Mohave County miner. [volume] (Mineral Park, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1882-1918, 1911-11-04

putes over business affairs. When
they could not be settled privately
court was quickly convened; juror
was never questioned about any bias
or predjudice that he thought he en-
tertained or whether he had formed
or expressed any opinion. He was
simply asked if he would hear the
case and decide according to the law
and evidence. If he promised that, it
was enough.
Some of those trials were most pic
turesque. Will Campbell was mining
in a ravine a mile or two outside of
Downieville. One morning three or
four miners came to him where he
was at work, and one said: "Mister.
did you back in the states study law?"
Will replied that he did. Then it
was explained to him that big Penn
sylvania Dutchman was trying to claim
the ground that one of the boys owned,
that a trial had been set for that after
noon and they wanted Campbell to go
to the camp and try the case for them.
Campbell replied, "All right, if one
of you chaps will work my ground
while am gone, 1 will CO." This
was agreed TO and Campbell went to
the camp, tried and won the case. He
told me about il later. after he had
become an eminent lawyer and judge.
He said: Il was nineteen years old.
l had just graduated; all the practice
that L had ever had any experience
in was in the moot courts in the law
school. l did not know a vast amount
of law, but 1 had brought all my gal
with me to California, and l suppose
my argument that day was one calcu-
lated to scare away a mountain lion,
if be was an old and wary one
and wished to avoid trouble.
81 have never since experienced the
self-satisfaction that was mine as
emerged from that room and walked
out on the cleared space In front of
the building. Many people congratu-
lated me and l swallowed il all as
though it was my due. At last the big
Dutchman came along and said: Mis-
ter Campbell, dot vas one great
speech vot you made today 'Ah,' 1
replied, do you really think so Uncle
Billie?'
'Yaw l dinks so,' he SAID. 1t Just
lacked but Won ding to make it one
very great speech
"'You really think so, Uncle Billie,
l responded; and pray what did it
lack?' 1t lacked sense, was the curt
answer"
The boys heard it, took it up and it
cost me all the dust that had mined
for a week previous, to get out of
camp. l have heard of it from time
TO time ever since. But it did me lots
of good. have never since talked as
learnedly as l did on that day. You
see the ordinary intellect can only
stand so much"
In that same Downieville about 1853
the boys determined to have a Fourth
of July celebration.
They had all the necessary concom-
itants. They had a live American
eagle in captivity, also a grizzly cub
had been caught, had grown to two.
thirds of his full size and was the pet
of the camp. These helped to swell
the procession, which contained God
dess of Liberty In the person of
young lady that had come the plains
across" the previous year; there was
a car of state for the chaplain, the
reader, the orator and poet of the day:
plenty of flags, and the whole was
led by a brass bano that had been
practicing for perhaps three months.
The procession over, the crowd gath
cred in the primitive theatre; the
prayer had been spoken, the Declara-
tion read, Bob Taylor had beautifully
rendered an original poem and John
Mcconnell was just being introduced,
when a six months old baby who was
in its mothers arms and close to the
orchestra chairs, began to howl. The
much-embarrassed mother tried in
vain TO hush its cries, when at last
the band struck up a lively air to
drown its cries.
Then the event of the day came off.
A huge miner as big as was the late
Senator Stewart of Nevada, and with
huge red beard that covered his