The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-10-12
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
Nerdicts 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 y. Freemaen their justice of the
peace. Squire Freemaen. says Chi
cago Tribune correspondent. possessed
but Il 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 evil
dence." He held his court under
cluster of plum trees that was thiclly
covered with grapevines- a stump of
a tree he used as a table. The jury used
a 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 1910 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
ia lpuutl uulll lllt lblloN lllR 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. Mr. Restrux replcvied the
COW. and evidence during the trial was
in favor of Mr. Restrux, and the court
50 decided. The justice of the peace.
while in the act of entering his verdict
upon his docket. overheard McTurtle
= -.
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
good OK CAD, and during his absence
the attorney for Blackstone filed hear
ing for a 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 a 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.
''tirrat snakes squire. ! have had one
whaling The court was a>tonished.
D.. 4
81 here and pound bucket II grease
uut - him His attorney protested.
aud the court threatened then to tar
and feather the attorney IL ne didn't
-hst up Ia the meantime Mr. Black
STONE received the second whipping
AMI was returned % the court He
found hi> attorney in heated contro-
vrrsy with the court. Mr.. Blackstone
fell upon his knees and pleaded the
court tu make that lawyer ''shet up or
h, would be hanged for that hog vet
and the Wild fern would wave over his
grave hy the Pink Mink The court
awakened 10 the fact that something
was wrong. and proceeded To kick the
hailif out IF the room.
The squirc's wife notified him one
day they were out Of meal and he at
once filled sack with Shelled corn
and started To what il 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. 1t being slow and tedious job
he concluded to take a nap which he
did and in an hour or 50 he woke up
and went to the meal-catch bin and
discovered several dogs tapping up the
meal aS IL came from the grinding
burrs- The squire went home roaring
mad and issued a warrant for the mill
owner and sat in Judgment upon the
trial and fined the mill owner five
bushels of meal.
Wilson Cornell was charged with
selling whisky to the Indians During
heated controversy between the Op-
posing counsel the squire and Cornell
slipped out the courtroom and they
We're soon seen rolling ten-gallOn keg
into the squire'S cabin The court
then decided that the act upon which
this charge was founded had expired
when Indiana became a state and that
an Indians evidence was no good until
he became a citizen.
A. time progressed Squire Freemaen
blo>SOmed a. an attorney AT law. His
shingle read a. follows