The San Francisco call., 1903-12-13
Cactus
Jurisprudence.

~ OBLIGATIONS for admission to
the bar Of the Supreme Court
of Arizona by examination have
always been infrequent. as the
demand for legal talent was usually
supplied by importation from Califor-
MIA or the East When Phoenix, Ari-
zona. some years since, was enjoying
her first boom as a sanitarium. a dis
gusted disciple Of Blackstone re-
marked. IF this influx Of lungiess and
liVerless lawyers is 10 continue ! mean
10 light out IL has got so that If one
Of my clients wants a mortgage fore
closed. he passes by my office and takes
SO and goes down to the County Hos
pital ard with it hires one of those
blizzard escapes 10 do the work be-
tween coughing spells"
The Supreme Court in those days
was seldom strict in its examinations.
Indeed. il vas exceedingly complaisant.
At the January. 1850. session Of the
court. there applied for examination
gentleman who had twice served as
Probate Judge Of his county, and who
was supposed to possess some little
smattering Of law. He was exceedingly
popular and relying partly on this
fact partly on his record as a patriot,
and partly on his personal friendship
with the Judges. he applied for admis-
sion without having previously burned
any great quantity Of midnight oil
what" said Judge Silent. would
you do if IN response to the verified
complaint of your client in q action on
a promissOry note. the defendant filed
an unswOrn general deniai?" 4 would
move for a nonsuit," was the calm re-
ply. What he intended to say was
doubtless that he would ask for a judg-
ment for his client. What he did say
was, in effect, that he would dismiss
the case and abandon the claim.
The applicant having served as Pro-
bate Judge was supposed to know
something Of probate law. and Judge
Silent was willing TO help him pass the
ordeal Of examination. so he shifted his
base, and the next question he asked
was rs the undertaker's bill a claim
against the estate or a claim against
the administrator? Against both
until the coffin man gets his money"
said the applicant, but Doc. Thomp-
son down 10 Tucson got his cash
through my advice, when neither the
administrator nor the estate had a
red cent You see, when old Captain
jerks pegged out, his relations in Chi
cagO telegraphed Doc. Thompson to
embalm the remains The doctor had
been an army surgeon and he en-
balmed old jerks in good shape, so
that he looked as natural as life and
was as sweet as a nut. The railroad
company would not take the mummy
without being paid freight charges in
advance, so Doc. wired the Chicago re4
lations TO send on enough stuff to pay
freight and embalming charges Would
your Honor believe il. them Chicago
relations WEIGHED and wouldn't put UP
a cent. All that jerks had when he
crossed the ridge was fifty cents in
cash and the palfbearers took that
for drinks. Doc. Thompson applied TO
me as Probate Judge to have the coun-
ty Of Pima pay his embalming bill.
Wei, I had no right TO do that. but I
told him what TO do: so he put old
jerks in a nice vanished redwood case
with q glass front, and he painted on
the front a sign which read:
EXHIBIT A.
Specimen Of Arizona Embalming by
Doctor Thompson.
This is the STIFF Of Captain jerks,
mummihed by order Of his
sorrowing relations.
Residing at 1921 North Clark street,
Chicago.
They were tin-hOrse sports
and WEIGHED on the embalming bill.
The doctor. in order TO get his pay,
viii sell 500 tickets at 50 cents each.
and when sold there viii be grand
rafhe for the remains. TAKE A
CHANCE. The winner can start a
dime museum with the captain.
Doc Thompson had a photograph
taken Of the captain in his box with
the inscription and sent it TO the Chi
cago relatives with a letter stating that
he intended to send the Cap. on TO the
Worlds Fair for exhibition as an Ari-
zona manufacture. 1t worked your
IIOnors, il worked. and the Doc. got his
money without troubling either the es-
tate or the administrator"
The Judges laughed at the story and
Judge Silent passed the examination
along 10 Chief Justice French. Dear.
old. honest esteemed and self-esteemed
Charles Grattan WilberfOrce French.
as he loved 10 sign his name on hotel
registers. had one question which he
always propounded 10 applicants, and
II il was answered in accordance with
the tenets Of Jeffers0nian Democracy
all went well. What" said he, is the