El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-12-02
ROBERTSON TAXES.
STAND THURSDAY
Defendant in Murder Trial
Says Did Not Know Boy
kin; Feared for Life.

IL. L. Robertson. charged with the
murder of II. +. ("Foot') Boykin ut 81
ezra Blanca, and on trial in the saith
district court, took the stand for the
first time in his defence Thursday
morning. stating that he killed Boykin
in self defence as he believed that
BOykin had been in a conspiracy Of
Sierra Blanca people TO kill him
Robertson admitted that he first drew
his rifle upon BOykin but did not aim
the weapon and that the reason he had
not used his pistol the first time was
because il was buttoned up under his
sweater and coat Ii my horse had
not Iunged forward when BOykin came
at me with his knife I believe he would
have killed me-" said the defendant
Was BOykin Unarmed-
The state attempted to show that he
had killed Boykin, knowing that Boy
kin did not have a pistol on him at the
time and that his companion, Tom
Cross, was unarmed- Robertson replied,
when I shot at Boykin il was because
BOySin had made gesture as II reach
ing for a pistol in his hip pocket" He
said he did not know whether or not
BOykm had a gun on him and did not
/ learn afterwards that such was the
: case
Robertson took the stand cooly.
though his voice grew faint under the
strain OF the examination. He arose
10 show I'm what manner he had his
pistol fastened upon him and also 70
show the way in which BOykin elm oed
up upon the seven foot fence, Within
three feet of him. and moved q knife
I'm his hand as though he meant 10
strike him.
-BOykin Drew knife
when Boykin drew his knife" testi-
fled Robertson he was on the inside Of
the pen and 7 was on the outside. I
pulled out my rifle and at the same
moment Walter Sitters called out Cut
dado,' which in Spanish means look
out I then put my rifle back in the
scabbard-. Boykin said to me- We 81
ezra Blanca people know that YOU are
q and that you are
coward and there is nothing TO you
4 asked him not to curse me and
moved off He was at this time about
six OF eight feet from me was on
the outside OF the fence and he was on
the inside. 1 then moved on up 10
where the gate was.
BOykin Cursed Him.
BOykin was cursiug me at the safe
and said IL opened the gate he would
kill me. So I got on my horse and rode
off from the gate
He climbed up on the fence from
the inside Of the corral He WAS ours
put up his damned knife. He then
struck at'me with the knife"
At this stage in the examination,
Robertson. using the rail of the witness
stand. Illustrated the position of Boy
kin on the fence and stated that he and
Bovkin at this time we're within three
feet Of each other
struck Him with Rope.
4 struck him with my rope in order
20 knock the knife out OF his hand,
he testified.
You did not strike at him with the
piston he was asked.
Yes. I struck al him with the pistol
the second time, hitting him on the
The position OF Elmer Dumont and
Walter Sitters. associates OF Robertson,
was then defined.
Put Pistol Back.
"DumOnt said. Come on, Mr. Rober-
son. let's turn these cattle out and get
away" he continued. L turned and
rode away and nut my pistol back IN
my scabbard. BOykin then called me-
the same names again and started at
me with his knife and the horse
whirled- He ran al me and struck at
the middle Of my bOdv- I then reached
for my pistol and my rise went halt
the length Of the pen wheeled back
and saw him put his hand back. 1
thousht he was reaching for his
pistol"
Had Planned to XIII Him.
Asked why he thought B0vkin had g
pistol, Robertson said he thought sure
he was one Of the Sierra Blanca men
who had planned 10 kill him I fired
and continued firing until he started
after he was on the ground ! shot
four times. I had five CARTRIDGES in my
pistol and the sixth hole was empty. He
was falling when the last shot was
fired It was. an accidental shot that
Surrendered to officer.
Robertson then said he got his horse
and rode about until train time. when
he caught the train and surrendered to
the first officer. He said he did not
in
Blanca. as they had hard feeling
against him there Asked II he had
been an officer of the law at any time,
Rn@ersOn replied that he he'd been an
officer since 1911: that he had killed
two men. both Mexicans while an Of
ficer and that he had been indicted for
murder in both cases but had been
cleared.
THE facts Of the ease are said I. (
A Dale. the reason BOykin called YOU
a coward was because YOU drew your
gun on him, knowing that he was IN
grn'ed. is it nOtg"
7 shot him because I was suspicious :
that he meant to kill me-" he replied /
Did Not Know Boykin-
Robertson testified that he did not
know who BOykin was and that he did +
not know that the cattle in the pen the
morning he went there We're Boykiu's s. {
Il thought from what I heard mat ,
these fellows had come there to Kill I
me-" he said.
Asr-u II ne thought he was gong 10 r
~ killed why he had not shot BOykin
when he first drew his rifle from his
sca5bard. ROharso9 made no reply save
that he was watching"
Asked why be had ridden off with
his back TO BOykin if he was certain
that BOykin intended to shoot him.
Robertson replied that he had his head
turned and that he had been watch
ing ali the time. .
we Are Going to kiII Hs7.'
The defence began the examination
OF its witnesses early Wednesday
afternoon. Jeff Vaughan. a mounted
inspector employed by the government.
was first put on The feature Of his
testimony was his statement that he
had had a talk with Boykin while rid
ing from Sweetwater to san Angelo
on October -. 1914
Boykin asked me what I thought
Of Robertson. I told him that 1 didn't
know him well He replied. Well I
are going to kill him He is interior
ing with our business on the river
II asked him who we were and he
mentioned Pat Dolan and the Loves.
When I saw Robertson afterwards
Continued on page III