The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-22

ing to do it without letting any critter
among We know how it yanks at my
heartstrings.
"A few weeks ago an individual
known among rs as Sinful Joe was
brought before this court on the charge
of shooting a bullet into a tenderfoOt
from the east who was out here to cure
bad liver. Sinful found him living in
the open, on the hills, and he not only
claimed to feel sorry for him, but to
have an fnfallible cure for what allied
him. The tenderfoot didn't want to
take the treatment, at least not until
he had written back home to his paw
and 1naalw,z but Sinful sighted for his
liver andfIet drive with bullet. Then
he took the strangers outfit and de-
parted.
The. tenderfoot didn't die He was
found and brought in by Jim Traverse,
and later on warrant was issued and
Sinful Joe was arrested. He claimed
to have done the shooting cut of SYM
pathy for a Teller critter in distress,
and he pointed to the fact that the ten
derfoot was making a gain in health,
! but as he had loaded up the outfit and
was arrested a hundred miles away.
this court differed with him. In fact,
this court held that he had attempted
murder, and he was found guilty and
sentenced to prison for life I believe
the sentence found universal satisfac-
ton. but now the higher court comes
along and reverses the machinery on
me- 1t don't exactly say that when a
man thinks another mans liver is out
of order it can be improved by shoot
ing bullet hole in it, but it hauls me
up on the question of exceeding my
lawful powers. It throws out hint
that when have sentenced a man to
jail for ninety days I have reached the
end OF my lariat.
This court hereby and hereon craw-
/ fishes. 1t collapsess It shets up like
an umbrella. Sinful Joe. who sits over
! there with grin on his face, is in
formed that he is at liberty. He can t
depart right away, however. After the
other case Is disposed of, Sinful and
me will be left alone in this courtroom
for about ten minutes. When the ten
minutes are up he can go. He may
depart with contempt for this court
as a court, but have got money to
bet that he won't have any contempt
for me as an Individual.
The other case is that Of Humble
Hiram. Most OF you know H. H. He
has been going around for the last five
years asking US to excuse him for lfv-
ing. He has been known to make a
runafor it when a Chinyman got to
talking big to him. He has been look
ed upon around Sandy Bend as a sort
OF human Jaclzrabbit- Once in a while,
when he has slipped into my Red Dog
saloon for a glass Of whisky and drank
it off with 'please-forgive- look. on
his face I have wondered if he had
any deviltry hidden way back some
where's. / had about concluded he
hadn't when he surprises US all. In
going over to Panther creek one day
six weeks ago he tumbled across the
camp of Pete Cabiff Pete is living
there with his squaw. He is at work
in his NINE while his squaw is snok-
ing at the door of the shanty.
Humble Hiram springs his surprise
There's a cayuse grazing near by. and
he loads him up with the outfit, and
then crooks his finger at the squaw.
She thinks it rather sudden but she
follers along. An hour later Pete
comes home to dinner. He finds a va
cancy and a vacuum He stops arounds
for ten minutes to do his swearing and
i hit the trail and three hours later he
Overhauls the humble and errinE -cou-
pie. Humble Hiram turns like the
worm and shoots him in the leg Word
reaches me and issue a warrant, and
| the constable serves it, and Hiram and
the squaw are brought in. She hain'i
| a party to the affair in the eyes of the
law and is allowed to go. When Hiram
is put on trial he makes no defense
and returns to his humility of de
meanOr- I believe that the shyster who
| defended him did say something abou1
| temporary insanity, but that's a thing
that don't go out in this country. 1
was ruled out and the prisoner convict
ed on three different counts, viz
Shamming humility, stealing a man.
! eQuaW ana ShoOLlng a feiler-beln II
the loft leg. sentenced him to sixtl
years in prison. and you remembei
how his eyes filled with tears of graft
tude. He had expected no less than
hundred.
"I ask you not only as a court bu
as an individual and the owner of tn
only saloon for q hundred miles arouns
! where the bartender can mix a Man
haitian cocktail without pausing t
scratch his head and consult the geog
raphy. to consider the Nervousness o
Humble's offenses. For years he play
this town of Sandy Bend low down. II
processes to be what he isn't Then h
one day rides up to the shack Of a toll
hardened man and steals his outfit am
puts dasnper on industry. Not salts
fed with that, he carries of the man