Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-10-01

hled. Pat Leary In solemn suIt Of
black, Dixie Lee with her girls. even
Judge Sines himself seemed In mo-
mentary danger OF being trampled by
the milling mob. II was travesty Of
courtroom
The jury was hard-faeed lot for
the most part. Pluclsed from the
plains or the hills, hating OF speech.
slow OF mind quick on the trigger A
slow, rhythmic motion of the jaw was
evidence that generous preliminary
bite OF plug served as precaution to
soothe the nerves and steady the
| Judgment.
This legal farce had already begun
before yancey made his spectacular
entrance.
Case OF the Territory of Oklahoma
versus Dixie Lee.' ESQ they had
made 1t territorial case J
Counsel for the territory OF Okla
! homa!" Pat l.eary stood up. .. for
/ the defense" No one. The close
packed courtroom was nightmare OF
staring eyes and nshlke mouths
greedily devourInE Dixie Lees white.
ravaRed face. Oddly enough. com
pared to these. she seemed pure. aloof.
exquisite. "1he defendant having
failed to provide herself with counsel.
It Is my duty, according to the laws
| OF the government of the United States
and the territory OF Oklahoma to APP
point counsel for the defendant" He
shifted his Quid, the while his cunning.
red-rlmmed eyes roved solemnly
/ through the crowd seeking the shyster
Gwin Larkin. stir In the close
packed crowd; a mnrmur. Il hereby
| appoint" The murmnr sweIled.
Order In the court. y
Your honor y
Towering above the crowd. forging
his way through 1t like some relent-
less force OF nature, came the great
buffalo head, the romantic Rough
| Rider hat with its turned-up brim
caught by the crossed sabers the mas
siye khak-clad figure. II was dramatic,
| it was melodramatic, It was ridiculous.
| 1t was superb. Here was the kind OF
| situation that the Southwest loved and
craved here was action. here was
| Observation-Disclosures, here was adventure.
Here, In word, was Cimarron.
He stood before the shoddy judge.
He swept or his hat with gesture
that invested 1t with plumes. IF 1t
please your honor. represent the de-
PENDANT. Dixie Lee"
No territorial Judge. denying Yam
cey Cravat, would have dared to face
that crowd. He cast another glance
round-a helpless, baffled one, this
time-wayed the approaching Gwin
| Larkin back with a feeble gesture,
and prepared to proceed with the case
according to the laws of the territory.
Certainly the look that he turned on
SabrA Cravat as she entered a scant
ten minutes later. white faced. reso-
lutte, and took her place as representa-
tive OF the press, WAS one OF such
mingled bewilderment and reproach
as would have embarrassed anyone less
utterly preoccupied than the editor
and publisher of the Oklahoma Wig
wan.
Objection on the part OF the slick
Pat Leary. Overruled. perforce, by
the judge. A shout from the crowd.
Order Bang Another shout. Law
In a lawless community not yet ten
years DID, community made up, for
the most part. OF people whose very
presence there meant Impotence OF
the old order defiance OF the conven-
tons. Ten minutes earlier they had
been all for the cocky little Leary
eager to cast the first stone at the
woman In the temple. Now. with the
! inexplicable fickleness OF the mob, the
electric current OF, sympathy flowed
out from them to the woman to be
tried to the man who would defend
her. Hot and swift and plenty OF
action--that was the way the South
west liked its justice.
Pat Leary Irish. ambitious. fiery.
His temper, none too even at best, had
been lost before he ever rose The
thought OF Yancey ahead Of him, the
purity brigade behind him, spurred
him to his frantic, his disorderly
charge.
His years as section hand on the
railroad had equipped him with
vocabulary well suited to scourge this
woman In black who sat SO quietly, so
white faced. before him, for all the
crowd to see. Adjective on adjective;
vituperation words which are consid-
cred obscenity outside the Bible and
the courtroom.
curious embarrassment seized the |
crowd. There were many In the
packed room who had known the easy
hospitality Of Dixies menage; who
had eaten at her board, who had been
broken In Graf Gotch's gambling place
and had borrowed money from Dixie
to save themselves from rough frontier
revenge She had piled her trade and
taken the towns money and given 1t
out again with the other merchants of
the town. The banker could testify |