followed and believed that they had completely foiled Jesse and his
assistants.

While Jesse had been chasing Dodge across the desert, his lawyers
had not been idle and had secured at Austin another extradition
warrant from Governor Lanham, who, on receiving news of the arrest,
promptly instructed Captain Hughes by wire to assume charge of the
prisoner and to deliver him into the hands of the New York officer
to be conveyed to New York.

There now began such a legal battle as the State of Texas had never
known. Hummel had been forced into his last ditch and was fighting
desperately for life. Through Kaffenburgh he at once applied for a
new writ of habeas corpus in Nueces County and engaged counsel at
Corpus Christi to assist in fighting for the release of the
prisoner. Precisely as Hummel had intended, Chief Wright of Nueces
rode into Alice and demanded the prisoner from Captain Hughes. As
Hummel had NOT intended, Captain Hughes refused to surrender the
prisoner and told Chief Wright to go to--well, he told him that he
intended to obey his commander-in-chief, the Governor of Texas.

On February 20th, Hummel, through Kaffenburgh, attempted to get
another writ of habeas corpus in Bee County, and promptly the Bee
chief came buzzing over and demanded Dodge, but to him Hughes
replied even as he had spoken to Wright.

Excitement in Alice had now reached such a pitch that Judge Burns,
of the Federal Court, in Houston, ordered United States Marshal
John W. Vann, of Alice, to assume charge of the prisoner. The
indomitable Hughes, however, paid no more attention to the United