324 MY SPORTING HOLIDAYS 



first time in my life and the last I was searched, in 

 common with every man there, for the revolver which 

 personally I never carried, but which many others 

 present did. Reluctantly these weapons were, for 

 the time being, handed over to the representative of 

 law and order, to be subsequently returned to their 

 respective owners at the conclusion of the trial. 



The case then opened. Both sides were represented 

 by counsel the accused by a fluent and aggressive 

 Irish- American local solicitor, while the prosecution 

 was conducted by the State prosecuting attorney. 

 The ' court ' was embodied in the person of another 

 local lawyer, of conciliatory manners and appearance, 

 supported by the Sheriff of the county and his deputy, 

 armed to the teeth. 



After some preliminary wrangling on legal techni- 

 calities, the prosecuting witness, George Westlake, 

 was put into the box. He proved unruly and talk- 

 ative, and greatly prejudiced his evidence by some 

 display of personal animosity against the accused. 

 The hide and head of the slaughtered bullock, with 

 the brands cut out, were produced in court. 



The outline of the case was somewhat as follows : 

 The witness, riding the range, had found the hide and 

 head of a slaughtered bullock near the accused's 

 ranch. The brands were found cut out of the hide, 

 and the horns cut off the skull obviously, it was 

 suggested, to prevent identification and possible mis- 

 understanding. He concealed the hide and head, 

 and next day returned with a few friends, armed with 

 Winchester rifles, and followed the waggon trail from 

 the slaughtered beast to accused's ranch. The de- 

 fendant, no doubt impressed by the arrival of a party 

 of armed men, admitted that he had killed the bullock, 



