Morning journal and courier., 1885-09-18
ANECDOTES OF JUSTICE.
Vagaries of J. P.ss in Some Wild Western Towns-The Prize Definf- tion of a Seven-Shooter.

Vagarfes of J. P.'s in Some Wild Western Towns-The Prize Definf- tiOn of a Seven-ShoOter.
 Bill Nye in New York Mercury.1 The justice of the peace is sometimes 8 peculiarity, and if some one does not watch him he will exceed his jurisdiction. It took constable, sheriff, a prosecuting attorney and club to convince Wyoming justice of the peace that he had no right to send 8 man to the .penitentiary for life. Another justice in Utah sentenced 8 criminal to be hung on the following Friday between 12 and 1 o'clock of said day, but he couldn't enforce the sentence. A Wisconsin justice of the peace granted a divorce, and in two weeks married the couple again-ten dollars for the divorce and two dollars for the relapse.
 Another one when his first case came up jerked candle box around behind the din ing room, put his hat on the back of his
 head, borrowed a chew of tobacco from the
 prisoner and said: ''Now, boys, the courts open The first feller that says a word un-
 less speak to him will get paralyzed. Now,
 tell your story" Then each witness and the defendant reeled off his yarn without being sworn. The justice fined the defendant $10, and made the complaining witness pay half the costs. The justice then took the fine and put it in his pocket, adjourned court, and in an hour was so full that it took six
 men to hold his house still long enough for
 him to get into the door.
 A North Park justice of the peace and un- der-sheriff formed partnership years ago for the purpose of supplying people with strictly cash business they dispensed with d
 good deal of justice, such as it was.
 It 1nisdemeanor to kill game and shipit to the State, and as there was a good deal killed there-consisting of elk, antelope and black tail deer especially-and as it could not be hauled out of the park at that season without going across the Wyoming line and back again into the State of Colorado,
 the under-sheriff would load himself down
 with warrants, signed in blank, and station
 himself on horseback at the foot of the pass
 to the north. He would then arrest every,
 body indiscriminately who had any fraction of deer, antelope or elk on his wagon, try
 the case then and there, put on fine of s25
 to S75, which, if paid, never reached the
 treasury, and then he would wait for another
 victim. The average man would rather pay the fine than go back 100 miles through the mountains to stand trial, so the under-sherif and justice thrived for some time. But one day the under-sheriff served his patent aJl- tomatic warrant on young man who refused
 to come down. The officer then drew one of those large baritone instruments that
 generally has coward at end and a corpse at the other. He pointed this at the
 young man and assessed g. fine of $50 and
 costs Instead of paying this fine, the youth
 who was quite nimble, but unmarried
 knocked the bogus officer down with the butt
 end of his six-mule whip, took his self-cock-
 ing credentials away and lit out. In less
 than week the justice and his copper were
 in the refrigerator.
 was once justice of the peace, and a
 good many funny little incidents occurred
 while held that office. do not allude to
 my official life here in order to call attention
 to my glowing career, for thousands of others no doubt could have administered the affairs of the office as well I did, but rather to speak of one incident which took place while 1 was J. P.
 One night after had retired and gone to sleep a milkman, called Bill Cunning, rang the bell and got me out of bed. Then he | told me that a man who owed him a milk bill of S35 was all loaded up and prepared to slip across the line overland into Colorado, there to grow up with the country and ac- quire other indebtedness no doubt. Bill de- sired an attachment for the entire wagon | load of goods and said he had an officer at hand to serve the writ.
 l "But,' said I, as I wrapped welcome" l husk door mat around my glorious propor- tions, Chow do you know while we converse | together he is not winging his way down the valley of the Pardee?"
 Viewer m1nd that, JedSe,- says WIdiain F'You just fix the dockyments and III tend l to the defendant"
 In an hour Bill returned with s35 in cash for himself and the entire costs of the court, | and as we settled up and fixed the docket | asked Bill Cunning how he detained the de- fendant while we made out the affidavit bond and writ of attachment.
 ssYou reckollect, jedge," said William,
 'sthat the waggin wheel is held onto the axle | with big nut. No waggin kin go any length of time without that there nut onto the exle. Well, when I diskivered that | whst's-his name was packed up and the waggin loaded, I took the liberty to borry | one O them nuts for 8 kin of momento, as it
 were, and kept that in my pocket till we served the writ and he paid my bill and came
 to his milk, if you'll allow me that expres-
 sion, and when I says to him, 'Paldner, says
 I, and put it onto the exle af the oft hind wheel of your waggin, and whenever you look at it hereafter, think of poor old Bill Dunninp the uilkman D