The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-02-08
SON OF HERO
OF TEXAS REPUBLIC
COWman; Gentleman, Law.
yer Typical Of
Plains


in transferring the court cases
throughout Oklahoma shifting them
from the territorial 10 the state courts
and from the old district to the fed
erai and supreme dockets one finds
on almost every page OF the earlier
dockets remembrances of the pioneer
and frontier names that recall
in themselves all the early history OF
Oklahoma and the Indian country
that presided 1t and conditions that
featured the great Southwest during
frontier days.
One Of the first men on the bench
IN Oklahoma by birth who remained on
the benchlonger than any other Ok
lahoman, and who sctired only when
statehood became effective and elm
mated the territorial courts During
bis FIRST days on the bench Judge Bur
ford's jurisdiction extended into the
extreme western counties-at that
time COW country almost exclusively
and court dOckeis as rule had
"a plentiful amount Of cases which
dcalt with Killings Of various kinds to-
gether with cattle rustllng and horse
stealing.
There was one fine imposed dur
ing the early days that to the best
of my knowledee never was paid. and
npw never viii be, for poor Temple
Houston is dead said Judge Bur
ford recently during q reminiscent
mood II was $500 fine and was
assessed By Judge j. r. lSeaton,
against Houston Tor shooting within
the city limits Il followed The gener-
al melee la Woodward when Ed .lenn-
irgs was killed Al Jennings was
critically wounded and several others
We're more or less injured by flying
bullets, bat as usual Temple Hous-
ton escaped unscathed Houston was
tried for killing Jennings, was ac-
quilted. and was then fined for shoot
ing lie had threatened afterward to
kill the man who would attempt to
collect The fine, and guess it was
never collected,
The shooting Of Jennings occurred
in a barrOom al Woodward during
the early SOS, but il was never prov
en- that any Of the bullets from Hous-
tons six-shooter caused his death
The two men had quarrsled over
some trivial matter and q shooting
between them was expected when
ever they should meet Houston was
standing with some friends at the bar
when Ed. and AL Jennings en-
tered Weapons were drawn stimuli
taneously and the fusillade began. All
engaged in runnig and lodging
fight except Houston. He stood up
straiht and emptied his revolver with
ont twitching a muscle When the
smoke cleared away Houston was
alone I'm the saloon and Jennings was
dead on the floor The siX-shooters
Of both were empty AL Jennings
swore that he would kin Houston.
Henry +. Asp, general counsel for
the Santa Fe in Oklahoma during the
past ten years, defended Houston dur
ing his trial for killing Jennings.
Asp tells this story OF the tale:
Houston was the caimest man in
the court room lie was not placed
on the stand and did not say word
during the trial He apparently did
not pay any attention to the tesh-
nony, but sat at the table all the
nine drawing pictures He was an ac-
c0mplished artist and drew pictures
ot Napoleon that were really beautiful
iIe drew them and tore them up, one
after another. He drew pictures Of
cowboys with guus IN their hands,
shooting"
Temple Houston was a true chara-
te of the west he was feet
inches in height, wore the typical
dress Of southern planter long flow
ing hair and small high-heeled boots.
He attended an the courts ga the
western counties and took some part
n most Of the cases and in an Of
the important ones Tie defended