| Show Q MAYS tho decision of af the united circuit court in leading that no mans land was under the jurisdiction ot the united states is one that has more than ordinary interest not only to the western people but to every one in the united states from 1850 to the latter part of last year this strip of ona half a degree from north to south by three degrees from east to west was the only spot on american soil fuhere there was thought to bo neither lav nor a shadow of authority where there was no such functionary as ao officer where ight was might and every man was law unto himself the strip of land in the very heart of the country stood as far as legal authority went as it did at the dawn of creation the herdsman tended his cattle there as abraham of ol 01 did hip flocks business was trans acte dand no tax gatherer was known distilleries were run and liquors sold and no one could demand revenue the squatters deed to his land depended upon his gun and his ability to use it and every man was a ruler if he had strength it was tho ideal oe the anarchist the question which called forth tho decision of JUDGE was brought up on habeas corpus proceedings ce edings instituted in behalf of the thirty stephens county men who were indicted at paris texas for SHERIFF CROSS and posse in no mans land in july 1888 tho court held that the strip indian coun try and was by the act of 1883 attached to the northern district of texas and was a part of that district when tho offense was committed that by the act of 1889 it was transferred to the eastern district of texas that alie place of trial in the eastern district of texas to wit paris is within the territory which constituted the northern district of texas when the crime was committed the killing of sheriff gross and pos the outgrowth of a tight between hughton and vilIe for the county seat of stephens county the sheriff and posse went down to the strip to kidnap the Hus reton men aud other hughton men went after them and killed all but one a youth named herbert wha was shot and left for dead on the field tenney is now the sole witness for the prosecution who saw tho deed I 1 he assassination of sheriff gross and a posse f five men of stephens county kansas in july 1888 brought congress to ita senses and in act was at once passed putting the neutral strip into legal jurisdiction the assassins indicted at laris tes and applied for a writ of habeas corpus at topeka claiming that when the crime was committed the strip was not in any jurisdiction on tho other hand abo government officials claimed that a boon as the strip was put under l gal jurisdiction all of the crimes committed there back to tho time that the united states bought it may be taken up by the courts the indian Terri torys boundary was established when the strip belonged to mexico and being a part of texas when that state was admitted to the union as a slave state but lym north of the territory included in the missouri compromise was loft out as it was above the slavo line aln the creation of the territory of new mexico in 1850 and the kansas territory in 1854 the boundaries were so placed that this strip was loffa out of everything the strip first belonged to spain then to the republic of mexico later was a part of texas which had seceded from mexico and then again became rby purchase the property of the united states when it became ne mans land |
