Albuquerque Evening Herald

DEPUTY SHERIFFS ENJOY PLEASANT EVENING

Many People Go Out from Town: Wee Wearers of Tin Stars Swell Crowd and Modesto Ortiz Bats Over .600.

Deducting the deputy sheriffs and the imported crowd that went out from this city, less than a hundred people gathered in the district court room in Old Albuquerque last night to garner up the pearls of wisdom that fell from the lips of Don Jesus Romero, O. N. Marron, Isaac Barth, Col. George W. Pritchard, Antonio Lucero and E. V. Chaves.

The deputy sheriffs, as usual, were very much in evidence. An applause squad, stationed in the corner of the room occupied by the jury box, showed that the deputies were not insensible to the importance of an appropriate outburst of popular enthusiasm, even though it had to be made to order. The perspiring patriots composing this squad were well drilled. They knew their duty and they done it.

Their enthusiasm was set on a hair trigger, and only needed a nod to start it going. At the appearance of Don Jesus, even the nod was unnecessary and it was plainly evident to be seen that the approval of that distinguished statesman was the prime consideration to the gentlemen furnishing the applause. Fortunately, there were no prisoners of the Grimes and Hart type confined in the county jail a short distance away or they would have walked out and carried the jail with them.

But with all the deputy sheriffs that could be pressed into service, and with all the crowd taken up from this city to swell the number of the audience, there were many vacant seats in the courtroom. All who stood up did so from preference and not from necessity (for there was no occasion whatever for the S. R. O. sign.)

The general all-round work of Modesto C. Ortiz, who played practically every position on the team, was easily the feature of the evening. By turns Mr. Ortiz was chairman in place of his chief, Don Jesus, ringmaster, introducer, orator and interpreter.

The only thing that Mr. Ortiz didn't do was to sit still and listen. It was in his capacity as interpreter, however, that he shone most resplendently, the ardor of his work not even being surpassed by that of the applause squad.

This was especially noticeable when Colonel Pritchard was at the bat. Mr. Pritchard, when he is once wound up, and has a good head of steam, requires some elbow room and floor space to accommodate his oratory. He is not a man of many gestures, but he must have room to circulate in. With his hands jammed deep into his trousers and a most progressive expression of withering anger and scorn on his leonine brow, he covered all the space last night that lay within the railed inclosure in front of the judge's rostrum. But he couldn't lose Modesto, who was at his heels all the while and who furnished a line of gestures for the colonel of which he should have been very proud.

The only error to mar Modesto's perfect fielding record was when the colonel made a most blighting allusion to the ingratitude of the "spaniel," and Modesto got his wires crossed and translated it "Span-lard." This caused Candidate A. Montoya, who was standing near, to have six spasms in succession, and he endeavored to retrieve the mistake, but too late, for by the time attention could be called to it Modesto and the Colonel had completely circled the track and were on another lap.

Other less noticeable features of the evening were the vehemence of O. N. Marron, who "brought glad tidings of joy," and whose manner in imparting said tidings indicated that he was trying very hard to make himself believe that they were true, the pained expression on the face of Isaac Barth as he addressed the audience in Spanish, the gloomy pose of Summers Burkhardt, who worked over time on the job looking non-partisan and the cheerful enthusiasm of Julius Staab, who seemed to think it was all done for his benefit and repeatedly clapped his hands in that gleeful manner which is often observed in a child who has just received a new toy.

The speeches--Oh yes, there were some speeches. Nothing was said about the Democratic tariff policy, or the danger of free wool. The orators merely devoted their attention to predicting big majorities and repeating the same old formula about "good government," without giving any information as to wherein the goodness of their government would consist.

Very few references were made to Dan Grant's man, W. C. McDonald, from which it would appear that the speakers were afraid to remind the audience of his recent performance of telling a deliberate falsehood to the people of Bernalillo county.

Altogether, the deputy sheriffs seemed to enjoy the meeting very much.

Went to bed at 9 o'clock last night. Why so early? "My shoe came untied and I thought I'd save the trouble of tying it again."--Pittsburg Post.