He declared in a public address to a gathering of voters in the San
Carpojo valley that my father was a crook, the real leader of the
rustlers, and merely seeking the office of sheriff in order to protect
the cow-thieves. When the campaign ended, my father swore to a warrant
charging Loustalot with criminal libel and sued him for one hundred
thousand dollars damages. A San Marcos County jury awarded my father a
judgment in the sum prayed for. Loustalot appealed the case to the
Supreme Court, but inasmuch as there wasn't the slightest doubt of his
guilt, the higher court affirmed the decision of the Superior Court.
"Loustalot was a poor man in those days. He was foreman of a sheep
outfit, with an interest in the increase of the flock, and inasmuch as
these Basques seldom reduce their deals to writing, the sheriff could
never satisfy himself that Loustalot had any assets in the shape of
sheep. At any rate, the Basque and his employer and all of his Basque
friends denied that Loustalot had any assets.
"For twenty-five years, my father has, whenever the statute of
limitations threatened to kill this judgment, revived it by having
Loustalot up on an order of court to be questioned regarding his
ability to meet the judgment; every once in a while my father would sue
out a new writ of execution, which would be returned unsatisfied by the
sheriff. Six months ago, my father had the judgment revived by due
legal process, and, for some reason best known to himself, assigned it
to me and had the assignment recorded.
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