The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-05-31
4 Queer Justice.

Not long since we called the attention
OF the Texas Legislature TO the antics of
Parson Billups, who is also Justice Of
the Peace in Crosby County. 1t will be
remembered that in his judicial capacity
he fined q man seventy-fiye dollars, and
as the man could not pay the fine, he
ordered the culprit to work out his fine
by cutting cedar poles for the State of
Texas, as he, the Justice, needed the
poles to make fence with, and would
settle with the State of Texas for them.
Well, gentleman just from Crosby
County has been telling us some fresh
official pranks of Parson Billups that
should be stopped, even IL the Governor
has to send the rangers-that are guard
ing the cash bslsnce-up to Crosby
County, and leave the cash balance un-
guarded.
1t seems there was couple living
near Justice Billup, who did not agree,
on account of maritd infelicity. The
husband applied t. Justice Bhlups for q
divorce. Billups I'll that he was not
quite sure that the dlgna Charta con-
ferred the right of canting divorces ON
Justices of the Pea ;, but that he would
take the case unde advisement and let
the husband know a q few days jus
tice Billups then g We up all his mind to
the question of Jurisdiction. When the
man who was suffering for the divorce
called again, Jud, 20 Billups told him
that, as in our coI,ts law aud equity
were blended, he, Bilfups, being q min
lister of the Gospel as well as q Justice of
the Peace, had the constitutional right
to grant a divorce while sitting, in 6Gfsc,
as Guiteau calls it. He then drew up
one of the most remarkable documents
ever penned, dividing the property, and
declaring the mirage-that is the way
he spelled marriage-null and void GI
initio, signing the document
JEENs BILLUPs. J.P.
JREMs BILLUPs, ID. ID.
About q week afterward the newly
divorced husband, accompanied by a
great big German girl, q newly arrived
immigrant, who could not speak q word
of English, entered the Office of the
County Clerk. The rest of the process
sion consisted of the newly-divorced
wife, arm in arm with q strange gentle
man, who had recently moved into the
neighborhood from Dallas. The newly
divorced husband produced Judge
Billups' remarkable document and
said:
81 want this here bill of divorce duly
recorded, and then we want two mar
riage licenses"
The County Clerk took the document,
and after he had nearly laughed himself
into fits, he told the loving couples that
old Billups had no more right to grant
divorces than the man in the moon. The
County Clerk refused to record the
document, but retained it, and If the
Legislature needs it to inaugurate pro-
ceedings against Bilups, j. P. and d.
D., they can get it. OF course there
was scene when the clerk explained
the matter.
We have still another instance of the
ignorance, or worse, of Bllups, j. z,
and ID. ID. a man brought suit against
another in Billups' court for S15. The
defendant came into court, said he
could not pay the amount, but turned
over a silver watch to Billups with which
to satisfy the suit. The plaintiff re-
fused to accept the watch in payment Of
his claim, and the defendant refused tc
take it back. Several months passed
over without the parties coming to any
agreement, during all of which time
Billups sported the watch. Finally the
plaintiff agreed to take the watch in
satisfaction of the debt, but Billups, j
p, told him he came too late, the time
within which the watch could have beer
accepted had expired, according to the
statute of limitation; that the watch
had reverted to the State; that he had
dealing in his official capacity with the
State, and would settle with Texas fol
it. That's the way the case stands now
-IerdS SfftingS.