Arizona weekly citizen., 1889-05-25
JUSTICE IN THE OLD WAY.
How an Arizona Judge Who Didn't Know Law Administered It--A Lawyor's Sad Experience.
New York T. ibune,

Captain Bourke, of the Army, is al
 interesting story teller, and possesses {
 rich fund of reminisence and anecdote
 He was sitting in a group of newspaper
 men a few nights ago discussing the sit
 uation in Oklahoma and the prospect o
 lawlessness and violence there.
 "Twenty years ago." said the captain
 "I was in Tucson. No place was ever
 worse governed. Outlaws abounded
 and they did about as they pleased
 Finally the good citizens of the place
 the merchants and men of property determined to bring about a reform
 and the way they decided to do it was to elect judge who would deal honestly with the scalawags who were running the town and corrupting the courts. So they chose a man named Charlie Meyers to be judge. Charlie was a druggist who knew nothing about law, but he was perfectly honest, and that was the only qualifications the citizens desired. Accordingly, Charlie set up a law dispensary in the same building with his drug-shop, and dealt out jus tice and patent medicine with equal grace. In his court he established a library of calf-bound books, consisting chiefly of the Materia Medica and Somebody on Fractured Bones. He engaged as an officer of the court a 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 walk ed with some difficulty, and with pe- culiar though not graceful limp. The first thing that Charlie did was to es- tablish a chain-gang and sentence to various terms in its service every offen- der that was brought before him. The shyster lawyers who had run the town before 'Charlie's' incumbency protested against this as a violation of the Consti- tuition of the United States, but they protested in silence. In fact, to protest was useless The process of the judge was rather summonary, but the result was very gratifying to the good citizens of Tucson The wild, rough characters who had ruled the town were now en- gagged in cleaning the streets, and Tue son was seeing an era of prosperity that it had not known since its foundation. But if the business men were pleased, the lawyers were proportionately dis gusted. The court refused to recognize them, and their business was gone. One day, however, one of them plucked up spirit enough to go before the court in behalf of his client and demand trial by jury. The court was about to seri- tence the prisoner to a term in the chang gang, when the lawyer interposed demurrer. My client he said, objects to being tired by this court, on the ground of prejudice, and demands 8 trial by jury
 ".By shury,' said Charlie. What is dot shury?'
 "He demands said the lawyer to be tried by his peers.'
 "Oh. he does, does hep said Charlie.
 'Veil, sendence him two weeks in the chain gang, and sentence you to von week. Now, how you like dot trial by shury?' And into the chain-gang the lawyer went, and there he stayed until his term was up.
 One day man named Wolf was brought before the court for cheating some Indians out of three dollars. He was an interruptions man but shrewd one, and he knew all of the tricks of the law. Charlie felt that in his case the Materia Medica was not sufficient authority, and so he adjourned the court to get an opportunity to con- suit 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, however, he turned to the prisoner and said: Wolf, it is the unanimous opinion of dis com munity dot you are a-tief, and dis court comedies fully in dot opinion.'
 .'Wolf lost color and raising his fist, he said: Judge, don't let any one speak to me that way "Dis court fines you s1O for raising your fist against it. said Charlie. and you stands committed to to de shain-gang until it is paid
 :Wolf knew that there was know re- course and he reluctantly paid the ten dollars. The Judge gravely took it and after dividing five dollars between him self and Jimmy Douglas, he gave five dollars to the Indians. And to this day in the:annals that Indian tribe, Char lie' Meyers is the most righteous Judge that ever held court, for did they not sue for three dollars before him and re- cover five.
 "The Quartz Rock saloon was the most unsavory place in Tucson. It was a gambling hell and the resort of the worst toughs and criminals in the place. One night Charlie heard a knocking at the door of his house. He had been warned that he would be assassinated if he remained in town and continued to preside over the court, so he was ittle cautious whom he admitted to his residence. He went downstairs and opened only the little lookout with which all the doors of Tucson houses were pro- 7ided.
 (" Who's dere! he said.
 :" A friends was the reply.
 "' Vat you vantp said the Judge eau tiously.
 "' want to give myself up,' said the stranger. T just killed man down at 5he Quartz Rock saloon
 {" You killed manP queried the Judge.
 Yes, killed him. He called me jar and you know, Judge, there are some things a gentleman can't stand; 70 out with my gun and I killed him. And now want to give myself up.'
 You say that you killed him down It de Quartz Rock saloonP said the Judge. Den my friend you go back here and kill another oneP and he turn d and went up stairs to bed. In the morning the body of the dead man was ound in the street and the murderer lad escaped.