Huntsville gazette., 1890-07-26
FRONTIER TRIBUNALS.
the Man Who Served on = Coroner's
Jury-A German Justice.

the Man Who Served on = Coroner's
Jury-A German Justice.
Especial Correspondence
San Fran CISCO. June 2l.-With the
average obs ;ure citizen the proudest
moment of life is the day upon which he
is called upon to act as a juryman or
pallbearer.
Possibly with the single exception Of
being survivor from some dire calam-
ity, the distinction OF being called to sill
on coroner's jury is the proudest il
the life of the everyday clodhopper
This was exemphfed the her1day in
the case Of an illterate laborer who had
Deen called to ''sit upon corpse" in a
southern California town.
A dead man was discovered on a hill
side near the village, and a jury was
called to sit upon the corpse to determine
whether the man was really and truly
dead, and if SO, how it happened As
idle men were scarce the coroner called
on the porter Of q general store to serve
on the jury. The man, arrayed in his
BEST suit ct Sunday clothes, took his new
duty as q serious matter After the case
had been duly disposed Of and the Pot
ter's field enriched by the addition OF
another tenant the porter proceeded to
fill himself up with beer, and put in a
full day in walking up and down the
street to let all his acquaintance know
that he was one Of tho coroner's jury in
the case Of the unknown dead man. His
employer met him and inquired what
developments they had discovered in the
case.
WAL" he said, 1--WE the Jury went
out thar and sot upon the dead corpus and
found that he was dead. We also fur.
ther found verdick that the Teller had
committed suicide to himself. and that
no other pusson had done it but hisself.
Thar want nobody to blame fur it but
jist his own self"
Next In Importance to the juryman Is
the country justice Of the peace. When
III tho course Of events q blacksmith is
called upon by the free and untram1neled
suffraSes Of his fellow citizens to leave
Ais anvil and dispense justice. to adjust
the neighborhood chickering's and uphold
the majesty Of the law. he at once be-
comes an important parsonage.
Many genuine comedies are enacted in
justices courts, and if they ever reach
tile public eye via the copy hook they
90 far to alleviate the careworn and
trial hrnipa ~ thcao ~ %ba ruovn,n,ci$,
who mind their own business and have
no occasion to witness tho many farces
played in the name Of justice. In one
Of the frontier settlements In the wild
west q German cobbler was elected DO
lice Justice. His reputation as an honest
toiler was well established, but his legal
knowledge and sense Of humor were, &c
far. Of unknown quantities.
One Of his frst cases was that Of q
tough citizen who was duly al raigned
tor . breach 6 the pea0s. Fhs )nstScs
heard De e@fdssne In the case and DID
nounced sentence Of three months In
jaii. This 80 outraged the defendant
that he ended vigorous abuse OF the
court by promising TO call on him
promptly that day three months hence
and prepare him for = first class funeral.
The judge heard this abuse silently, and
then, without evincing any emotion
,ogitated ~ follows:
well. you kills me today three month.
ago. will you? Let me see. This is Au
gust first Three months will be Novem-
Der first. Thanksgiving will be twenty
Afth. Ivill miss my Thanksgiving din
nsr. Christmas is next. | will miss
Christmas. too. Six months from Au-
gust first viii DO Shanuary. l makes It
SIX months. und den you kills me. will
it? You shust go right away to Jail six
months, and then see you any more |
shust shoot you SO full Of lead it viii
take Won steam derrick to lift you down
to your grave. You hear MAJ
The ax months were Up long ago.
and the justice still sits upon his cob
bler's bench when not dispensing justice
from his official seat The tough citi-
zen Is presumably herding cattle In Ari-
zonA. w. G. BENTON.