El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-19
COURT PROCESSES
Of the Southern Republic are
Too Slow To Suit the
American Idea of
Justice.
w. T. Lewis is a free man.

w. T. Lewis is a free man.
After spending four months in the
dreary jails of Chihuahua and Juarez
he was called before the federal judge
this afternoon at o'clock and pro-
nounced not guilty.
The cause of Lewiss troubles and his
long Imprisonment has been thorough
ly aired in The Herald. 1t will be re-
membered that about a year ago he
was running an engine on the Mexican
Central road out of Chihuahua and one
night a Mexican car inspector attempt
ed to make coupling where he had no
business and fell between the cars and
lost one leg. Lewis was given pre-
liminary trial and set free on the tes
timony of the injured man who stated
that he was drunk when hurt and it
was not the fault of the engineer.
Last August a lawyer put the injur-
ed man up to suing the railroad COM
pany for damages and to carry his
point the lawyer explained that Lewis
must be convicted of negligence. With
this end in view Lewis was arrested
and after spending over a month in
the chihuahua Jail was brought to
Juarez for trial in the federal court.
United States Consul Kindrick heard
of the case and requested speedy trial
which was promised.
Friends of Lewis also called upon
the Judge and made appeal after ap-
peal in his behalf. all apparently to
no effect.
On account of the long Imprisonment
and the weak anu unjust charges that
were filed against Lewis the Ameri-
can consul reported the case to the
state department at Washington. 1t
is understood that no recommendation
was made. only statement of the facts.
At this time it seemed that the case
was about to be forgotten by the auth
critics and a long term of imprison-
ment was staring Lewis in the face.
The state department, however, look
ed upon the case as a rank injustice
and decided to use it in setting a pre-
cedent. With this view the secretary
of state reported the case to the con-
sui general at Mexico City with in
structions to take it up with the state
department of Mexico. This was done
three weeks ago. A few days later it
was noticed that the officials of the
federal court in Juarez began to take
more interest in the case. They sum-
moned those interested from Chihua-
hua and gave Lewis a trial. The case
went to the hands of the federal at
torney last week, who recommended
that Lewis be released. The federal
judge acquiesed in the same opinion
and today set Lewis free.
During all these months of his cap
tivity Lewis's wife and small children
have been anxiously waiting in Chi
huahua to hear something for the ill
fated father and husband. They were
almost destitute of the necessities of
life and would have suffered for food
but for the kindness of other railroad
friends who learned of their condition
through The Herald and sent them
money.
This is the first case in northern
Mexico that has been reported to the
state department but is probably the
only case where a man has been held
in Jail with practically no evidence
against him.
1t is not the laws Furnishing negli-
gent engineers in Mexico that the rail-
road men object to SO seriously. but
the proverbial manana, the day fixed
for the trial. If they could get speedy
trial and be allowed to make their de-
fense when innocent it would be a diff /
ferent thing. Often innocent men are
kept in Jail and forced to serve out |
a term that would be just only for the |
severest criminal before they are al
lowed to prove that they are innocent. |
(Cnptfn,VoA IN Fourth paUol