OCR Text |
Show 248 TALES OF THE COLORADO PIONEERS. "' Yes,' said he, in exulting tones, ' John S. can testify to that; we were carpenters together in San Francisco.' "' Where is John S ?' I inquired. "' He's a prisoner in the county jail here,' was the answer. " That almost dumbfounded me. I at once, however, concluded to take my chances with that person who was to furnish a character for my client. "I had him brought from the jail and put upon the stand. He testified. "The District Attorney accidentally failed to ask the witness anything about his present occupation. " My client denied stealing the horse, or any knowledge of the larceny. The evidence for the State being all circumstantial, the testimony of the accused and his character- giving friend raised such a doubt in the minds of the jurors that they rendered a verdict of 'notguilty.'" The conversation then turned upon their confreres, and the stories followed thick and fast. Said the gentleman at my right, "Col. J. B. Bissell of Leadville is one of the most able, courteous and eloquent gentlemen at the bar of the State. His splendid physique, sonorous voice and clear intelligence, would make him a conspicuous man anywhere, and his rare social qualities make him a welcome guest and a host of friends. The Colonel is a hard fighter in court, and gives and takes in most royal fashion. Whoever meets him in the forum has an antagonist of formidable dimensions, mentally and physically, and to overcome whom, resort must be had to every resource of which the cause will admit. He is rarely nonplussed or at a loss to act; though on one occasion he confessed |