The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1859-10-29
From the San Francisco Times, Sept. Is.
Terry. The Murderer of Broderick-

"
In the year 1856 the whirlwind of Know
Nothingism swept over California II
completely destroyed the existing political
divisions, and general breaking UP OF The
political fabric was the consequence. A
new order of things succeeded. New men
who had never been heard of before rose up
to the surface The excited and bubbling
.cauldron threw to the top any amount OF
refuse dross AMI worthless scum. People
were madly excited. They cried out for re-
form. and whoever shouted reform and pro-
fessed Know Nothing3srn was hailed as an
honest man and a reformer. mus men
were nominated for elevated POSITIONS OF
whom nothing was known, and who, In t.'''f
older parties when the character and abali-
ty of man were better understood. would
never have been thought of as entitled to
any position above that of Judge of horse
race or dealer of faro.
The most notable and disastrous instance
of the sudden elevation of a man OF thls
character that occurred during that untor-
tunate period, was the election of one Da-
vid S. Terry TO the position of Judge OF the
Supreme Court. PROBABLY, had California
been raked over from one extreme to the
other with revolving horse-rake, another
man so untitled for the position of Judge.
among those claiming be lawyers could
not have been found He was man with
out education, and with as little knowledge
of the general principles of law as would
be required in any other country to make
Justice of Peace. He had distinguished
himself only for the numerous fights and
brawls that he had been engaged in. He
sai,a l1o I,aA cd n
common with the bulldog, and being a
man of powerful frame and great skill in
the use of weapons, he was always regard :
ed as dangerous man.
| But bad as he was, and unfit as. he was
for the position, yet the people elected him
to the high Office of Judge of the Supreme
Court He has held that position until re-
| Gently he resigned it in order to fight du-
ell with and, If he could, kill Senator Brod-
erick Since the death of Judge Murray,
he has been Chief Justice, and has been
distinguished in that position for the ex-
IRENE brevity of his opinions.
During the season of the Vigilance Com
mitltee excitement he attained his mos
prominent notoriety, by his attempt to XII
man who had been detailed by that Com
mitlee 10 arrest one Reuben Maioney. The
history of that affair is so familiar to all
that we need not recapitulate the circum
stances attending it. He was not hanged
as others had been, but was, after a long
| imprisonment, released, to take his sea
again upon the Bench, dispense justice, ant
sse that the laws were fairly and honestly
administered.
| After he was let of by the Vigilance
| Committee, he was constrained by th'
wholesome lesson then taught him to refrain
from his customary quarrels and assaults
! We will do him the justice to say tha
since he was let loose by the Vigilance
| Committee he has not attacked an editor
stabbed anybody in court, or done any ac
] of open violence.
When the late Leeompton Convention
assembled, Judge Terry was candidate
| for re nomination. He did not succeed
strange as it may seem, when the charac
ter of the Convention is considered. Blu
after the Convention had to great exten
concluded, and when the successful or IN
| successful candidates were trotted out tC
slow their parts, this man, Chief Justice o
the Static, came forward and made low
! political harangue going out of his way tc
| make gross, undignifed and uncaled fol
/ attack on Senator Broderick. When Mr.
] Frederick heard of this attack upon him
| he denounced Judge Terry in severe term:
and in The presence of friend of the latter
/ The other circumstances intervening up tC
! the time of the duel are known to our read
ers Judge Terry shot his man, and it is
supposed that, if Mr.. Broderick dies, as
reward for killing him, be will be sent tc
the T. S. Senate.