Semi-weekly herald., 1908-10-22

obligation to respond to the true owner
thereof, however innocently they came
to buy them.
We present herewith the affidavit of
Mr. J. A. Coppinger, who was present
az the business office of Wood & Nor.
gan in Durango. on the morning the
Nichols boy came there to sell his
cattle, and the affidavit of Mr.. Serb.
ner who bought these animals; and
they give the lie-plain and direct. to
the statements mentioned in the affi
I---i--- .-.~.-~.-, H----- >.-o -Ja.ao ooaSI'
tions of the Democrat.
The firm of Wood & Morgan some
years ago became large contractors in
fresh meats. furnishing it to the mar
kets Of Silverton, Colorado and Du
range, and other points. They bought
in the open markets of the country,
almost daily. fat cattle, hogs and sheep
which were butchered at their slaugh.
ter house south of Durango and ship
ped from thence to fill the orders made
upon them at different points.
On the morning of August 29th.
young Nichols appeared In Durango
oiiAS Aihdih6 MI. Ihoi buu, toi0 hllu hC
had some cattle to sell, and. Mr.. Nor
gan first inquiring where the same
we're. and being told that they were
out near the Champion mine. agreed
to ride out In the course of the morn.
ing and see whether they were worth
the price asked for them of $2250 per
head. and were fit animals for butcher
md Onfn0 tho
office for the purpose of starting on
this errand, 1t was found to be in
convenient and impossible for him 10
go for the reason that Mr.. Pearson, the
bookkeeper Of the firm, and Mr..
Charles F. Wood, the other member
of the firm. had to go to Denver on
that particular morning and start with
in the next hour, and, accordingly,
Mr.. Arthur Scribner and Doc Hawley
were sent out to see the cattle and to
buy them II they met the requirements
of the firm in price and quality.
Mr.. Morgan knew nothing about the
| cattle and did not know that they
) had been refused by any other buy
ers and did not know that there was
l bubplClOub III CouutCllOu Will
the offer of young Nichols TO sell them.
| Three months before he had bought
ten head Of cattle from young Nichols,
with the knowledge and acquiescence
of his mother who claimed the first
bunch to be her own individual cattle
but young Nichols claimed to own q
bunch of from fifty to seventy-five head
| Iafb x,h lob In In,
mosa park. above Durango, and, wher
he came that morning to Mr.. Morgan
he claimed to have brought In cattle
of his own which he had to offer fol
sale.
These facts are affrmatively showI
to be true by the affidavit of Mr.. Nor
gan whose reputation as an honorable
business man has heretofore been un
questioned, and surely his word will
; be taken as better than the word o
self f-confessed thief-as Nichols pro
claims himself to be. Mr.. Morgan
says that he did not know, as a matte
of fact, the brand that Nichol
claimed to own. and that 1t is NO
, true that he knows all the brands o
even one-fourth Of the brands in L
Plata county or southwestern Cole
2 RADIO.
Mr.. Morgan swears, and his oath !
: better than the oath Of a self-confes'
0 ed thief, that Nichols did not tell hiI
4 anything about the cattle, save and e,
4 cept that he had some cattle OF hi
|. own which he desired to sell and thi
L. - 49, - A. -
T. Nichols, or said anything to him wha
y ever about mentioning the fact tn,
y he had bought cattle of him. 1t
n true that Wood 4 Morgan, throua
B. their agents and employees. bougl
y these cattle from Nichols, aaA The