sting of some
stud-horse office furniture and a corporate seal. On the other hand, Don
Lovell is rated at half a million, mostly in pasture lands; is a citizen
of Medina County, Texas, and if these gentlemen have any grievance, let
them go there and sue him. A judgment against my client is good. Now,
your honor, you have our side of the question. To be brief, shall these
old Wisinsteins come out here from Washington City and dispossess any
man of his property? There is but one answer--not in the Republic of
Keith."

All three of the plaintiffs took the stand, their testimony supporting
the complaint, Lovell's attorney refusing even to cross-examine any
one of them. When they rested their case Sutton arose, and scanning the
audience for some time, inquired, "Is Jim Reed there?" In response, a
tall, one-armed man worked his way from the outer gallery through the
crowd and advanced to the rail. I knew Reed by sight only, my middle
brother having made several trips with his trail cattle, but he was
known to every one by reputation. He had lost an arm in the Confederate
service, and was recognized by the gambling fraternity as the gamest man
among all the trail drovers, while every cowman from the Rio Grande to
the Yellowstone knew him as a poker-player. Reed was asked to take the
stand, and when questioned if he knew either of the plaintiffs, said:

"Yes, I know that fat gentleman, and I'm powerful glad to meet up with
him again," replied the witness, designating Honest John. "That man is
so crooked that he can't sleep in a bed, and it's one of the wonders
of this country that he hasn't stretched hemp before this. I made his
acquaintance as manager of The Federal Supply Company, and delivered
three thousand cows to him at the Washita Indian Agency last fall. In
the final settlement, he drew on three different banks, and one draft of
twenty-eight thousand dollars came back, indorsed, DRAWEE UNKNOWN. I
had other herds on the trail to look after, and it was a month before I
found out that the check was bogus, by which time Honest John had sailed
for Europe. There was nothing could be done but put my claim into a
judgment and lay for him. But I've got a grapevine twist on him now, for
no sooner did he buy a herd here last week than Mr. Sutton transferred
the judgment to this jurisdiction, and his cattle will be attached this
afternoon. I've been on his trail for nearly a year, but he'll come to
me now, and before he can move h