Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-05-25
JUSTICE WITHOUT LAW.
A Judge In Tucson Who Sent All Ofsnd-
srs TO the Rock Pill.

sr To the Rock Pill.
Capt. Bourke. Of the army, is an in
teresting story teller, and possesses a
rich fund Of reminiscence and anec-
dote.
Twenty years ago." said the cap
tain, Il was in Tucson. No place was
ever worse governed. Outlaws abound
ed and they did about as they pleased.
Finally the good citizens Of the place
merchants and men OF property
determined 10 bring about a reform,
and the way they decided 10 do it was
to elect a judge who would deal hon
estly with the scalawags who were
running the town and corrupting the
courts So they chose man named
Charlie Meyers 10 be judge. Char
lie was a druggist, who knew moth
ing about law, but he was perfectly
honest, and that was tire only qualifi-
cation the citizens desired. Accord
ingly, Charlie set up law dispensary
in the same building with his drug
shop, and dealt out justice and patent
medicines with equal grace. In his court
he established library of calf bound
books, consisting chiefly Of the Mate
ria Medica and Somebody on Fractured
Bones. He engaged as an officer of
the court a man wLo was afraid of
nothing or nobody old Jimmy
Douglas, who carried in his leg bull
let that he had picked up at Gettys-
burg, and who walked with some diff
fculty and with a peculiar though
not graceful limp. The first thing that
Charlie did was 10 establish a chain
gang and sentence 10 various terms
> in its service every offender that was
brought before him. The shyster law
yers who had run the town be-
fore Charles incumbency protested
against this as violation Of the con-
stitution of the United States. but they
protested in silence. In fact, the pro-
test was useless. The process Of the
judge was rather summary, but the
result was very gratifying to the good
citizens of Tucson. The wild, rough
characters who had ruled the town
were now engaged in cleaning the
streets, and Tucson was seeing an era
Of prosperity that it had not known
since its foundation. But if the busi-
ness men were pleased, the lawyers
were ppportionately disguised. The
court refused to recognize them and
their business was gone. One day,
however, one Of them plucked up
spirit enough TO 60 before the court in
behalf Of his client and demanded q
trial by jury. The court was about
TO sentence the prisoner TO term in
the chain gang, when the lawyer in
terposed demurrer. Ny client he
said, objects TO being tried by this
court, on the ground of prejudice. and
demands 10 be tried by jury
by shury. said Charlie. What
is dot shuryf
He demands, said the lawyer, to
be tried by his peers
"'0h, he does. does her said Char
lie. Well | sentence him TO two
weeks in the shain gang and | sem
dence you TO one week. Now how you
like dot trial by shuryT and into the
chain gang the lawyer went and there
he stayed until his term was up.
Zone day man named Wolf was
brought before the court for cheating
some Indians out OF So He was an
unscrupulous man but shrewd one
and he knew all the tricks of the
law. Charlie felt that in his case the
Materia Medica was not sufficient au-
thority and so he adjourned the court
10 get az opportunity TO consult some
books on the law or 10 obtain advice
from somebody with a knowledge Of
it. As be declared the case postponed
and the court adjourned, however, he
turned to the prisoner and said: Wolf,
it is de unanimous opinion of dis COM
munity dot you are a - tief and this
court comedies fully in dot opinion
"Wolf lost color and raising his fist
he said: Judge, | don't let any one
speak 10 me in that way
Dis court fines you $40 for rails
ing your fist against II, said Charlie,
and you stands committed 10 de shain
gang until il is paid
''Wolf knew that there was no re
course and he reluctantly paid the
$40. The Judge gravely took il and
after dividing IS between himself and
jimmy Douglas, be gave IS TO the
Indians. And TO this day, in the am
nails Of that Indian tribe, Charlie
Meyers is the most righteous judge
that ever held court, for did they not
sue for So before him and recover S5r'
Washington Telegram.