Arizona republican., 1891-08-01

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 W3y claims were on oppo-
 site sides of the great mountain wall, which here described q semicircle, When these two claims were taken up it was supposed the pay streak followed the mountains course, but it had here taken freak to shoot straight across a flat formed by the curve. Into this ground, at first deemed worthless, both parties were tunneling.
 The farther they tunneled the riche, grew the pay streak. Every foot was worth fortune. Both claimed it The law was called upon to settle the diff culty. The law was glad, for it had then many children in the county who needed fees. Our lawyers ran their tun- nels into both of these rich claims, nor did they stop boring until they had ex- hausted the cream of that pay streak Year after year Table Mountain vs. New York Tunnel company was tried, judg- ment rendered first for one side and then for the other, then appealed 10 the su- preme court, sent back and tried over, until at last it had become so incum- bered with legal barnacles, parasites and CObwebs that none other than the law yers knew or pretended to know aught of the rights of the matter.
 Meantime the two rival companies kept hard at work day and night. Every ounce over the necessary expense of working their claims and feeding and clothing their bodies went to maintain l., l., institutions of the country. It outlived several judges and attorneys. The coun- try town throve during this yearly trial. Eventually jurors competent to try this case became very scarce. Nearly every one had sat on it." or had read or heard or formed an opinion concerning it, or said they had
 The sheriff and his deputies ransacked the hills and1 gulches of Tuolumne for new Table Mountain vs. New York Fun mel jurors. At last, buried in an out-of- the-way gulch, they found me. was presented with paper commanding my appearance at the county town, with various pains and penalties affixed in case of refusal. l obeyed. had never before formed the twelfth of jury. In my own estimation l rated only as the twenty-fourth. We were sworn in; sworn to try the case to the best of our ability. It was ridiculous that l should swear to this, for internally l owned had no ability at all as juror. We were put in twelve armchairs. The great case was called. The lawyers, as usual, on either side opened by declar. ing their intentions to prove theInselve; all right and their opponents all wrong. did not know which was the plaintiff which the defendant. Twenty-four wit nesses on one side swore to something, to anything, to everything; thirty-six on the other swore it all down again They thus swore against each other for two days and half. The court was noted for being an eternal sitter. He sat four. teen hours per day. The trial lasted five days.
 Opposing counsel, rival claimants even witnesses, all had maps, long, brill iant. parti-colored maps of their claims which they unrolled and held before u' and swung defiantly at each other. Tho sixty witnesses testified from 1S49 up tC 1861. After days of such testimony al to ancient boundary lines and ancient mining laws, the lawyers on either side still more to mystify the case, caucused the matter over and concluded to throw out about half of such testimony as be ing irrsevant. But they could mol throw t out of our memories.
 The summing up" lasted two day more. By this time was mere idio in the matter. I had, at the start, en deavored to keep some track of the evi dence, but they managed to snatcl every clew away as fast as one got holC of it. We were enlarged" by the judg and sent to the jury room. l felt hk' both fool and criminal. r knew had not the shadow of an opinion or conclusion Tn the matter. However, found myself not alone. We were ou all night. There was stormy time be tween the three or four jurynien wh knew or pretended to know sorethini of the matter The rest of us xatchet the controversy, and of course side' with the majority. And at last Il yer dict was agreed upon.
 It has made so little impression on m mind that forget now whom it favored It did not matter. Both claiIas wer then paying well, and this was a sur indication that the case would go to tn supreme court. It did. This was il 1860. think it made these yeaIy trip up to 1867. Then some of the more ob stinate and cumulative members of eithe claim died, and the remainder concluded to keep some of the gold they wore dig ging instead of paying it out to fec law yers. The Table Mountain vs. Ney York Tunnel case stopped. All the law yers save two or three emigrated to Sal Francisco or went to congress. gaine but one thing from my experience in tn matter--an opinion. It may or ma not be right. It is that juriesin mos cases are humbugs.
 PRENTICE MUi.ToRD.