The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1913-06-06
nose and after dat de-"

"Come down to Pete's rnnnin or wild
de squawkin, rooster.
Il dtdn' see Pete rnnnin' or wild DE-
squawkin' rooster said the witness.
Didn't yo' say said the prosecutor
dat de moon was a-shinin':'
YES sah."
"And yo' hearn de sQuawkin.?"
Yes. sab"
well, SO on and tell de rest"
Il seen Pete a-comin' towa'ds me-
"Well?"
"Dat's all seen"
do yo' mean to sey 20 didn' see
7 Pete a-runnin' past yo' cabin:"
Eyes. sab. l didn' sec him"
"Why not:"
Oats what ] war gwine to tell you
when war toe to cut it out
We'll. go on and tell It,
II said de clouds was a-flOatin' ober
de face o de moon, obscurn' fus' de
mouf o. de man In it. den de nose and
AFTER that de eyes. and jlst us 1t cob
cred de eyes Pete run by nah cabin
wild Il squa wkin' rooster In his arms"
And yo' seen HIM"
"NO, sab. didn' seen him, To- ut
dat time de hull moon war cobered and
! 1t war da'k as lump o. coal"
"io, honah." said the prosecutor II
t'ink hab proved by de witness dat
Pete stole de chicken"
How dat" cried counsel for the
defense.
''Didn' Jim Frisbie swar he hearn de
chicken squn wkin'?"
Yes, but he ditn' see Pete Davis
carryin' de chicken. and he didn' see
de chicken nudder. He didn' know
weddcr II war Il rooster or a hen. lie
dtdn' know wtslder In de moonlight de
tail fetlders war green or blue. cause
de cloud cobered dc moon. and dc moon
didn' shine He didn' know wetider de
chicken war red or dc comb war red
lIowsoneber. he tiIdn' know wedtler 1t
war Pete Davis a-runnin' or some nd.
der niggah. and he co,lldn' see which
way he war runnii'-wetidcr It war
from de coop or iowa dis de coop And
he couldn' tell wedder he war white
or black. wedder he war man or u
woman. How'd he know 1t want
uN lIhC u huOW. ne UluI KNOW
muffin at all about 1t no mo- NJ
win de gentlemen 8 de jury" in
terrupted the Judge. please wake up?
he learned counsel's osin his bref.
ana he's comm to de end o his ora
slun."
Several darkles who were nodding
reused themselves. ana the counsel for
the defendant brought his remarks to
a conclusion.
"Wha for yo' hOnah. rink go
oushter instruc' dc jury to bring IL 4
yerdic' dat day hunt no evidence dat
Pete Davis stole Mat Stevens roost.
all; dat II might a been some udder
mans ro0stah Pete stole or 1t might "a
been some udder pusson dat stole
pete's roostah. seem dat de moon war
a-slinin' when de fls' squawkin' war
hcarn. and dc cot knows dat no niggatl
halm't gwine chicken stealth when de
moon Is A-shinin': consistently dere
hnin't no reason to suspec' dere war
any roostah stole mt ALL"
One wod mo- - the prosecuting at
torney was beginning when the jury
man who had the job ct withdrawing
to do protested. declaring TINT IL the
case were not given to the jury 1T once
he would leave II. Therefore the Judge
gave the following Instructions:
"GentIemcn q de jury. yo' hab fns'
to consider wedder de chicken was
stole; wed,ler. II 1t was stole. it be-
longed to Mart Stevens; wedder Pete
Davis done stole It, YO' mus take In
ter consideration II do moon was shin
In and wedder any niggah would stea.
II chicken In such condition o de
elephants; wedder Jim Frisbie's hearin
Il squawkin' chicken goin' past him in
de dark. without sceln' 1t or. who had 1t.
proves dat Pete Davis stole 1t; wed.
der
"Yo' honah." Interrupted a juryman.
"ef you glib us any mo- we won't know
whar we's at"
The Judge desisted and told the Jury
10 20 round to the back Of the meeting
mousse and bring In verdict. They
lid so and. after half an hours de.
Iteration, returned, and the foreman
aid:
Please yo' honah, there amt any o.
Is nigguhs know wedder Pete stole dat
chicken or wedder de chicken stole
Pete. We don't know weddcr, when
Pete run by Jim F'risbie's cabin. II was
'ete dat was Squuwkin' or dc roost-
II. We don know weddcr It was il
ooster Or hen. Mebbe 1t war
loose, and like enough 1t might a.
'een gander. Derefo'. yo' honah. we
SIX to he discharged dat we may pur-
lie our Urinary avercations"
"i"' a discha'xe d" said the Judge.
And now. yo' honah, de jury wants
o make an observation. It's abom
White folks laws. De jury don reckon
lat white folks laws agwine to do
o us cnlInd people. We Wrought IN
e verde accordIn' to yo' honah's iu-
tructions, and yo' instructions was
ccordin' TO de law. But we didn' un-
erstand de law or de instructions.
bats de reason we brought in de YER
ic' dat we did. hut wldout dc law
Z de Instructions we all know right
'ell dat Pete stole de rooster, an dats
II deere Is about It,"
That was the last white folks court
cid In that region
Nebraska TO lonatjxa aoxino.