at the news of a kill
ing. A man with an air of great import
ance pushed his way through the crowd.
He was the newly elected marshal of the
town. and the young plainsman was
promptly placed under arrest for murder.
Murder was a new word to the inhabitants
of Gordon City, and the flavor of 1t gave
them the pleasing experience of a new
sensation.
In towns like Gordon City justice moves
not with the hating step that character
ICES her progress in the east but swiftly,
so that the full effect of the example is
felt. If she is less certain, that is the
quality that can best be spared in a new
| community. In this case everything had
happened most opportunely. The district
attorney was on hand. He would wait
over one day to try the case. The ma
chinery Of justice, all brand new, would
have its first trial under the most auspi-
cious circumstances.
Promptly at O'Clock the next morning
| a crowd gathered at the extemporized
| court house; the long shed used by the
| proprietor of the mule train that brought
| supplies to Gordon City had been given
| over tmporarily for this purpose.
| The justice of the peace who tried the case
sat upon bale of hay, the clerk was sim
ilarly supplied, and a board laid across
two barrels served as a desk. The jury
was ranged upon double tier of dry
goods boxes, while the spectators stood
| up, or lounged on boxes and casks. On the
Guilty. The district attorney would, of
| course, prosecute. and, as the only lawyer
in town, Judge Woodrow appeared for
| the defense.
There was no division of sentiment about
the case. AS for the killing itself, 1t mat
tered little. Pete had never been a prime
favorite; he was too prone to quarrel when
in his cups. If he had not died at this
| time, his end would probably have come in
similar FL ebinD
Sympathy for the prisoner, or inquiry as
to his motive, was apparently unthought
of. The one weil-defned feeling was that
Gordon City could not take a place in rank
with the more pretentious towns of West
ern Colorado until its claims to the height
of civilization had been indicated by
| legal execution. AS old Josh Summers ex-
pressed it,: IT dunno but I'd a done the
same thing in that young fellers place
but theys a general feelin' in town that
it's bout time we had a hangin'." 1t
would give the Almira Sunbeam opportun-
| ity for fresh attack If this man were let
go. 1t would be almost an act of discour-
tesy to the district attorney to allow his
fret visit TO prove a fruitless one.
The district attorney had enough of the
cunning of his craft to appreciate this
state Of mind on the part of Gordon City.
While he briefly mentioned the points of
law involved, he appealed chiefly to this
general feeling, and put it into words
He told his audience that their beautiful
and beloved town had a bad reputation
| (the adjective served as a sugar coating
10 the unpleasant statement and showed
that the district attorney knew his bust
ness. He showed them that as long as
indiscriminate shooting or shooting of any
kind, was permitted, they could not expect
to attract eastern capital which was All
| that was needed to make Gordon City the
| metropolis of Western Colorado. He dwelt
at length OH all the glorious possibilities
which hung upon this one decision. As he
| ceased speaking a subdued murmur of ap-
prevail ran through the crowd, the hope
less look upon the prisoners face deep
ened, and the jury set their lips in firmer
lines, while some OF them felt instinctively
toward their pistol pockets.
Young Raymond had not expected much
from advice of counsel" Thus far he had
had no advice at all, for the judge had not
asked him about the shooting. and during
the trial he had even avoided looking into
the prisoners face. Hes sorry for me