The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-08-07

1LS distant tnunder. Blunt. sharp.
Ruthless. Younger than Yancey, less
experienced, he still should have
known better. These men of the In
adequate jury, these men in the court
room crowd, had come Of a frontier
background, had lived in the frontier
atmosphere. In their rough youth, and
now, women were scarce, with the
scarcity that the hard life predicated.
And because they were scarce they
were precious. No woman so plain,
so hard, so undesirable that she did
not take on, by the very fact of her
sex, value far beyond her deserts.
The attitude of a whole nation had
been touched by this sentimental fact
which was, after all, largely geo.
graphic For full century the coun-
tries of Europe, bewildered by 1t. I'M
able to account for it, had laughed at
this adolescent reverence Of the Amer
lean man for the American woman.
Leary finished in burst of oratory
so ruthless, so brutal that he had the
satisfaction of seeing the painful, UNI
accustomed red surge thickly over
Dixie Lees pale face from her brow
down to where the ladylike white turn
over of her high collar met the line
of her throat.
The pompous little Irishman seated
himself. chest out, head high, eye
rowing the crowd and the bench, lips
open with dissatisfaction. A few
more cases like this and maybe they'd
see there was material for territory
governor right here in Usage.
The crowd shifted, murmured, CAB
bled. Yancey still sat sunk in his
chair as though lost in thought. The
gable rose, scared. "He's given it
up" thought Sabra. exulting. HE
sees how it is"
The eyes of the crowd so close
packed in that suffocating little court
room were concentrated on the inert
figure lolling SO Imply in its chair.
Perhaps they were going to be cheated
of their show after all.
Slowly the big head lifted, the pow
erful shoulders Strengthened, he rose,
he seemed to rise endlessly, he walked
to Judge Sipes' crude desk with his
light, graceful stride. The lids were
still cast down over the lightning eyes.
He stood a moment, that singularly
sweet and winning smile wreathing
his lips. He began to speak. The
vibrant voice, after Leary's shouts,
was so low pitched that the crowd
held its breath in order to hear.
"Your honor, gentlemen of the jury.
am the first to bow to achievement.
Recognition where recognition is due
this, gentlemen, has ever been my
way. May 1, then, before begin my
poor plea in defense Of this lady, my
client, most respectfully call your at
tention to that which, in my humble
opinion, has never before been
achieved, much less duplicated, in the
whole of the Southwest. Turn your
eye to the figure which has so recently
and so deservedly held your attention.
Gaze once more upon him. Regard
him well. You will not look upon his
like again. For, gentlemen, in my
opinion this gifted person, Mr.. Patrick
Leary, is the only man in the Okla
homa territory-in the Indian terri
tory-in the whole Of the brilliant and
glorious Southwest-nay, I may even
go so far as to say the only man in
this magnificent country, the United
States of America !-of whom it actu-
ally can be said that he Is able to
strut sitting down."
The pulled little figure In the chair
collapsed, then bounded to it's feet,
redfaced, gesticulating. "Your honor!
/ object!"
But the rest was lost in the gigantic
roar of the delighted crowd.
go it, Yancey!"
'That's the stuff, Cimarron
Here was what they had come for.
Doggone. there was nobody like him.
Even today, though more than
quarter of a century has gone by.
there still are people in Oklahoma
who have kept copy, typed neatly
now from records made by hand, of
the speech made that day by Yancey
Cravat in defense Of the town woman,
Dixie Lee. "Yancey Cravat's Plea for
.