Judge Derwent, of the Rio Grande border district, found a letter in his mail one morning signed "Rattlesnake," in which the writer set forth that four years before he had been sent to the pen by the Judge, who, in the course of his remarks, had called him a "rattlesnake." That a year later his daughter had died of poverty and disgrace, and that it was his intention to make the Judge, who also had a daughter, "know how it feels to lose one." And he paid his respects to the district attorney, whom he also intended to get. Neither the Judge nor Bob Littlefield, the district attorney, paid particular attention to the threats further than to hazard a guess that the writer might be Mexican Sam, whose four year term had just expired. Court was in session at Brownsville, and one case was that of young Rafael Ortiz, who had been caught passing a counterfeit silver dollar. The day before the case was to be tried, Nancy, the Judge's daughter, and Littlefield's fiancée, appeared at the office to get Bob to go plover shooting with her. While they were talking a beautiful, dark-eyed girl entered and began to plead in Spanish for young Ortiz, saying that she had persuaded her lover to pass the silver dollar for some medicine, and that the medicine had saved her life. Nancy was touched, but to the district attorney it seemed like an old story, and the girl left murmuring, "If the life of the girl you love is ever in danger remember Rafael Ortiz." Littlefield slipped Exhibit A, the counterfeit coin, into his pocket, and soon he and Nancy had forgotten the incident in the excitement of plover shooting. On the way home they were confronted by Mexican Sam armed, and with the evident intention of carrying out his written threat. With his rifle he played with them as a cat with a mouse, always keeping out of range of their bird shot. Crouching behind a wounded horse, the words of the Spanish girl came to Littlefield, and with them inspiration. Presently he rose on one knee, took careful aim, and fired. The ruffian fell from his horse - dead. The next morning when the case of Rafael Ortiz was called the district attorney moved that it be stricken off, as there was not sufficient evidence for conviction in the hands of the government. That afternoon a deputy asked Littlefield what on earth he shot the Mexican with, saying that the body looked as though nails had been used. "With Exhibit A," said the district attorney. He had sliced the coin into slugs with his pocket knife, and loaded his gun with them.

Moving Picture World, December 15, 1917