Sierra County Advocate

Once when Mr. Martin (now Congressman) district attorney in Texas, he was trying a man for murder at Nacogdoches. The accused was a New Orleans drummer, who, it was alleged, had stabbed and run to death in a room at a hotel. Plea of self defense was set up claiming that the victim attempted to kill him, and that the knife was what the wounds were made before defendant dead man, and the defendant was cut from him in the deadly struggle.

The defense brought the prisoner into court in the light suit he wore the day the killing took place. The prosecution aimed to prove that the prisoner went to his victim's room for the purpose of killing him, and that he had two bowie knives and a revolver concealed on his person in anticipation of the fight. The defense put the prisoner and his clothes in evidence and called the attention of the impossibility of concealing a pistol and two knives in such thin close fitting clothes.

When came Mr. Martin's time to sum up to the prosecution, to the surprise of everybody, he appeared in court in a suit of clothes as nearly similar to those worn by the prisoner as they well could be. He asked the jurymen if they thought he had any deadly weapons concealed on his person at the time.

The jurors gave a negative answer to that head.

As they eyed so Martin stuck his hand in under his vest and pulled out a long-bladed knife and threw it on the table. Then he pulled a pistol from his hip pocket and threw it on the table. To make a long story short, Martin pulled out seven long bladed knives and four revolvers that he had concealed on his person. He knocked the bottom out of the plea of self-defense.

The jury found the prisoner guilty and was not hung.