Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1883-10-04
The California Lying Club. --Discourse n
A scssment

The California Lying Club. Discourse on
A scssment.
Unable to attend To all of the mani
fold duties that devOlved upon him
last night, the JOURNAL reporter was
late In rounding up the C.L.C. When
he did get there he found the business
of the evening lad been transacted,
and a Fmerely informal conv,rItion
was being carried on. On enquiry he
ascertained that at the business meet
ing, the application OF the Judge had
been taken from the table, and
rather free discussion on the question
of admission had ensued. The Lieu
tenant made the point that quite re-
Gently he had in perfectly gentle
manly manner asked the Judge to
carry note for him up TO the Webb
House, and although the Judge was
going that way he refused to accom-
nodate him. He regarded such con-
duet as unbecoming Il gentleman, and
he trusted the application would not
prevail. The counsellor being present
enquired where the Webb House was
and being informed, gently subsidized.
Cupid then called for the question and
on yea and nay vote, the Judge was
declared member of the club. He
was then waited upon by commit ee
and summoned to appear before the
club and relate some incident that
would justify the confidence that the
club had by vote reposed In him be-
ing naturally of a difiident aad retir-
lug disposition he declined to appear
on so short notice and begged the
indulgence Of the committee, and the
club Tor that evening, promising to
put in an appearance at the next
meeting, with recitation of the proper
consistency. The committee having
reported to the club as above, the
counsellor arose and begged the atten-
ton Of the members. He desired to
apologize for the diflidence Of his
brother jurist and begged to explain
that while II was desired of his legal
friend to present for the entertainment
of the club good healthy lie, garnish-
ed as might seem most appropriate to
him, he would say for the absent bar
rister that his necessary attendance ut
the present sittings of the Board Of
Equalization had developed a tendency
to make him feel utterly inadequate
to the task. He 1.-THE judge had told
him 1.-THE counsellor) that the lies that
were officially stated by the assessor
as to the fabulous value Of the u certain
pieces of land, and the lies that were
unofficially but vehemently given out
by the owners Of the land, as to their
utter and irredeemable worthless ness
had convinced him tthe Judge) that
he was the merest tyro In the art Of
which Anannias was the patron saint,
and utterly unfit to claim member
ship with the club. The counsellor,
having ceased, the Lieutenant took
the floor and related California cir
cumstance that appeared to him to be
pertinent. Speaking Of assessing
property" he said; ~ remember a
most curious assessment that was
made against me when I owned a
sheep ranch I'm California. II was what
was called a. dry ranch, there being
no water on 1t, as / have always en-
tertained the theory that sheep were
better off without water but that has
got nothing To do with the assessment.
1t was Just about the time for the
assessor to come around, and i was do
ing u little prospecting on the ranch
No; | wasn't prospecting for water
well, as ! said, l WAS digging little
hole, and among the debris / TURNED
I'D u mastodon's tusk. 1t was a little
one, only about three inches long !;
and I'm blessed II just as / was look.
ing at II, II along iidn't come the as
SCISSOR. After passing the time of day
and changing his breath, he says
whats that? and I says, Nothing
but a megatherium's TOOTH "A what?
says he; and seeing that he didn't
X. . megatherium fro m q stuffed
caterpillar, just blew up little, and
told him that II found the balance Of
the brute IL would be worth $4,000 to
me. He took 1t all in, aud after chang
ing his breath two or three times went
on his way. And when ] went to
town to pay my taxes I found had
been assessed for sheep ranch with