The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-04-30

not II seirrup. Hat ne Hinertn vaa nuf-
nett, she CnarIesfon justice Of the peace
Il vas in Charleston In the early
repteeenting ZsekendCrf = CO. az Tncson.
enntrshstea Hanksg p X. Hickey az Pnoe-
rix. .sfAe art two aays / was there
caxnas ysry near death. BsackSu1ith PeSc
Hickey had heen murdered the week ce!oEe
by cna AZ Hurnasts pets and The rssstiep
cred NJ apprehen&ively when gus ny
nrxf mail ~ tbs pcsfc1acf- The way ing
rssfmasfsr did was 10 open the oousn.
stand up on the corner and Cali en- sas
masses 70 the assembled crowd The cow
boys thought when they heard my name
that md come TO aveage relative. Inas
night went 70 bed IN al apprehension. for
I had been told that the COWBOYS every
night shot cut tae tights In the sAscon next
door. About morning | WAS awakened ey
. terrific crash. bat lay SIN and did aat
60 out 20 investigate When | arose
learned that some one had blown IN the
front OF the saloon with giant powder.
The rs.ssieys were sure ! was the mis-
creant. bu, we're diverted by Burnett rom
iynchinx me. Burnett and | get friendly
after thai and had ample opportunity Tor
investigating his peculiar methods OF court
procedure
Burnett was heavy-set, h1ue-eyed. 5ovlal
sort OF citizen, with what the Irish cali
s5 years old He was elected To office al
mos, unanimously. though known 70 pos
SEES few qualifications Net day passed
without gan plays on the streets or In the
drinking places Of Charleston. No member
Of Burnett's crowd was ever moiessed. but
srfhulation was upon the head OF an out
slider Tenderfees were hauled before the
bar : OF Justice and fined for being alive.
much after the fashion of iosve Of Eiks.
tkayt. a
the Cnchsse county board of supervisors
He sent with II a bill for fee balance OF
1850. The supervisors cut It down one hair.
Burnett thereafter pockeied all fees anc
fines, dividing up with his henchmen and
cons tables as he saw fit. He dsned tns
sheriff. grand jury and supervisors. and
calmly replied 10 ali approximations thar
"the justices court OF Charleston precinct
was amply able 20 look after Itself" Jack
Schwartz. a saloon keeper. killed man
named Chambers. an assistant foreman in
one of the mills. It was a coid-blooded
murder Yet Burnett. In the face OF al
most frantic objection from the district at +
torney. fined Schwartz t.oOo, pocketed the
coin and turned the prisoner loose. The
district attorney was Lyttlsfon Price. now
a district judge up in Washington. He
sent a warrant from Tombstone. but
Schwartz had disappeared. That was
sample OF the justice dispensed by the bur
~ magistrate. who kept order in court by
means Of a couple OF revolvers In his belt
and whose rife was ready at hand behind
the woolsack.
He w!nked at the lark OF gang OF his
lambs that ra!ded the Charleston once or
the Toughnut mine and appropriated In
broad daylight $1,000 OF the company's
coin. Then they took the agent. very
tender Philadelphia tenderfoot. down town
and fined him s1U In personal checks for
being robbed. The agent stayed NJ more
In Arizona He hadhad enough. His name
was John Grid. He was brother OF Dick
Grid. then superintendent OF the Tough
nut. but now the sugar magnate OF the
Chino beet sugar plantation.
The next day Burnett walked up to Jack
Herrer, when that desperate was crazy
with drink, pulled him from his horse.
striking his pistols from his hands, and
fined him on the spot twenty head OF three
year-oid steers.
In one year. 1881. Burnett's personal
share OF the spoils was reputed to have
been $a0.o00. For he was net simply jus
tice OF the peace and manager of a great
butchering establishment. He was espe
cialiy a dealer in cattle on the haof His
band would for a week operate in Mexico.
bringing across the line, ignoring all reve-
nue. regulations. cattle Of whatever brand
happened TO be loose. II the herders inter-
fered they were foolish: they were killed.
A fortnight later Burnett's henchmen
would he eooily taking In herds OF fat Dur
hams from the Mormons on the CHA. The
man who opposed them rarely survived.
The cattle were always taken to head
quarters. a beautiful section of Rucker
canyon, In the Chirscahua mountains. thir-
~ Ave miles east Of Tombstone. The MIN
bses valley OF New Mexico was OCCASION
ally tapped for live stock. and steady sup
Plies were kept up by habit Burnett had
OF fining festive cowboy twenty head or
of cattle. II mattefed not the brand OF
the stock turned over In settlement IL
was through some such transaction that
the Greene Burnett feud arose.
Only rarely did Burnett accompany his
rascais on their raids. He was charged,
however, with leading an expedition tina,
left a half dozen Mexican cowboys dead on
their republics soil. His pos. WAS 10 real
ize on the booty secured. whether In cattle
or in bar silver His generaiship was ad
mirable. He was respected as vel! as
feared by his daredevil, outlaw raiders. for
he dealt literally with them and planned
for them wisely. Not a slight evidence OF
his ability lies In the manner in which he
escaped punishment for his misdeeds in
later years. when Johnny Beaan, as sher
IN. ard Mark Smith Gate congressman. as
district attorney succeeded in breaking up
cutlawry in Southeastern Arizona Bur-
nett did not emigrate as did the rustlers.
He stayed abou; Tombstone and held his
head high among his fellows.
His taking OF according 20 Judge James
Reilly was a deliberate, cold biooded, ut
terry unprovoked murder Yet the man
who killed him did 80 with popular ap
prevail upon his deed. This was the life
ana this the death OF the man who bore
the title king OF the Restlers-" His ca
reer has never. perhaps been para.ieled In
the Southwes.--New York Sun