Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-03
JIM BURnEY'S
 HCQUITTHh .s
BY DUPONT nICHRs.

\ judge of a court of justice finds it Imperative to waive forms and cere- monies, and remember that he is l man, as well 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 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 a man, and not a machine, sitting on high, with ban dage over his eyes, his ears filled with | wax lest he hear the warblings of the siren, truth, and keen, two-edged sword in his hand with which to strike at random, his proceedings and opin- ions are not points of practice, or prece- dents generally to be followed, but are 1 said to "coram non iudice," which is as much as saying: "Not before the judge, but before the man." They are not l to be found in the sheep-bound vol umes lining the walls of every law yer's office; they are entered in that 1 great book known as Humanity" the authority of which is never questioned. l In little town situated in the heart i of the Rocky mountains, so high above 1 the level of the sea that the meteor l ological phenomena of its surround 1 ings could not be regulated by the gov 1 ernment weather bureau, since they were always hanging upon the ragged 1 edge of some inscrutable law, or rule { of physics, sometimes showing in the middle of July, or compelling the in- l habitants to wear straw hats and linen i coats in January, there dwelt a com 1 munity of individuals who delved for 1 good and other valuables in daytime, 1 and at night sat around in the various I places of resort, exchanging lies, or devising schemes to get rid of their hard-earned gold without receiving quid pro quo. In plain language, Ko- komo was mining town.
 l Outwardly, it's people were rough, uncouth men, gathered from all parts 1 of the earth, with struggling boards, l cowhide boots and clothing that would not pass muster in civilized, well-reg ulated community. Inwardly-well, , every one was 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 message for the sheriff, while he guarded the corpus deficit l himself. It was we'll toward evening, l < F., o4on ! T den fancy to drop 20 degrees below zero.
 There was absolutely no way of es- cape for criminal, and when the sher- if escorted his prisoner to the jail, he did not worry about the insecurity of that structure.
 "Jim," quoth he to his prisoner, q hain't got no key, an can't lock you up, but it's my duty to put you in jail, for if don't somebody will ac- cuse me of bein' bribed, besides it's thunderin' cold, Jim. Tell you what you do. 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- ently, 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 1 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 a corner of the ta- ble, and was about to make 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 s'thought I'd come: over and warm up. But say, Bill, if you'd made that shot you'd missed. Give me the cue an I'll run the string out"
 The others consenting, Jim took the cue and not only run the game out, but made string of about a hundred over. Everybody at that quit the game and gathered about the hot stove to discuss the man who could handle cue in that fashion all agreeing that he ought to possess some redeeming trait, although he had just killed Bill Jackson. The judge, after ordering hot whiskies for the crowd, set the pace for Jim to tell all about it.
 "Thar ain't much to tell, judge" said Jim, "but I don't allow it war my fault. Bill Jackson has allus had 1t in fur me-
 "No, it want about woman,' con- tinued Jim, deprecatingly, as the county clerk made a suggestion. Women are in good many things, an they try to get into everything but thar's some things they ain't into. Bill jest hated me on general principles. I al1us seemed to be git tin into his way, an the more tried