Part 18 Conclusion
There is little doubt from the witness and newspaper accounts that Robertson was murdered. Although the force used against him was not premeditated, nevertheless, his young life was taken from him. The Texas Rangers certainly had enough evidence to make the several arrests and the grand jury believed that there was sufficient evidence to indict. The witnesses for the prosecution certainly had a tremendous amount to lose if they were untruthful about the event, as they faced murder charges as well. The prosecution had a strong attorney who had never lost a murder trial in his district for the last ten years until this trial. However, Sellman had a bright attorney who was a former prosecutor in Brown County. He was skillful when it came to discrediting the witnesses past and backgrounds. These people may not have been “citizens of the year” material, but their past was artfully used against them and provided just enough doubt for the jury to find Sellman not guilty.