The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-08-17
WALKED OUT OF COURT.
Strange Case Of J. A. fuddIeston
Found Guilty, but Not Sentenced.
REARRESTtD AFTER MANY YEARS
Informant Was Woman Whom He
Was 5efriendins--Now Charged Win
the Murder OF Her Husband.

Paris. Texas, August ls.-Durlng the
time the Federal court at Paris haa
jurisdiction over the F9dlan Territory ito
criminal docket was me largest In the
entire country. Every species of crlme
from murder to the Bookkeeping n,
whisky In the red mans country. occu.
pied its attention. Lawyers waxed fat.
SLOUGH hated deputies dlsembarked from
every train with sheckled prisoners. Una,
tree of human invention" the gallows.
bore fruit on more than one occasion
And yet of all the cases, including NO
Mans Land and the "shanty Boat Muir
der that of j. a. Huddleston who was
arrested and jailed at Paris last spring
10 In its entirety the most unious
In 1sS Huddleston, then only % years
old yet married and having two chill
dren, was engaged In farming in the
Indian Territory north of Honey CSrova
One day he went into that place dIsnose6
OF some chickens and then went 10 Inc
grocery store where he was accusto,,ey
to trade and purchased some groceries.
Two days later he was arrested ar his
home for passing counterfeit dollar on
the groceryman. He made bond and wan
tried in the Federal court at Parts In
1889. 40
Up TO this point his case had been ma
many others, and had 1t not been for Mis-
remarkable and extraordinary conduct
there would have been nothing To excite
| interest or attract attention
Huddleston sat through his trial and
when the jury retired to make i'm lie
verdict he did what perhaps no prisoner
ever did before. He got IN and calmly
walked out Of the crowded court room,
without any notice taken or a hand
stretched out TO detain him The iurv
returned verdict of guilty. but there
was no defendant to hear II read Hud
| dleston boarded a north bound freight
| train, getting off at Talihna. n station
| in the Indian Territory. At this Mace
he departed al right angles from the
course of conduct any other man in his
| circumstances would have pursued He
| wrote a letter TO Judge Alex Boarman
saying In case the, jury had found him
| guilty he would return and surrender
| provided Judge Boarman would grant
! him a new trial To this remarkable
| proposition he received no reply The
! letter of course misoarried, or a deputy
| train. 'N
Huddleston remained in Tallhina for
| ten days, and then went to Polk coun-
| ", Ark, where he was born and reared
! He stayed there two months and then
! went to Perry county, whore his family
Joined him and settled down
| Barring his connection with a spurious
! dollar, of which he claims absolute
| innocence, there had never been ANYTHING
| wrong with Huddleston. He had always
had friends and in his new home he
| iihue more Inc passing years rewarded
well his efforts to accumulate the goods
| of this world. AT the time VI his arrest
| ne was surety on the bond OF the sherl II
| of his county Huddleston says that he
employed n lawyer to come to Paris and
ascertain his status with the government
| and that he returned and reported that
| there was nothing against him, There
| after his mind was at rest He said
| he talked freely witt his friends about
| his case and that they assured him there
was nothing in 1t or the authorities
| would have been after him This led
| to his arrest. which was brought about
| by a woman.
A widow with two or three small chill
dren, the daughter of'a friend Of Hud-
married a worthless fellow. The woman
had some property which they wanted 10
! dispose of and come to Texas Upon
the advice Of Huddeston her father
opposed II, fearing that the husband
would spend the money and desert her.
This of course provoked hatred on the
! part OF the couple against Huddeston.
! The property was finally sold and with
father came to Huddleston and borrowes
money to bring the deserted woman and
! children home. on the day they arrived
| from Texas Huddleston and another man
were going to have some cotton sinned
| and the woman's father asked them to
bring his daughter home with them They
did so. on the way home he told his
companion about his experience with tho
| Federal court in Texas Tho woman
heard the story She did not stay nj
home but day or two. leaving the chill
dren and going TO Little Rock where
she told her husband what she had heard
| and he gave the information TO the
| United States marshal's office at that
| place. Huddleston was arrested and car
| red first to Little Rock, where II la
said he could have made a $4,000 bond
| He had many testimonials, including a
| letter from the Federal clerk written
| with the sanction OF United States Judge
| Treiber.
Huddleston has many friends and In
fiuence, yet he was here In Jail with no
| prospect of relief until Judge Bryant
| court met. He was convicted of a crime
yet no verdict was read to him In open
court The Jury that tried him had long
since been dispersed. The Judge who
presided no longer sat upon the bench.
Could Judge Bryant sentence him on the
old verdict? Would he grant him a new
trial7 II so could he plead former
jeopardy? In the meantime he secured
able counsel and awaited In much per.
plexty the outcome of his most peculiar
case
When court convened and his case was
called Huddleston was discharged. He
stayed IN Paris for a few days and went
home saving that he could live n peace
full life since the last shadow OF his case
had been cleared away.
Two or three weeks after he went homo
the man who Informed on him was found
murdered and Huddleston was arrested
as n suspect and IS now under bond In
Perry county, Arm charged with muir