[SaxxonWoods]

There is no evidence that the bullet that hit the victim came from the rancher’s gun since the bullet wasn’t found. There is no case that can be made against the rancher.

[marktwain]

They based their case on notes of conversations with George Allen Kelly, where he seemed to contradict himself, and on the testimony of the border smuggler form Honduras, who did contradict himself at the trial.

It was not a "good case". I suspect it was a political case, at least in part.