The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-06
CArdmore. Mo-. Cor. Chicago Int


company, near this camp. The squire
has been justice of the peace here nine
years having recently been reelected
over his ardent protest. On those days
| when his court is not in session on
! top he is down in the depth working
with pick and shovel, gathering dusky
diamonds at so much per ton. He was
| sent to indianapolis as delegate from
this camp to the Mine Workers ma
tional convention.
| Both as coal miner and as q justice
of the peace his reputation is good.
| Now and then he has to try case in
| which his employers are involved. He
decides the issue without regard to his
job, because when holding court he
| knows only the law When business is
pressing Squire Shockley holds court
wherever he happens TO be. Sometimes
| htigants go into the mine, and there,
seated on coal car, with pit lamp on
his hat. he presides with the same
quiet dignity that he does up on earth.
In the fall of 1899 the Kansas & Tex
/ as Coal company, the predecessor of
! the Central, brought a lot of negroes
in 10 take the places of strikers. Squire
| Shockley had just acquired the official
! prefix to his name. Everybody was
| looking for trouble and il was diff
| cult to find man who wanted the job
! member of the union, had gone out with
| the strikers. Just six months before
! he had been picked from under a fall
| OF rock more dead than alive. He re-
covered, but the injury deformed him
| for life. At the time of the strike he
had an invalid wife to support and
number of children. He argued with
his mates against the strike, which
was sympathetic one but stuck by
them when they went out.
In July, 1900. the coal company
served eviction notices on the union
men living in its houses. The house
holders stood pat and suit was brought
Squire Shockley tried the case. The
! town hall was crowded with people
who didn't know whether nightfan
would find them with shelter for their
families or not. The superintendent
and other mine men were his particu-
lar friends. and he knew they would
give him steady work if he decided
their way. On the other hand were his
mining friends. who had nothing.
Fearing these considerations might in
fluence him, the miners lawyers of-
fered a plea against the Jurisdiction.
They read great stacks of law TO the
man whose profession for twenty years
had been that of a coal digger At
the end the squire ruled that he had
Jurisdiction.
He's gone over TO the company"
Il told you SOL"
These were the remarks banded
about the room
The defendants asked for a jury
This motion was also argued at length
the plaintiff cOntending ii was not
case for jury. The court found for
the plaintiff This time they knew
the court was biased. and some said so
he ha1A hS
wood. Then the case came up on its
merits. and another day was spent in
arguments before the little coal miner.
The matter was important to both
sides, and no pains were spared TO
win. The company had lot of new
men waiting to move into it's houses
as soon as the strikers should leave.
The strikers had no place else to go.
Then came the final decision.
Squire ShOckley held that the coal
company had brought the wrong sort
of actiOn-that il sued for rent when
it should have sued for possession. and
that it could not. under the pleadings
force the men from their homes. The
surprised miners cheered. An amazed
representative Of the coal company told
the squire what he didn't know about
the law would sink an ocean liner
That's all right" said the Justice
we're in Missouri
The coal company appealed to show
him, but the little judge was sustain
ed. The coal company paid the costs.
shook hands with the squire and nut
him back to work when the trouble /
blew over.
But there were lot of hard men in |
the camp about that time. Many were
refugees from other states. with
price FOR their capture. Fights and |
shootings were the daily program. 1t
was standing jest. but with q fouu-
dation of verify. that one could find /
his way about at nights by the flash /
of revolvers. Out of his first. wages the |
emigrant bought big gun and ammu- |
milton. If there was anything left he /
might get a sack of flour, but he re- |
garded his shooting iron as all essen |
tial. If every man adjudged guilty OF (,
disOrderly conduct in those DAYS had 1
been sent to Jail, that institution would /
have required an annex many times
the size of the original building. Be- |
sides. ii would cost the county fifty
cents per head a day to keep 'em. So |
Squire ShOckley figured out way
Whenever | stick man for shoot /
ing up the town." he said TO the mine /
superintendent. I'll file a statement of 1
his fine and costs with you: you keep |
it out of his wages
suppose ne leaves town. said the !
Then We'll have an outlaw the less" /
The plan worked to a charm More /
money was sent TO the county court |
from Charlton township than any other |
township in the county. while there
were practically no bills for feeding
prisoners. The presiding Judge sent for
to learn how he did ii. In !
reply he dropped the court a postal |
card:
We make them pay for their fun:
that's all"
The idea OF making crime a revenue
producer instead OF an expense was
new. but to do II you have 10 have a
system Shoekley thought out his
while shoveling coal 200 feet bc'oW
ground. If landlord could garnishee
a boarder's wages. why couldn't the
state adopt the same method for too
tTisky citizens?
There was dance one night at Cot
Eyed Mabey's" shanty, and dur
irf the entertainment "AIbino SAL
split one Cinderella" head with
pick handle and ii is said it took the
power Of triphammer 10 30 It. But
Sal was strong and she didn't even
perspire from the "xertion, though il