The Parker post., 1917-07-21
A HASSAOAMPA
JUSTICE STORY
HOW YE OLD TIME JUSTICE WAS
DISPENSED IN ARIZONA IN THE
EARLY TERRITORIAL DAYS.

There was a justice of the peace
named Cate, who lived at Winslow
when that town was part of Apache
county. There also lived there a mer.
chant doing an extensive business,
| and, as was the custom in those days.
carrying the stockmen of the vicinity,
| This merchant found that one of his
customers, who owed him about TWEEN
ty-five hundred dollars, was driving
his sheep across into New Mexico.
He went to Cate and told him the
circumstances, and asked Cate If
there was not some way he could
hold the man until he could levy on
the band of sheep. Cate replied
that his jurisdiction extended to only
$500, and that he could do nothing
in the matter; that the merchant
would have to go to st. Johns, the
county seat, and commence action
there. The merchant replied, say
ing, Before l get there the sheep
will be out of the jurisdiction of the
Territory" they being then on the
road. Cate asked: What will you
give me if l misconstrue the law?"
WE'LL said the merchant, "you owe
me $3O0,and if you will fix this mat
ter up for me, will return you your
note for that amount" "You damn
fool, you," said Cate, how do you
suppose I can play poker on my
note?" 1t was finally arranged that
If Cate would take charge of the case,
and collect the amount due the mer-
chant, that he would receive three
hundred dollars in cash.
Cate went over to the debtors
wife, who lived in town, and told her
a long story, about her husbands
committing a criminal act that 1t
was his duty to arrest him and bring
him back to Winslow, and send him
to the penitentiary At his dicta-
ton the wife wrote her husband q
letter, imploring him to settle the
debt. Armed with this the the mer-
chant and the constable went after
the victim, They overhauled him
near the boundary line of New Mex
leo, and there settlement was made
by the debtor turning over fat weth--
ers to the merchant at three dollars
a head, sufficient to pay his debt and
the costs, including three hundred
dollars which had been paid to Cate.
which the justice had taxed as part
of the costs
Cate was very angry when he heard
of the settlement and told his con-
stable that he had no right whatever
to make any settlement of any suit:
that that was his particular province
and that he should have driven the
whole herd back and brought the
man with him. However, by this
time the man was in New Mexico,
and the balance of his flock was be-
yond the jurisdiction of the Justice.
Cate never made any returns to
the county for fines collected. 1t
was his habit, when he saw a man
little under the weather from
drink, to have him arrested and
brought before him, when he would
fine him to the limit and keep the
fine. His undoing came in this way:
Two men who had just been paid
off by the railroad were feeling
little jolly, and Cate knew that they
had about fifty dollars apiece on
them. He told his constable to ar
rest them, which was done, and Cate
fined them all the money they had
and took possession of it. The con-
stable wanted his fees, but Cate re-
fused to pay him anything The
constable went to ST. Johns and
found there had been made no re-
turns of the fines, so he lodged
a complaint against the justice The
rumor came down to Winslow that
Cate had been indicted for embez-
element, and Cate Immediately took
all the records of his office in back of
the saloon adjoining his office, the
Rat Killers Saloon, and burned taem
up, and left the country. A few
days afterward it was found that the
grand iIrV had rofJcnd fO hrin ~ In O n
indictment because that body would
not believe the constable under oath,
but Cate never appeared again In
that part of the country