The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1908-01-29
An Attempted Reform.
IorIginnl.l


goverlllne,,t. .uurts aud all that sort y
thing Then you'd Begin to get civ.
ilized.'
1--WE did try that onct and 1t didn't
seem to work pretty much"
"Why noti" 2
81 think we got too much of 1t at
oncet. or II Want fist what this ye't
kind Of a community required. Ye see
there was man come yere from the
east He was an eddicated man ami
appeared To be practical Onr people
TUX to him right off. 1t want lony
af0re he could do anything lie pleased
with any of us. at that time the sa
looms and Enmblin' houses WAS doin
u pretty big business. and scarcely u
day pussel that there wa'n't shootin
mutch Then the strnnger-l disre
member his nnme-suggested what yoU
did.
"'How do you do itY asked one OF
our best citizens.
"'Itirst you must elect town com
ell and a mayor. The mayor can ap
point the Judge of the court and Its
officers. That's about all you need In
II small place like this
"It didn't take much arguin' to git
our best citizens into the deal. The:
called n town meetin' and nominated
a mayor and council. They put up the
stranger for mayor and dozen of thv
stendiest men in the plnce for council
Ye never see sleh quiet election IL
your life. Everybody voted except tlh
gamblers aud the liquor men. wh'
didn't near to take no interest Into 1t
lcustwnys they went on gnmblin' am
sellin' liquor.
No ft1c ~
appoint the Judge. the next sherif.
and the third was to close the gam
blin' houses. The gamblers. seeln' thn
the citizens was dead stuck on thel
mayor and council. just shut up sho.
and went elsewhere. Then the mayo
had the council pass high license hil,
and this did away with the saloons
There was few Rrumblers VIII.
couldn't git their liquor when the.
wanted It, but the citizens as bod.
ucuuiesced. aud the law was dend
sure pizon killer,
"a hoss thief wns arrested. and. III
stead of stringin' him up In the usuH
way, lie wus brought before the court
The mayor set beside the Judge to po.
him. Nobody seen the boss thief tax
any hosscs. He want tnkin' 'em thu
away: he was runnin' en- off In III
middle a tile night The mayor to-
he Judge to instruct HE Jury tn brin
~ Al vprdiC' III uccnrdnnce %ith III
evidence There wa nj no evidence
there wu'n't no need % no eridrnc
cause everybody knUwpd the prisnnt
was boss thief lt,t the Judge CIV
em the law that the mnn WAS innn
cent till he was proved guilty. and tht
must 6ud verdlc' In accordance Wit
ln
got into the jury room they looked Il
one another kind o. queer. They cnuls
do nothIp' but ucquit the boss thlei
and so they did.
This want very sntisfyin'. especially
when the boss thief TUX the judges
boss with him whpu he left town
Some one thought the law had better
be changed. reSurdln hOHS thieves par
ticuInrly. But the mayor said 1t would
come out all right. and the citizen
ncQuIesced.
next day there was shootin' mattel.
MT Tucker shot and killed Cy Allel
when they was a-talkin' on the street
Tucker was tried. the mayor ng'in
conchin' the court. a witness testified
that he hcnru Allen call the prisonrs
"low down cuss." Another testified
TINT he henrn Allen call the prisOnr
"a pestiferoiis varmint." a third Civ"
the most important testimony of all
He said Allen spoke disrespectful OF
fuckers woman"
WAS she Il good woman" asked the
tenderfoot.
"Snrtin. IS long as she lived with
man she KEEP straight. though she
wasn't particular about marriage
ceremony and didn't stick to no one
l,Ig
come out for the defense the jury
made up their minds to ncqult the ac.
cuscd without lenvln' their seats. but
the Judge. advised by the mayor. tole
em there was no evidence justiryin'
the KILN and they'd have to convict
Tucker. They done II. though they
didn't like to. and Tucker WIS elected
to swing
"Tucker he'd allus been one o the
leadin' citizens and had helped the
mayor organize When the verdic'
was announced he riz up and lookln
at the mayor he says. says he:
"'Mr. Mayor. this civilizin' process
you've introduced among lis may be
very fine, but it's death on this COM
munity You got rid OF rum and gam
blers. though we need the rum much
ly. But what about boss stealth and
man pertectin' the name OF the wo
man he keeps company with? Ef this
yere civllizin' machinery goes on there
won't he a boss left In HIghbnll Guich
nor female perfected. don't care
what you and the council and the
court nor the rest of the citizens of
the Gulch do. but, as for me, I've had
enough of the experiment and I'm
goin' in future to offend to my own
business In my own way. Any man
Interrerin' with me I'll send where !
sent Cy Allen
HE walked outep the courtroom
and when his back was turned every
body seen n revolver hangin' to each
hip. which the sheriff forgot to re-
move.
THAT killed the plan; the gamblers
and rum sellers come back. and onct
more the citizens of HighbaIl Gulch
breathed free"
YRvANDCD rTv