Arizona republican., 1894-10-19
PINK MINK JUSTICE.
Stories from the Marsh Country Round About Winamac, Ind.
Comfort A. Freemaen's Unique Manner of Disposing of His Cases-Some Stories That Are Told To-Day of the
 Verdicts Rendered.

When Pulaski county was first settled, in 1888, class of Indian traders and stock thieves overran the county and terrorized the law-abiding pioneers till forbearance ceased to be a virtue with them, and they met in mass conven- tion and nominated and elected Com fort A. Freemaen their justice of the peace. Squire Freemaen, says Chi cago Tribune correspondent, possessed but slight idea of what the state stat ues contained, therefore his justice court was run upon the appearance and character of the charges preferred; as the squire termed it: Common horse sense and general principles in evi- dence." He held his court under a cluster of plum trees that was thiclzly covered with grapevines. A stump of tree he used as table. The jury used hewed log for their seats; the specta tors used the most convenient spots on the ground. Early "reminiscences, as told by the old settlers, say that in the early part of 1S4O Wilhelm Restrux's COW wandered far away from her pas ture field of water lilies and cattails and no trace of her whereabouts was to be found until the following spring, when a worthless character and land squatter by the name of McTurtle had the COW in his possession and refused to give her up. MT. RestruX replevied the COW, and evidence during the trial was in favor of MT. Restrux, and the court so decided. The justice of the peace, while in the act of entering his verdict upon his docket, overheard McTurtle remarking: Nothing been sed bout that calf" His honor was egotistical, and, walking up to him, seized him by the throat. Say, you COW thief, give up that calf or I'll pound niggerheads out of you" The calf was given up.
 Charles Blackstone, being charged with stealing a slab-sided, razor-back hog, the evidence was against him, and the court instructed his bailiff to apply fifty lashes to the convicted mans back. Upon adjournment of the court the bailiff went out to find a good OK gad, and during his absence the attorney for Blackstone filed hear ing for new trial. The court agreed to hear the argument and adjourned for dinner. In the meantime the bailiff returned and escorted the prisoner into the timber and carried out the courts instructions, and Blackstone, not under standing motion for a new trial was to be heard, entered not a word of pro- test against the whipping received and went back to the court, which was then in session. His attorney was pleading for new trial. Blackstone did not understand this, and exclaimed: Great snakes, squire, I have had one whaling" The court was astonished, and said: "Yank that drunken cuss out of here and pound a bucket of grease out of him.'' His attorney protested, and the court threatened then to tar and feather the attorney if he ''didn' t shet up." In the meantime Mr. Black stone received the second whipping, and was returned to the court He found his attorney in heated contro- versy with the court. Mir. Blackstone fell upon his knees and pleaded the court to make that lawyer ''shet up'' or he would be hanged for that hog vet. and the wild fern would wave over his grave by the Pink Mink" The court awakened to the fact that something was wrong, and proceeded to kick the bailif out of the room.
 The squire's wife notified him one day they were out of meal and he at once filled a sack with shelled corn and started to what is known as the ''Niggerhead Flutter mill" Upon his arrival he found the mill owner was absent, and as the squire did not want to make the second trip he filled the hopper and started the burrs to grind ing. It being a slow and tedious job he concluded to take nap, which he did, and in an hour or so he woke up and went to the meal-catch bin and discovered several dogs tapping up the meal as it came from the grinding burrs. The squire went home roaring mad and issued warrant for the mill owner and sat in judgment upon the trial and fined the mill owner five bushels of meal