The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-02-20
NAY YAYA VAN
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: Hoofeu'S First Case :
A lawyers Successful Start In
Western Town-He Served
D. Warrant and Worked d
Up a Reputation. \.
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ry thief might be a good fellow" his
surly 'pap' could go hang.
Lem had great luck. When he came
back, dressed in city clothes. he got a
case almost before he got down from
the stage.
"Sumpin's up," said the driver as
they turned into the main street.
He pointed with his whip to an ex-
cited group of Bungies standing in
front of the store
Maybe It's shooting, and I'll just
call it murder and get the chance to de-
fend it," said Lem, throwing one leg
off over the end of the rear, ready to
jump down.
"HelIo, I.emr' SAY, there's Lem
Hooleyw "Lem Hooley, s'help mer'
'Hello, Lemi"
Thus they greeted him, and he drop
ped among them, both hands out, to be
shaken and to shake each hand. He
was glad.
''But what's up?' he asked.
The crowd turned, with laugh, to
Cooley, the sheriff, who had piece Of
paper in his hand.
"Cooley's got a warrant to serve,
and he's a-skeered to serve it,"
"Skeered! Well, guess not, not if
there were so greasers stead Of 10. I'll
serve it all right"
"Well, why don't you serve it, then?'
asked Lem merrily.
because I can't get a man with the
gizzard to swear in as deputy to help
me-"
''What do you want help for"
There's ten of them over there" He
pointed to a greaser shanty across the
street. "Will you go alongY
whats been done, anyhow.
"Greaser Ike shot Yellow Mike, you
remember, who used to tend bar in the
dance hall, and the Mexicans in the
county Is bound to see him out of the
scrape."
81 don't see much in that" said Lem.
"Why don't you go ahead and arrest
your manT
''Will you go along as deputy? 1t
means shootin, and lot of it, against
knives, too, and you'll want all the
good eye you used to have"
mo, won't go along as deputy to
you, but I'll tell you what I'll do. If
the crowd won't string the prisoner up
when take him, I'll go over alone"
"All right. It's CO." they answered.
'Better take my gum" said Cooley,
offering his six shooter.
'I'm all right" said Lem, tapping
his hip.
There were several offers of com
pany, willing ones, but the young law
yer rejected them all.
He walked rapidly across the street,
leaving the crowd happy and silent, in
terested and full of admiration. With
out drawing his gun Lem went
straight up to the door, showed it open
and stepped in out of sight, and not a
shot was heard nor an oath nor fall.
1t was all as silent as before. The
crowd at the store wondered, waited
awhile and wondered out loud. Ought
they not to go over and see what was
up? MayIN knife fixed him before
he could draw. The Bungies discussed
it carefully, but they believed in Lem,
and they decided again and again that
they'd better "leave him be-" And
they did.
1t was wise decision. In two min
utes Lem came out with Ike. The 9th
er Mexicans appeared at the door Of
their shanty and quietly watched Lem
deliver to Cooley the accused murder
er, Greaser Ike, who was as meek as a
lamb
That was something new in Bung
Town. You despise greasers, but not
exactly as fighters. They will fight all
right enough, but the contempt for
them is only as pistol shots and as cit
liens. 1t is no crime to kill one.
Now, Lem knew this sentiment, and
when the trial came off, with all the
county present and about one-tenth of
the white population In the jury box,
the young lawyer, who appeared to de-
fend Greaser Ike, applied it deftly to
the case. He showed that Yellow Mike
was a greaser and mo good" greaser,
so that to shoot him was not murder.
OF course. he admitted, it was not the
custom to lose the chance to get rid
of two greasers by hanging the one
who survived a fight to the finish. But
that custom was not only unjust-it
was shortsighted. If white man had
a right to shoot Mexican, Mexican
ought to have the same privilege, or
the principles on which this great re-
public was founded were naught. and
the law, which he had learned to re-
spect, was useless sham. Bung Town
was off the track of travel, but that
was no reason why 1t should be be-
hind the times. He had found that In
many of the most prosperous places
he had passed through the law was
being upheld 1t was the proper thing
now; it was all the go. He urged a
trial of this policy upon Bung Town.
The case was won. But Lem enjoy
ed the situation, so he went on briefly
to turn up the practical advantages OF
his theory. . If they hung up to dry any
greaser who killed another greasers
they would stop the handiest men with
the knives, who, If allowed their free
dom, might do some more greaserS.
He recalled the well known fact that
the Mexicans were cliquish in MUIR
der. They fought mostly among them
selves, and he had familiar figures to
prove that so per cent of the greaseTs
killed in that county had been killed
by their own kind.
The jury acquitted Greaser Ike, and
Lem Hooley was feted with thumps on
the back and many rounds of drinks.
Bung Town staid up late to celebrate
the beginning of its favorite sons bril-
liant career.
Well along toward midnight the citi-
zens compelled Lem to tell how ne
had made the arrest which brought
him his first case, and reluctantly ne
broke the pledge which he averred he
had made to himself that day never
to give away the trick he had played
on the crowd which stood around
Sheriff Cooley urging him to go In anc
serve that famous warrant.
sit was a trick, only trick, and
thought of 1t because Bud Burgess, the
stage driver, had suggested it by his
remark that maybe the crowd In front
Of the store meant that l was to get
my first case the first day ] got home.