Wichita eagle., 1889-05-26
ARIZONA STORIES.
An Army Officers "reminiscences
OF Life at Tucson.
A Judge Who Didn't Know Law, But
Was q Terror to Evil Doors and ShystcH
LaWyers-A Murderer's Tale and
Subsequent Escape.


Was q Terror to Evil-Doers and Shystor
Lawyers-A Murderer's Tale and
Subsequent Escape.
Captain Bourke, of the army. is an inter
esting story-teller, and possesses rich
fund Of "reminiscences and anecdotes.
Twenty years ago" said the Captain to
the Washington correspondent OF the New
York Tribune, II 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-the
merchants and men of property-deter-
mined to bring about reform, and the way
they decided to do it was to elect judge
who would deal honestly with the scala
wags who were running the town and cor
rupting the courts. So they chose man
named Charlie Meyers to be judge. Char
he' was druggist, who knew nothing
about law, but he was perfectly honest,
and that was the only qualification the cit
liens desired. Accordingly, Charlie set
up law dispensary in the same building
with his drug-shop, and dealt out JUS
tice and patent medicines with equal
grace. In his court he established libra
~ of calf bound books, consisting chef
on Fractured Bones. He engaged as an
officer of the court man who was
afraid of nothing or nobody-old Jimmy
Douglas, who carried in his leg bullet that
he had picked up at Gettysburg, and who
walked with some difficulty and with Pc
cuhar though not "a graceful limp. The first
thing that Charlie did was to establish
changing and sentence TO various terms
aF.,N
brought before him. The shyster lawyers
who had run the town before Charles
incumbency protested against this as VIC
lation of the constitution OF the United
States, but they protested in silence. In
fact, TO protest was useless. The process of
the judge was rather summary, but the re-
suit 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 business
men were pleased, the lawyers were proper
tionately Disguised. The court refused to
recognize them, and their business was
gone. One day, however, one of them
pluckedup spirit enough to go before the
court in behalf of his client and demand a
tence the prisoner to term in the chain
gang, when the lawyer interposed de-
murrer. Ny client he said, objects to be-
ing tried by this court, on the ground of
prejudice, and demands TO be tried by jury
"'By shury,' said Charlie. What is dot
shuryl'
"'He demands said the lawyer, TO be
tried by his peers
ooh, he does, does hef said Charlie.
well, sentence him to two weeks in the
shain- gang and l sentence you to one week.
Now how you like dot trial by shuryp 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 three dollars. He was an unscrupu-
lous man but shrewd one and he knew all
the tricks of the law. Charlie felt that in
his case the Materia Medica was not suf-
fcint authority and so he adjourned the
court 10 get an opportunity to consult some
books on the law or to obtain advice from
somebody with knowledge of it. As he
declared the case postponed and the court
adjourned, he turned to the prisoner and
said: Wolf, it is de unanimous opinion Of
dis community dot you are a tief and dis
court comedies fully in dot opinion
"Wolf lost color and raising his fist he
said: Judge, l don't let any one speak TO me
that way
'''Dls court fines you ten dollars for
raising your fist against it, said Charlie.
and you stands committed TO de chain gang
until it is paid
Volt knew that there was no recourse
and he reluctantly paid the ten dollars. The
judge gravely took it and after dividing five
dollars between himself and Jimmy Doug
las, he gave five dollars TO the Indians.
And to this day, in the annals Of that Indian
tribe, Charlie Meyers Is the most righteous
judge that ever held court, for did they not
sue for three dollars before him and recover
five dollarsi
The Quartz Rock saloon was the most
unsavory place in Tucson. 1t was a gam
bling hell and the resort of all the worst
toughs and criminals In the place. One
night Charley heard a knocking at the
door of his house. He had been warned
that he would be assassiuated IL he re-
NAMED In town and continued 70 preside
over the court, so he was a little cautious
whom he admitted to his residence. He
went down stairs and opened only the little
lookout with which all the doors of Tucson
houses were provided.
"'Who's dereP he said.
"a friend was the reply.
g 'Vst you vantP said the Judge, eau
tiously
II want TO give myself up said the
stranger. Il just killed man down at the
Quartz Rock saloon
"'You killed manr quered the Judge.
"'Yes. killed him. He called me liar
and you know. judge, there are some
things a gentleman can't stand; so out
with my gun and killed him. And now I
want 10 give myself up
"'You say you killed him down at de
Quartz Rock saloonf said the Judge. Den,
my friend, you go back there and kill
another onep and be turned and went up
stairs TO bed. In the morning the body Of
the dead man was found in the streets and
the murderer had escaped.
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