Rocky Ford enterprise., 1915-10-29
SCHOOL TAX
CASE DISMISSED
Judge Rizer Hands Protest
ing Districts a Lemon
BAD HOMBRES ENGAGE
COURTS ATTENTION
All Prisoners But Three Tried Last
Week Were rIexicans and All
But Two Pied Guilty

ouI W. y
In the district court at La Junta
on Tuesday Judge Rizer summar-
ily dismissed the case brot against
the county treasurer by several OF
the school districts of Otero coun-
ty for the recovery of taxes paid
{rnder protest for the support of
the so-called county high school
at La Junta.
Readers of The Enterprise will
remember that the Colorado
supreme court in March of this
year reversed the decision of
Judge Rizer rendered two years
previous, in which he held in eff
feet that the county high school
had been legally organized and
was entitled to the tax apportion-
ed for its support against all other
school districtsIin the county ex-
cepting those having high schools
of their own, and remanded the
case for further hearing in har-
mony with the decision of the
supreme court.
This is the case which has this
week been summarily dismissed
by the district judge and it now
appears that all individuals who
paid this illegal high school tax
under protest will be obliged to
bring separate suits against
Treasurer Wilson for the 'recov-
cry of taxes paid.
nlexicans Occupy Time of Court
The district court convened for the
regular October term last Monday
morning, Judge Rizer presiding, and
the Jury summoned for the term being
in attendance. All the prisoners ar
raigned, with the exception of three,
were Mexicans, and all but two entered
a plea of guilty to the crimes with
which they were charged, after the
informations had been read to them,
says the La Junta Tribune.
One of the Mexicans, who was charg-
ed with rape, entered plea of guilty,
but changed his plea to not guilty when
Judge Rizer informed him that if he
persisted in his plea of guilty it would
be in the discretion of the court to in
fict penalty of from three years to
life term in the state penitentiary.
The Mexican was found guilty by the
jury.
Pedro Lomar, single man, charged
with living as man and wife with
Junita Moya, married woman, enter
ed plea of guilty, but his partner in
sin entered plea of not guilty and
was tried by jury and acquitted. Pc
dro and the woman had been in Jail
since Water melon Day, and the judge
decided to turn Pedro loose, probably
being of the opinion that month and
little more incarceration in the Otero
county bastile was sufficient punish
ment to fit the crime.
Joseph F. Wilson, charged with a
criminal assault on nine year old Man
zanola girl on the eve of Cherry Pie
day last July, entered plea of guilty
and was sentenced to a term of not
more than ten years in the penitentiary.
Wilson had narrow escape from being
lynched by Manzanola citizens. He is a
rather good looking young man, about
thirty years of age and has wife and
two children. He asked the judge to
be as lenient with him as possible.
Joe Sandoval pleaded guilty to rape
and was given an indeterminate SEN
tence in the reformatory.
Binkley Drake entered plea of
guilty to the charge of larceny from
the person and was sentenced to the
reformatory. Drake was charged with
relieving his room mate of $50 in a
rooming house at Rocky Ford. He and
an old man named McCarty had beer
Aon a big drunk in Pueblo, and came
down to Rocky Ford for grand finish.
Drake robbed the old man the first
night. and afterwards the old man
forged number of checks and made
his getaway. The officers are still
looking for him. Drake will have ar
Opportunity to ponder over his evil ways
for some time at Buena Vista.
Manuel Cordova was charged with
issuing checks on the La Junta State
Al.