[DL] RE: posse's legal problems

["Butch R" <darth_rose@hotmail.com>]

"Did you come here for forgiveness?
Did you come to raise the dead?
Did you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head?"

Item 1: Break in and Robbery at the New Orleans Tribune
Evidence:
Witnesses saw: 3 of the posse (Inigo, Sam, Robert) loitered outside at
11am before sending Robert round the back to pick the lock. After
botching the job and leaving part of his lock picks in the lock Robert
returns - then all 3 goes round the back and after some bangs and
crashes Inigo kicks the door in (ok the first kick was timed with a
passing carriage - but the other two weren't).
The missing cash ($500 confederate) was pretty much found intact in
Inigo's hotel room.  Presumably still in a bundle as he never did
anything with it - he also has very little other cash besides it.

Sounds pretty guilty there of B&E.

Item 2: Theft of a private business ledger of a recently murdered man
named Corbier (murderer unknown)
 Evidence:
-> Discovered by accident while the police were searching for the cash
in Inigo's hotel room.
-> Inigo, Sam and Robert were all at the party where the man was
murdered
Sam was caught entering the scene of the crime by the police by
climbing through a window.
-> The dead owners daughter [Celie] (and now technically the owner of
the ledger) will testify that the ledger was a private record kept by
her father and rarely left the library in the house and so would never
be given to a complete stranger.
-> The ledger seems linked with the murder as it has the dead mans
blood on it.

Now, I am not a policeman, but I've heard of this one.   In the present day 
(2005 and for a while before, but I don't know how long) when the police are 
searching your house it states on the warrant what they are looking for.  
Anything else found is inadmissable in court as it was not covered by the 
warrant.   Considering that this is the old West and I'm sure that they 
police just searched without asking, I'm not sure how to translate it.   One 
last thing, as I said I am not a policeman nor an attorney, so I could very 
well be remembering this wrong.  My apologies if I am.

Item 3: Attempted theft of personal items from the Corbier house
following the murder.
During a visit where Sam, Inigo and a third posse member was present.
Sam was caught twice by Celie Corbier trying to steal personal items
belonging to her friend.

Sounds again like your posse has it's hand in the jar when Mom came around.

Of course this is just your game and it can come out any way you want.  The 
judge is corrupt and sends them off to Yuma, or finds the party innocent 
because he hates the powerful family.  Maybe make some behind the screen 
rolls to make the party sweat and have them play out the trial.  Maybe some 
smooth talking lawyer is hired by someone to defend the posse and they are 
then owing whomever paid the lawyer (for good or ill).   Don'tk know if your 
posse has anybody with "Friends in High Places" but this might cover it.  
Also, maybe your lawyer is just a free roaming abomination and is doing this 
for some reason, either for the manitous or just to make your party owe him 
or just to make the people of NO feel afraid and powerless.  Rich family 
members could also do this.
Or you can always do the "Dirty Dozen" thing that you mentioned in another 
email.  My sympathies on the split party, I've seen this before in a couple 
of groups.  Usually doesn't end nice, I hope so for you sake.
Hope this helps,
Butch