The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1903-03-13
JIM BURhEY'S
HCQUITTHh ~
BY DUPONT VICHRS.


judge of a court of justice finds it
imperative to waive forms and cere-
monies, and remember that he is
man. as we'll as an official, and that
there are times when he ceases to be
an irresponsible agent of blind god
,dess who often cuts the wrong party
with her two-edged sword.
Of course a court is always a court,
but the judge is not always the wool
sack. Notwithstanding the opinion of
that Dutch justice of the peace who
considered himself always an object
of contempt. In such case, that is to
say, when the judge is man, and not
a machine, sitting on high, with a ban
dage over his eyes, his ears filled with
wax lest he hear the warbllngs OF the
siren, truth, and keen, two-edged
sword in his hand with which to strike
at random, his proceedings and opln-
ions are not points of practice, orprece-
dents generally to be followed, but are
said to ''coram non udice,' which Is as
much as saying: Not before the judge,
but before the man." They are not
to be found in the sheep-bound vol
umes lining the walls of every law
yer's Office; they are entered in that
great book known as 'Humanity," the
authority of which is never questioned.
In little town situated in the heart
of the Rocky mountains, so high above
the level of the sea that the meteor
ologicaI phenomena of its surround
ings could not be regulated by the gov
!, hoy
were always hanging upon the ragged
edge of some inscrutable law, or rule
of physics, sometimes showing in the
middle of July, or compelling the in
babitants to wear straw hats and linen
coats in January. there Gwelt COM
munity of individuals who delved for
good and other valuables in daytime,
and at nj ght sat around in the various
places of resort, exchanging lies, or
devising schemes to get rid of their
hard-earned gold without receiving q
quid pro quo. In plain language, kO-
komo was mining town.
Outwardly, it's people were rough,
uncouth men, gathered from all parts
of the earth, with struggling boards,
cowhide boots and clothing that would
not pass muster in a civilized, well-reg-
ulated community. nwardly-well,
every one was a psychological phe
nomenon.
a murder was committed one day,
and the murderer was caught red
handed, or, rather, he caught himself,
for he did not try to escape, actually
sending a message for the sheriff,
L Al
himself. 1t was we'll toward evening,
and the thermometer had taken a sud-
den fancy to drop 20 degrees below
zero.
There was absolutely no way of es-
cape for a criminal, and when the sher-
iff escorted his prisoner to the Jail, he
did not worry about the insecurity OF
that structure.
''Jim," quoth he to his prisoner, 81
hain't got no key, an can't lock you
up, but it's my duty to put you in
Jail, for if l don't somebody will ac-
cuse me of bein' bribed, besides it's
thunderin' cold, Jim. Tell you what
you 90. Jim, if you git too cold, come
over to Samples, where I'll be, an
warm up"
Saying which he shut the door, and
the prisoner was metaphorically in the
clutches of the law.
''Jim' found it rather cold, appar-
emily, for later on that evening he left
the precincts of his prison, quite un-
concernedly, and started out to find
the sheriff and get warmed up.
The sheriff at that particular time
was enjoying a game of billiards at
Samples saloon, with the judge of the
court, the clerk and about 20 promi-
nent citizens standing or sitting
around a red-hot, big-bellied stove,
watching the game. The sheriff had
massed the balls in corner of the ta-
BILE, and was about to make a shot
when he felt his arm touched. Turn
ing instantly, he saw his prisoner with
an anxious look on his face.
''Well, Jim," said he, putting down
his cue, what is it?''
Nothing much,' replied Jim,
3tthought I'd come over and warm
up. But say, Bill, if you'd made that
shot you'd a missed. Give me tie cue
an I'll run the string out"
The others consenting, Jim took
the cue and not only run the game
out, but made a string of about
hundred over. Everybody at that
Quit the game and gathered about
the hot stove to discuss the man who