New-York tribune., 1900-12-02
AHALFBREED'S CHARM BAG
JUDGE LANGwORTHY TELLS A STORY
OF CRIMINAL LAW IN OLD
KENTUCKY DAYS.


ur,phs as the best known criminal lawyer in
Eastern Kentucky. Those were lawless days,
and as Judge Langworthy said Il y enough,
murders were so common that like as not
everybody IN the country would a-been hanged
ef they hadn't had a right smart lawyer to de-
fsnd en-"
And that was how It happened that the most
desperate cutthroat brought 70 bay, the worst
outlawed murderer. the man for whom dozen
nooses were yawning would always come 70
sam" Langworthy for help. II there was any
loophoIe Of escape, II there was the slightest
weakness on the Part Of the prosecution. Lawyer
sam was sure TO seize ii and squeeze the prisoner
4 through Ideals in the law in Eastern Ken
( lucky too high in those days ana
Sam Langworthy never dreamed Of turning a
client down because he happened TO be guilty.
That was a circumstance that the lawyer was
generally pretty safe in taking for granted.
Well said Judge Langworthy, reheetively
/ .'of all the cases ever had do believe that
Jim Lightbird's was the one that gave me the
I most bother.
Jim Lightbird. ye see" said the Judge, set
/ tling back in his chair and crossing his feet
( carefully on the table in front OF him. Jim
Lightbird was a halfbreed Indian. sour. sullen
I sort Of seacook, cruel a shark and super
stitious as a niger. There must a-been bad
blood in the whole lot somewhere, for Of Jim's
and not less than two OF the others would have
swung years before If had not got em out Of
their killing scrapes.
We'll O. course Jim Lightbird knew I'd helped
his brothersp In fact, he'd done lot Of the work
70 earn money for my fees But he always
seemed just sort Of quiet and sulky, and never
thought he'd get into serious trouble.
1t was about o'clock one August night, and
I was settin' on the veranda Of my boardin'
THo-a
was a great red glow in the west, and the moon,
pale and peakeduke was just slidin above the
dark pines over 10 The east 1 was thinktn' how
/ peaceful the whole world would be IL there
wasn't any men n If 10 raise ructions- But Just
that minute along came Jim Lightbird lookin'
as solemn as judgment day. And who should
be runnin' alongside Of Jim but Lot Johnson's
wife. Now, Lot was a nice, Old peaceable
farmer that lived down by the creek, and had
a decsntish bit OF property. too. He had mar
ried a girl twenty years younger than he was,
and not much OF 4 locker at that. She come Of
a poor white family and wasn't in Lots class
everybody said that
Judge whispered Jim. Iayin' his hand on
my knee Cthey had already begun 10 call ne
Judge: sort OF comm events castin' shadows
racket. I suppose). Judge he said. and he was
as cool as the North Pole we want 10 speak TO
ye Bit
But Farmer Johnson's wife. she didn't look
so game. She was hustered good bit, and her
lips were all a twitter.
I took EN- both upstairs TO my room. as it
was too far to 20 down TO the ofiee. Then
SQUARED of in front Of the fireplace, and. Jim,
what's up? 7 said.
The haIfbreed gave queer look at Johnson's
wife and then he said: Judge, you saved TWO
Of my brothers, Badly and Tom Now I want
you 70 save me- And then he sat down as calm
as you please and with JOhnson's wife right
across the room putin IN word now and
then he told the tale
1T wasn't nice story and it didn't do credit
either 10 the halfbreed OF 10 poor Lots wife.
But as for that matter, murder is never genteel.
Here's the gist Of what Jim Lightbird. the half
breed told me that night. with the moon risin'
higher and higher, and spreadin' whittier and
ghastlier about the room every minute:
1T seems that Jim was doin' bit OF work
for Farmer Johnson ana took great fancy 70
Johnson's no-account wife. He made UP TO her
quite lot when the old man wasn't around.
and she cottoued 70 him a good bit. Things
went on that way for a couple Of months, and
then the two OF EN- began TO hdget 10 get the
old man out OF the way. They had 70 be careful
and on the lookout all the time with him around,
even though he was such innocent and un-
suspectin' old man. Finally, they got impatient,
made up their minds 10 put the old man under
-eIvcs. They didn't stop 10 look ahead or plan
the thing out carefully. They just went along
without waitin' FOR anything
Jim. he rode over 10 the next town and got
q big wad Of strychnine and he helped Johnson's
wife mix it in with the coffee Then. when the
old man came in for dinner the next noon, his
wife gave him big bowl OF the coffee chockfuI
OF the poison. Poor old Lot thought il tasted
kind cf queer. but he was hungry. and guIped it
all down without sayin anything
In about five minutes the poor old sucker
was roIin' around the floor, groanin' to beat the
band and in terrible distress. Just as soon as
she saw the poison begin 20 get in its work
Lots wife went 10 the door and blew the horn
for the halfbreed. for that was the signal
agreed on. Jim hangin' around in the next
lot and he trotted right in.
The two Of EN- lifted the poor old farmer on
the bed and then sat down TO watch him die
johnson was already in a state Of collapse, for
the strychnine was burnin' his insides I'D. and
he in the agonies OF regular he'll thirst
He kept moanin for water. So what did that
brute haIfbreed do but chuck lot more strych-
nine in a pail Of cold water and then begin
ladIn this out TO the poor old sufferer, who
had never done him any harm. 1t was dread
ful cold blooded and heartless but perhaps II
was more rnercifuI TO end the old man quickly
rather than let him die slowly. But he would
have died quick enough anyway
Meanwhile the wife had sat by the bed and
with never a tremor or a sigh had watched tha
agonies Of the kind old man who had raised her
from poverty and always been as good as a
father 70 her.
Well the old man sweIled UP pretty bad and
in an hour he was dead. Then it was, and then
for the first time. that the halfbreed and the
70 hat