Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1883-06-14
COUNTERFEIT COIN.
Death In '52..A Fresh Pioneer
Story.
fSan Francisco Bulletin.

Death In '52-.A Fresh Pioneer
Story.
TSan Francisco Bulletin.
"Speaking of old buns" remarked Charley
Blackburn. of the Registration office, taking
out his pen knife and extracting plug, pur.
chased at the reduced rate under the new
tariff bill, "did l ever tell you how we rar
Cocktail Jim out of Marysville in '52 2"
The numerous visitors, gathered about ir
anticipation of one of Charley's inimitable
yarns, confessed utter ignorance of the cir
cumstances under which Cocktail Jim left
Marysville in 52.
Don't mind if tell you. Does anybody
object? I'm not man as likes TO bore any
body"
The listeners considered themselves not
only in no danger of being bored, but were
positively anxious to hear the story.
"Well," continued Charley, throwing one
leg over the other, with the air of a man who
is determined to leave no detail unembel-
lished, Cock tail Jim was the hardest case l
ever saw. During all the time was in
Marysville never knew him to eat meal
or do minutes work. He Just loated
around Boston Harry's monte saloon and
drank and drank and drank-always cock
tails. He never paid for drink in his life,
but laid for the game and when the crowd
was called up he was the first to order. An
! ordinary cocktail was an insult to him he
had to have 'em with lemon peel in, a
snifter of syrup and with loaf sugar rubbed
around the rim of the glass. After lOatng
around the town for year he got to be a
great nuisance, and the boys tried various
ways to freeze him out. But he never lost
control of himself, no matter how much he
drank, and there appeared to be no method
of making him tired of Boston Harry's
saloon
We'll, one day l arrived in town, having
been down to Sacramento for a load of sup
plies, when l saw from a distance big
crowd Of men in the middle of the street
with Cocktail Jim in charge. Just Il week
before that they had elected ME justice of
the peace. AS l drove up one of the boys
says, 'Ah, here comes the Judge. Now we
can try him at once
Il asked what was the troble. 1t didn't
take more than two minutes to find it out.
1t seems Cocktail Jim had been fired out of
Boston Harry's early the night before and
slept in the open lot Early in the morning
he got up, furnishing for drink; the first
man he met was Pete Warner. Pete says
he L amt had a bite to eat for three hull
days. Let me have dollar Pete didn't
like to do it. You'll spend it for whisky,
won't you?. NO, sir.' says Jim; Pom my
honor, not cent. l will 60 straight up to
the hotel and eat meal
AFTER talking some time Pete took out
counterfeit Mexican dollar and handed it to
Jim. There he says. get something to eat
but no whisky Jim promised, thanked
him, and they parted. Pete at once rushed
up to Boston Harry's, knowing that Jim
would merely walk around little and then
stop in there to get cocktail, and told
Harry about it, cautioning him that when he
attempted to pass the countefeit dollar to
have him arrested for showing counterfeit
coin.
In about ten minutes sure enough jim
came in, ordered a cOctail, and unconcerned
like flipped the dollar up and let the dollar
fall on the counter. The cocktail was made
in the best style and Jim drank it wn
But said the barkeeper, give me some
other money. l hear from the sound of this
that it's no good Jim confessed at once
that the dollar was all the coin he had,
lot of the boys gathered around. the sheriff
was sent for, and he was placed under
arrest.
When l arrived Jim was about scared to
death. The boys had been talking of hang
ing him right there We'll, We'll try him,
says l. So the boys brought him along, and
in fifteen minutes a jury was impaneled
and the witnesses sworn. 1t was a plain
case of passing counterfeit money. Jim told
his story but the jury didn't believe word
of it, and found him guilty without leaving
their seats.
| then addressed the prisoner, telling him
how clearly he had been caught passing
bad dollar, something against the peace and
dignity of the State; but presuming he had
a mother living who had thought something
of him sometime, or a loving sister, or law
abiding brother, l would be merciful and
give him the lightest penalty the law al
lowed. | then sentenced him to twenty -one
years in the state prison.
When he heard this Jim fairly howled. !
His red, swelled eyes just oozed the tears. |
But it was no use; the Sheriff snatched him
and began to move through the crowd.
got down from the dry goods box and edged
up to Jim. Can you run?' whispered !
Run p he whispered back, Il can run like
quarter horse Well says 1, there is some
doubt about this, but couldn't help it, you
know. The law says so and so, and we
Judges have to follow the law Now, I'll
tell you what I'll do, says I, still whispering.
I'll call the Sheriff off as if to speak to
him, and when the coast is clear you run for
he river as though the Devil was after you.
The boys will shoot some, probably, but
ion't mind that-just climb
$50 called the Sheriff to one side, and
Jim give jump. 1 swear, gentlemen, that :
nan went like he had wings. The road was 9
with dust and the Yuba five hun
lred yards away, but he cleared the whole :
ussed distance, with hundred men yelling, /.
lollering and shooting in the air, and in five =
econds, when the dust cleared off, he was :
owhere in sight. We never saw him after
vard.n
When the laugh had subsided, some one
sked what became of the counterfeit dollar.
Oh" added Charley "that was paid into
ourt. The foreman of the jury, the Sheriff. =
he District Attorney and me went down the r
treet and passed it off on the first barkeeper l.
re met"
A Dead Letter. q
While passing through the postofice re- !.
emily attention was called to letter in the =
cad letter Office which was inscribed: