Butte record., 1854-02-18

oAt>l1t 1A4e WAS fc4t proper, ds olu ulie
Longbow was a great man, and some
mark Of distinction was due. Permit
me to describe him. He was ittle,
pot-bellied person, with a round face,
bald head, swelled nose, and had only
one eve, the remains Of the other being
/ concealed with a green shade He car
ried a dignity about him that was really
oppressive to by-standers. He was the
end Of the law in Puddleford and no
man could sustain reputation who pre-
sumed to appeal from his decisions. He
settled accounts, difficulties of all sorts.
and even established land-titles but Of
all things, he prided himself upon his
knowledge Of constitutional questions
The Squire always maintained that hard
/ drinking was .agin' the Constitution of
the United States, and So he said,
Judge Story once informed him bF let
ter. when he applied to him for aid in
solving this question: There IS no such
thing as SANDER the Squire used to say,
and SO he had always decided, as every
person who lied about another, knew he
ought not TO be believed, because he lcas
lying, and therefore the 'quaranimer,' as
the books say, IS wanting.' This looked
rather bad for 'Filkin's' case.) Some
times Squire Longbow rendered judy
ments, sometimes DEGREES, and sometimes
he divided the cause between both par
ties. The Squire said 'he never could
submit to the letter of the law; 1t was
agin' personal liberty and so Judge Sto-
~ decided 'Pre-oe-dents, as they were
called, he wouldn't mind, not even his
own; because then there wouldn't be
any room left for man to change his
mind If, said the Squire, 'for instance,
[ fine Pet. Sykes to-day, for knocking
down job Bluff, that is no reason why |
should fine JOB Bluff tomorrow for knock
ing down Pet. Sykes, because they were
entirely different persons. Human na-
tur' amt the same Contempt Of
Court the Squire often declared, was
the worst Of all offences He didn't care
so much about what might be said agin'
Jonathan Longbow, but Squire Long
bow, Justice of the Peace, must and
! should be protected; and it was upon
this principle that he fined Phil Beard
sley ten dollars for contradicting him in
the street.
Generally the Squire says, She rem
ders Judgment for the plaintiff because
he never issues process without hear
ing his story, and determining the mer-
It's. And don't the plaintiff know more
about his rights than all the witnesses in
the world ? And even where he has a
jury the Squire says, that it is his duty
to apply the law to the facts, and the
facts to the law, so that they may avoid
any illegal verdict
The Court, as I said, was convened.
The Squire took his seat, opened his
docket, and lit his pipe. He then called
the parties:
'Philista Filkins! . Charity Beadle =
Here cried baek-woods pettifogger,
FI'm for Philista Filkins am always on
hand at the tap of the drum. ike thou
sand of brick
This man was character; a pure
specimen Of live western pettifogger.
He was called Ike Turtle. He was Of
the snapping-turtle breed. He wore a
white wool-hat; a bandana cotton-hand-
kerehief around his neck a horse blank
ct vest, with large horn-buttons and
eorduray pantaloons and he carried a
bull's-eye watch, from which swung four
or five hains across his brerst.
who answers for Charity Beadle =
continuer the Squire.
Il answer for myself squeaked out
Charity I hain't got any counsel,
cause he's on the jury
'Cn the jury, ha! Your counsel's on
the jury Sile Bates, suppose Coun-
sci Is guaranteed by the Constitution
it's a personal right--let Sile act as your
counsel, then
And 50 Sile stepped out in the capac-
ity Of counsel
Charity Beadle ? exclaimed the
Squire, drawing out his pipe and laying
it on the desk, stand up and raise your
right hand
Charity arose.
you are charged with slandering
Philista Filkins, with saying She waI n I
no better than she ought to be; and if
you were believed when you said so, it IS
my duty, as peace-oficer, to say to you
that you have been guilty of high Of