Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-06-29

miners law,
"Then lie proceeded 70 read this.
which / have always kept a copy of:
"'BANNER DISTRICT, March 8, 1861.
"Sect. 8. Resolved, That any per
son who shall be tried Tor stealing be-
fore the Miners Court, if found guilty
shall receive not less than twenty, or
more than one hundred lashes. And
for stealing yoke of oxen, horse,
mule, or pony, be shall be hung by
the neck until lie IS dead; and in all
cases the party having the property
stolen shall be made good by the
party guilty of stealing, if in his
power. And in case the value Of the
property stolen be over a hundred
dollars, he shall be hanged by the
neck until dead. The president will
in all cases appoint the person to
whip, and the whipped person shall
be banished from the mountains for
ever, and not complying within two
hours, the whipping 10 be repeated.
by dint of much persuasion ] in
duced the court TO reopen the case,
and placed the miner who owned the
rifle upon the stand. ] made him
admit that the gun was in his posses
sion until the early morning of that
day, thus proving that Japhet, if out
Of camp, could not have stolen it.
Next ] had old man Bunker swear
that Japhet had been over the noun
tain with him all night. ] couldn't
resist the temptation to get of a
| spread-eagle speech, in which | cited
Gritty, Blackstone, Kent, and lot Of
other authorities TO show the inyul-
nerable character Of an alibi. ] was
young and that was my first case.
4 | didn't know as much then as
now.
while | was spouting, the presi-
dent exchanged glanees with the com
mittee, and at the conclusion of my
mastery harangue, spoke something
like this.
cit pears, pards, as we've been a
leetle hasty bout this here Jep, who
ows a laber. But thur best man in
ther diggings is likely TO get strung
up by mistake, and we shouldn't har-
Dor no bad feelin's. We didn't have
no grudge again Texas Pete, when
we hanged him for shooting the
United States Marshal. Ii afterwards
turned out that another fellow done
did the shooting but everybody low
ed that Pete didn't have no kick com
m, cause he'd shot nigh onto doz-
en- fellers just as good AS the marshal.
Accerdents will happen in the best
regulated families, as the Bible says.
so we pass on this here lickin' we
were a-goin' to give Jed, and the
order of the court is TO release him,
an ef he wants any satisfaction out'n
anybody, he'll find me ter hum most
any time after shutdown, most any
day,
"Jep wanted to embrace me, and
signiiied desire to treat the crowd;
but the court was not through, for
the president resumed:
"'Young man, that war mighty
handy bit of preachin yer Civ us just
now; be yer a lawyer in disguise?'
"'That is my profession, ] replied,
+ proudly.
~ thought as how yer wuz, re-
turned the president The orders of
/. this here honr Die court Is, that We pe
taken hence by the committee of one,
an be given the full extent of the
, law, fifty lashes. Then addressing
tho committee: Anybody agin them
! there orders of this hon'r'able court2'
IL was thunderstruck, Nobody
Z lifted his voice against the cruel in
| dignity | attempted to expostulater
{ but the president gravely read to me
! the following section Of the miners
laws:
{" Resolved, That no lawyers shall
be permitted to practice law in any
: court in this district, under penalty
al