Die with the Outlaws by Johnstone William W.; Johnstone J.A

Author:Johnstone, William W.; Johnstone, J.A.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-02-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-one

As the conversation in the saloon returned to the skills of various gunfighters the others had seen or heard of, Isaac let his thoughts drift back to the last time he had actually practiced law.

After proving that he was a member of the bar, duly licensed to practice law in Texas, he was hired to do legal work for the Texas and Pacific Railroad. His legal work was restricted, however, to the mundane tasks of dealing with records research. Filing for land grants and route right-of-way clearances, as well as all actual court appearances, were handled by the white lawyers.

Isaac was looking over some papers at the railroad office in Spring, Texas, one day when a black soldier came in to see him. The soldier was wearing sergeant’s stripes and he was a member of the Tenth Cavalry, which was stationed at nearby Fort Davis.

“Mr. Newton?”

“Yes?”

“Mr. Newton, is it true that you’re a lawyer?”

“I am.”

“Mr. Newton, my name’s Sergeant Potter. My officer’s bein’ accused of somethin’ that he didn’t do ’n I want you to get him out of trouble.”

“How do you know he didn’t do it?”

“’Cause he told me he didn’t do it, ’n I believe him. Will you help ’im?”

“I’m not sure why you would come to me. Doesn’t the army have a Judge Advocate Corps?”

“Yes, but I’m a-feared they won’t be fair to Lt. Flipper, him bein’ colored ’n all.”

“He’s colored? I didn’t know the army had any colored officers.”

“He’s the first one they’ve ever had, ’n he’s the only one they got. That’s why I come to you, you bein’ a colored lawyer.”

Before agreeing to take the case, Isaac went to the base headquarters at Fort Davis to learn what he could about Lt. Henry O. Flipper. He’d discovered that Flipper was the first black graduate of West Point and was assigned to the Tenth Cavalry, an all-black regiment known as Buffalo Soldiers. Except for Flipper, the officers were white, and they resented his intrusion. Despite a record of honorable service, Flipper had been accused of embezzling a large amount of money from the Fort Davis commissary.

After Isaac read the reports and files, he indicated by a nod of his head that the sergeant should step outside with him so they could speak in privacy.

“He didn’t do all that, Mr. Newton,” Sergeant Potter said. “Will you be his lawyer?”

“Where will I find him, Sergeant? Is he in jail now?”

“No, sir, he ain’t in no jail. Him bein’ an officer, even though he’s colored, what they done was, they just said he can’t leave his quarters. I’ll take you to talk to ’im if you’d like. ’Cause oncet you talk to ’im, I’m just real sure that you’ll decide to be his lawyer. Mr. Newton, Lieutenant Flipper is a real good man, despite his bein’ an officer.”

“Is the lieutenant expecting me?”

“No, sir, I don’t know that he is ’cause I ain’t told ’im nothin’ ’bout you yet, me not knowin’ whether or not you’d say that you’d be his lawyer.

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