Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1900-10-11

When he came up TO us he p&useu as
though he was going to speak. Per
haps he didn't ike the ooks Of US, sc
he passed on, humnaing a une
TN going to kick that fellow hard
tomorrow" said Oakum Smith, pulling
his beard. i've no use for him any
way; and
Just then the doctor opened the flap
of the tent.
Its all right, my DEAR" he SAID to
Betty. somebody's going to be hung
this morning, but it's not your sweet
heart. Now, } Us, I want two of you
to come in here, and you, Oakum and
Davis, just stroll about after that chap
Lopez; get him into the Star and Gar
ter, if you can, and stand him a drink
or two, but don't look as if you're
tracking him. See that he doesn't try
and get away, and stand at his elbow
while the trial is going on"
The girl dried her eyes, and we fol-
lowed the doctor into the TEN.
NOW, look here boys" he said, as
he turned Johnny Morgan's body over
on it's face. There's no doubt hat
Johnny was shot by a gun held within
eighteen inches of his body, and that
the gun belonged to Gentleman Jim.
I want you to notice that the gun was
fired almost point blank, for the small
shot with which it was loaded have.
made one large wound, instead of
spreading as they would have if the
| gun had been fired as much as three
feet away. You will see, too, that the
back of the coat has been scorched by
the fame, also that a piece of the gun
Wad is damned into the burnt edge of
the coat. I have another piece of the
wad here. Now, I want you to go
over to Lopez's tent and collar all the
books and papers you can find there
and bring them to the court.
We hurried off to do as we were bid,
for the time was drawing en- to ten
| o'clock. We took the liberty of turn
ing Mr.. Lopez's tent upside down, and
brought away most of his library,
| which wasn't much, for it consisted
only of a Spanish-English conversation
| book and a few
Then we hurried pack to the trial,
| which had lready started, for the rope
was already dangling from the blue
gum that stood outside Rafferty's sa-
loon.
There were three judges, Rafferty,,
Mackinnon and SHOPPER Rarnes, and the
prisoner was provided with counsel,
just as in a regular court of law. The
counsel for the prosecution, a one-eyed
Polish-Jew, who, by the way, was Lo-
pez's partner, was calling his witness
es, and a pretty queer lot they were,
too, all presenting the same story,
which told how, at two o'clock that
morning, they had seen Gentleman
Jim walking yer toward Morgaa's
claim, and a few minutes after had
heard a shot fired.
The counsel for the defense did not
, cross-examine them by more than one
question. He was, a very clever irish
man, who had een a barrister before
he had become a ~prospector, and he
made everyone laugh when he asked
how it happened that all the witnesses
for the prosecution had been awake at
two o'clock in the morning, when he
had with his own eyes seen them all
asleep and drunk under the table at
Rafferty's as late as twelve o'clock.
His defense was an alibi. His client
had not started to return from Boom
erang, fifteen miles away, till one
O'Clock, that morning, 50 he could not
possibly have returned by two o'clock,
as the horse he was riding was lame.
All the while his counsel was speak
ing Gentleman Jim stood, with his
hands tied behind him.. looking stead
lily at his judges. there was not much
mercy in their faces, for Jim was nc
particular croney of theirs, and they
were there to hang someone, not car
ing much who it was.
Everybody agreed that it did not
show very nice feeling on Rafferty's
part, that he should be reading a BIT
of old newspaper while Jim's counse
was making his speech. Jim had his
friends amongst the crowd, and they
did their best to hearten him by shout
ing Cheer up Jim," and Bully fol
you, jim, we know it wasn't you a.
did ft!' all the time the trial was COINS
on.
It looked as though there was goinE
to be a fight when jim was sentenced
and there were some Of US who though
that instead of getting hung he woult
get pulled to pieces instead, between
his friends and his enemies.
Just as the counsel had finished hi
speech for the defense there was
movement in the crowd that surround
ed the court, and the doctor, followet
Betty at once ran over to her sweet
heart and whispered to him. She wa
not crying now, and when Oakur
by Betty, pushed his way through
Smith and Buck Davis saw her face
they knew that the doctor had struc
pay gravel and closed in quite affec
tionately round Lopez, who was paw
ing his mustache like a cat washin
her face, while he grinned at the pris
oner as though he were glad to Sc
him there.
Unseen by him., we gave the docto
the book and papers we had found i
:. his tent, and the doctor at once opene
the conversation book at page 80
! That's it, boys" he said, when he sa'
!. that the best part of page 1873 we
= torn away. Then he turned down th
!. page and started to fit in a lot of twis
!, ed, blaekened and smoke-staine
- scraps of paper, one of which bore tt
numbers 337 and 33S.
Lopez saw him, and his eye turne
: to the book. He turned a greenisf
{ yellow color, and said to the man mel
= to him that the crowd was too hot fl