The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-12-11

Ing Ct the Jsor sS the. shaRty. OK y
.HsnbiesHtuh WzaastNsurptf1es
AThares a 1yu&S stSsing heaf by AMI
he Dads hin IN vIfh hejentnt and
tRs ,tsrooE liz 6nrer afsfe sqn4SS
She thinks It rather sudden. but she
follers along. An hour later Pcte
cones home 10 dinner. He finds :
Sacifcy and a vacuum He stops
around for ten minutes TO do BIS
swearing mi hit the trail, and three
hours Later he overilauis the humble
and erring couple. Another surprise
awaits him. Humble Hiram turns like
The worm and shoots him In the log
Word reaches me. aud | issue a war
rant. and he constable serves IL. and
Hiram and the squaw are brought IN
b hain' II party 10 the affair in the
eyes Of the law and il allowed 70 -.
When Hiram is put on triai he makes
no defense and returns TO his humility
Of demeanor. | believe that the shys
ter who defended him did say some
thing about temporary insanity. but
that's a thing that don't go out in this
country. Ii was ruled out and the
prisoner convicted on three differen:
counts-viz, shamming humility. steal
ing a mans squaw and shooting n fei.
Ter being in the left leg. l sentenced
him 10 sixty years in prison. and YOU
remember how his eyes filed with
tears Of gratitude. He had expected
no less than a hundred.
sI oCl- ron not only DC IN on,,r hut
as an individual, and the owner of the
only saloon for Ii hundred miles around.
where the bartender can mix a Man
haitian cocktail without pausing 10
scratch his head and consult the SCOg-
raphy. to consider the Nervousness of
Humble's offenses. For years he plays
this town Of Sandy Bend low down.
He processes TO be what he isn't. Then
he one day rides up 10 the shack of Il
toll hardened man and steals his outfit
and puts a damper on industry. Not
satisfied with that, he carries off The
man's sQuaw. and when she weeps and
protests he hits her a bat on the ear.
The toll hardened cuss pursues, only to
get = bullet in the leg, and Humble
won't even stop to ask him if it hurts
much.
This court felt its gorge rise as de
tail after detail was brought out, and
when the testimony was all in such a
sentence was imposed as seemed in ac
cord with the crime. And what has
followed: Humble Hiram has appeal
ed the case. and the higher court has
Yn.-n,-nl ~, Ian;ai~ n-l 49,
trial. Think of that, and this the TWEEN
tieth century,
Il shall crawfish, but only quite
SOme The reversal will be entered on
ny docket. but when it comes to n re
trial there won't be any. With run
ming my Red Dog saloon, taking a hand
at poker and acting as justice Of the
peace for -four counties, this court has
no time to fool away splitting Legal
hairs. Humble Hiram will be returned
to the lookup for a couple of hours.
Then he will be brought out and head
ed up the trail. AS he is passing the
first cedar thicket an individual Will
step out and accost him and begin t.
daily with him. When the perform
duSc IL lHilSutu JUSTICE VIII nave DCeil
done. and Humble will never again
come within Il hundred miles Of Sandy
Bend.
Il am aot saying that this ere court
sticks rigidly to the statutes made and
provided IN handling a case. He may
wabble TO the right. and he may wab
bic to the left. His idea is that jus.
tice may be done. If there hain't any
justice in the statutes, then it seems
to be the duty Of the court to step in
and fill the gap. He can crawfish with
all proper grace and humility, but he
can also rise like the phenix bird from
the ashes and bluff q four flush through
to the end. We will now adjourn the
court and begin the other performs
ances." NJ. QUAD.