Free The Last Buckaroo by J. R. Wright Page A

practically grew
up in them.  And from that experience she learned an awful lot about the law. 
She dreamed as a child of becoming a lawyer herself one day, until that was
dampened by the fact women were not allowed to become educated in the law, nor
could they serve as lawyers.  This only made sense when she also learned from
her mother, females were not allowed to vote  —  and
still couldn ’ t to this day.  That may soon
change, though, and she was a supporter of that.  To her thinking, just because
a man had more visible working parts was not enough reason to grant them all of
the privileges.
    A
few minutes later Sheriff Ames and Deputy Striker appeared to her left, and
between them was Yancey Burke, looking very handsome in the black suit she had
brought him along with a starched white shirt and blue string tie.  On his
feet, however, were his scuffed brown boots and on his head the dusty sugar
loaf hat, deeply creased from the crown midway down to the large brim.
    They
took Yancey to the defense table and rather harshly forced him down into a
chair next to Clampett.  He turned to see Katie and just as he did Striker
snatched the hat from his head and dropped it to the floor.  This near caused
Yancey to come up again, but thought better of it, since his hands were cuffed
at his back.
    “ Remove
the chains, ” Clampett
ordered, when the two of them began to walk away.
    At
that point Striker, with a nod from Sheriff Ames, removed the handcuffs and
left it at that.
    “ And
the leg irons! ” Clampett
demanded, a little louder this time.
    This
brought laughter in the packed courtroom.  Striker angrily returned a second
time and completed the job.
    Judge
Jethro Samuels, a small balding man with a near white, horse brush mustache,
entered through the side door at exactly nine.  He promptly climbed the steps
and seated himself at the bench.  He was not wearing a black robe, but rather a
somewhat baggy brown suit.  Nobody had announced him and nobody had risen to
their feet when he entered.  Katie thought this strange.  But then this was the
West, and as she knew all too well, things were done differently here.  It was
obvious to her now even common court procedure was not followed to its
exactness in this relatively new state of Montana  —  only
two decades old this year.
    Judge
Samuels gaveled the courtroom quiet, then ordered the jury brought in. 
Striker, standing to the side, went to a door to the right of the bench, opened
it, and twelve jurors filed into the jury box, filling every available seat.
    When
the noise settled the clerk announced: “ We
are gathered here today for case number three thousand seven hundred and
eighty-five: Burr County, Montana versus Yancey Burke.  The charge is murder in
the first degree. ”
    As
discussed with Woody Clampett yesterday, since he knew few people in the area,
Katie was to keep an eye out for any bad apples in the all male jury.  Most of
them she didn ’ t know at all, and were most likely
from the far reaches of the county.  But there was one she knew for a fact
disliked her, and because of that feared he may look unfavorably toward Yancey,
since everyone knew they were close friends.  Years ago the man had tried to
talk Helmer into firing her from the tavern, claiming she was too young and
good looking to be the bartender of an establishment patronized mostly by men. 
Surely wives will become jealous … marriages will suffer … and divorces will occur because of her, he ’ d
prophesied.  Of course nothing of the sort had come to pass.  But that hadn ’ t
made this man any less hateful toward her, when occasionally they came face to
face on the street.  At that point he always turned away, as if ashamed to be
in her near company.
    On
a pad of paper brought for the purpose she wrote: “ Top
row  —  third
man from the left, ” and slipped it to
Woody.
    Yancey
also spotted a man whom he ’ d once had a run
in with  —  over
a