The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-19
A TOMBSTONE JUSTICE.
How He Paraiyzed the Distinguished Bar of
That City.


| How He Paraiyzed the Distinguished Bar of
That City.
Stockton (Cal. } Herald
When 1 was practicing down at Tomb
stone" said the lawyer, "a friend of mine had
his ear chewed off one evening in dispute
with prominent citizen who dealt faro. After
seeing the doctor he came to me, and under my
advice he had the prominent citizen arrested
on the charge of mayhem. Next day we had
| the man up for his preliminary examination.
Ny friend was there with his head bandaged,
and so were the prominent citizen and his
counsel and the friends of both parties The
general public-and it's a pretty tough gen.
erai public in Tombstone-crowded the
| courtroom. The hour went by, but the
| justice didn't turn up. The constable
went out to look for him, but couldn't
find him in any of the saloons. We
secuted round for half an hour, but nary
sign of the court turned up.
Finally, General 0'Brien the leader of the
| Tombstone bar stuck his head up through
trap-door in the floor and said in a solemn
| way:
Gentlemen, remove your hats. His
Honor is here And he dragged the court
up by the collar He was timber drunk and
had been sleeping it off in the cellar. You
never saw such a long adjournment from
decency as that ornament OF the bench was.
| He was covered with dirt, and even his hair
| and beard were chock full of sawdust. There
was, l remember, hattened quid of Tobacco
| on his cheekbone. We had to hold His
| Honor under each arm as we led him to the
| nearest barber-shop. A bath and shampoo
hrough back some life TO him. and he was
| able to walk without help to the courtroom.
Once in his chair behind his high desk he
looked all right, and we went on with the
1 case. We had taken the testimony of three
witnesses to the row and subsequent chew
ing of my friends ear in the Excelsior faro
parlors, when General O'Brien and Colonel
| Stephens, both on the other side jumped up
and objected to one of my questions. 1t
| was law point, and we argued and quoted
| authorities for half an hour. 1t was pretty
| hot set-to, and we were all on our feet when
we finished, and turned around to the court
for a ruling. He was looking straight before
| him up above us, as though he was sleeping
| with his eyes open.
"'Your Honor said the General after a
| long pause, we are waiting for your rul-
ing
There was no answer. Then Clipped in
with
Your Honor, will you be good enough
Wash thar he said, trying to bring his
| eyes to bear upon me.
1--WE want your ruling
Courts adjourned he said, trying to
rise
1--WE all protested. but his only answer
was to strike his desk with his fist and cry
out again that the court was adjourned
Wont you fix the bail for this defend
| antT demanded the General.
"'No, shir.' said the court, who had got
on his feet by this time. and was frownins
| heavily. Turn IN loose. He'd oughter
chawed the head off that tenderfoot that's
what he'd oughter done
well. gentlemen, what do you think the
court did next. He just deliberately stag
gered over to the trap-door, lifted it, stepped
down the stairs until only his head and
| shoulders were above the floor, and then
pausing to glare at the paralyzed crowd of us,
| growled out:
You can go to
with that he ducked and let the door
fall, and suppose had his sleep out on the
| dirty floor of the cellar"