Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-07
vAGARIEs OF WESTERN JUSTICE
Rough-and-ready Methods Giving Way
to Eastern Formality.

IN E.stn-, C,rr,,,,,,,
-
From the New York Tribune
Several LAWYERS were chatting over a GOOD
bottle of wine in an un-.ovn restaurant the
- -. ON =, ~
o"oi nisn'' anu as one Vi 'nein was roni
montana ana another OF them mad spent some
years of his younger days in Nevada the con-
versation naturally drifted into a reminiscent
cba,nal at s,,,,,,so ,.,,, ;,,,,,o. ,,,, 20, a.,
'NNS
oihereat class Oh men from WHAT tney useo "
be years ago when the country was more UNI
civilized" said one Il remember once We
had orsa+ d;t,o,,l. 4, on,r;, ;rrr IN a
80. 80 ~ '"!
Gu ous 'o"h ~ Ne'"a"' No0oN'
seemed willing to serve that counsel on one
side or other had not serious objections to.
Finally a misunderstanding stranger was called.
Your honor, said he, i am not qualified to
serve. l am not freeholder.'
"'Where do you liveY said the judge.
IN my tent out on Washington boulevard,
was the reply.
MARRIED.
No.
Llv1ng all aioneT
yes.
for how longT
six weeks.
1ouH DO, said the judge decisiyely, i
never knew a tenderfoot yet to keep bachelors
hall in tent for six weeks but he had accumu-
lated enough dirt to be freeholder.' SO the
man served"
That's a pretty fair sample" said the west
eTner, "ot the rough-and-ready style OF the
ola-tllne justice and 1t las not oil! died out yet
ny any means. not long ago miner, VINO mad
experienced all kinds of fortune, from the
hardest up, struck it very rich in his old age,
married young vile and started on pro-
IohSeo spree winch ended IN his death. VIII
executed few hours before he died left all his
property 10 his wife. His relatives in the east
began suit on the ground that the testator
was out OF his mind when he made the will.
L ne case came up before judge who Is known
us Soou ilvcr ana gallant man. Certainly
some remarkable freaks were proved TO have
been performed by the old miner in the last few
weeks OF his life and the widow was put on the
stand;
what we're your husbands last words? said
her counsel;
rather not tell, said she, blushing
pretuiy anu hesitating.
why not! said her counsel. You must
tell. The judge will think you are afraid it
VIII damage your case
Still blushing the pretty widow declined to
tell. Finally the judge himself argued with her
and told her that if she persisted in refusing it
would go far toward confirming his suspicious
that the man was insane.
"'Wel. said the widow reluctantly, he said
kiss me, Puss, and open another bottle OF
champagne."'
Sensible to the very last blurted out the
judge. And SO he decided and would hear no
more evidence"
The most severe rebuke I ever got from the
bench" said the first speaker was from one
OF those typical western Judges who had de-
termined that it was time to introduce a little
more OF the formaiity of the east in his court
than he had formerly insisted on. It was nv
first case i'll court anyway. L had gone out
there about as green as they make them and
had purchased half interest in the practice of
a sharp lawyer, who Immediately retired from
practice in that town and made me- n nrosent
OF the remainder of his business, when he felt
my money safe in his pocket. So l was thrown
on my own resources and was soon houndering
SO deep i'll legal quagmires that the Judge felt
called on to interpose. A few months Before
he would probably have poured out some
choice abuse on my head, and would have
offered TO fight me if l did not like il. But