by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
This was one jury that didn’t get dazzled by hero worship.
After a long, sweltering day chasing cattle thieves, the lawman and his partner just wanted to get out of the heat and have a couple of sandwiches and sarsaparillas.
The problem was The Lone Ranger and Tonto had wandered into the New Republic, a West Texas watering hole that “reserved the right to refuse service to anyone, especially red men.”
Brace Beemer, a regular in the saloon, approached the two with a whiskey bottle in his hand, prepared to enforce the warning. Beemer said The Lone Ranger went for his gun. Beemer swung his bottle.
Kemo Sabe crumpled in a heap, blood pouring down the side of his face. He had a contusion, glass fragments in his skull and a broken right shoulder. Months later, he still had headaches and occasional dizzy spells, according to the physician who examined him, Doc Holliday.
Now, The Lone Ranger was in court, seeking $1,500 in damages from Beemer for the aggravated battery.
In her opening statement, plaintiff’s attorney Megan Schuman recounted the lawman’s history and his vow to bring in 100 criminals for each of the five Rangers who were ambushed with him.
The attack, she said, was unprovoked and unwarranted.
Sara Shahly countered that her client, Beemer, should be found not liable because the two strangers knew Indians were not welcome in the New Republic.
“If you play with fire, you’re going to get burned,” she said.
To spectators, it may have seemed like a sure thing. A lawman and his companion had come face-to-face with prejudice and became the targets of an unlawful attack.
The tide probably didn’t turn until the end, when defense attorney Angel Minor gave her closing statement. She asked what would happen if “a masked man came into your home with your greatest enemy. You would make him leave.”
With that, the jurors found for the defendant at the University of North Florida’s pre-law course mock trial.
“These kids are great,” said County Court Judge Russell Healy, who presided over the trial. “I’m impressed. I’ve seen attorneys who aren’t into it as much as these students.”
The plaintiff’s attorneys were Robin Hampton, Janelle Chamble, Alexander Whealton and Megan Schuman. The Lone Ranger was Tom Foran. The team was coached by Aaron Nichols.
The team called four witnesses: Tonto (Boris Galustov), Lily Langtry (Summer Rady), Roscoe Conklin (C’Erris Hardwick) and Doc Holliday (Reid Hart).
Members of the defense team, coached by attorney Ali Tedrick, were Billy the Kid (David Ly), Annie Oakley (Ann Schwelgin), Jenny Lind James (Lindsey Thacker), Carrie Nightingale (Liz Danko), J.P. Livingstone (Dennis Laughlin) and Lash LaRue (Julian Stokes). John Caputo played the part of Brace Beemer.
The scenario’s author was Marty Edwards, director of the pre-law program. He wrote in three extra parts (Oakley, Livingstone and Conklin, a blind piano player) because he felt the original version was too plaintiff-heavy.
The names of certain characters were taken from Wild West history. The real Brace Beemer was the radio voice of the Lone Ranger from 1941-55.
“At least a half dozen students will make a career decision based on the experiences they’ve had in this course,” Edwards said. “Maybe they want to go to law school, but now they know they don’t want to be trial lawyers.
“Then there are three or four others who love this. You can see how enthusiastic some of them are.”
Eric Roberson, who has one year left at the University of Florida law school, critiqued the students’ performances for Edwards. He, too, took part in the mock trials at UNF and will be a clerk with the Florida Supreme Court this summer.
“For these people, this is their first hurrah; it’s their first shot at it,” he said. “And they’re doing great.
“And I know that mock trial helped me a lot at law school.”
Back in May, the class split in half and delivered prosecution and defense opening statements in the trial of Batman, charged with speeding, driving while intoxicated, driving without a license and resisting arrest.
At that time, and in the weeks to follow, Edwards stressed preparation.
“You need to know the facts backward and forward so you’re prepared for anything,” he told the class.
Angel Minor took him seriously during the week she had to prepare for trial.
“I spent every day preparing for this,” she said. “I lived and breathed and slept and dreamed this case. I was so scared at first because it feels like the real thing.”
Coaching such students was a pleasure, said Tedrick.
“It was great the way they took the ball and ran with it,” she said. “They worked very hard, and they’re very dedicated.”
Nichols agreed.
“This is a very smart group of people, so there’s not a lot involved in coaching them,” he said. “They have a real passion for it.
“I think there’s a sports analogy that explains why we’re having so much fun. You get so tired of practicing against one another that you’re happy to take it out on someone else.”