Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/656



"How is this; how about trial, example, and institutions? "

"Well you see the judge was against us; so rather than risk a trial I withdrew for an appeal—"

"A 'peal ? I'll peal you if you don't peal back that five dollars." The learned counsel pealed.

The following statement displays one phase of the workings of law, which goes far to show that it is often better to submit quietly to injuries sustained than to attempt redress in the courts.

" To the officers of Calaveras county.— Gentlemen: On the 24th day of February last, while travelling through your country, I was waylaid by a highwayman, who, after robbing the stage of Wells, Fargo & Co.'s express box, forced me to give up my purse, containing about eighty-three dollars. I am informed the amount obtained from Wells, Fargo & Co. was eighty-one dollars. On the next day the robber was arrested in your county, and no effort made to search him, except to take from him his pistol; neither was he searched for money nor identifying articles in his possession until he was incarcerated in San Andreas jail, although ho was known to have over one hundred dollars upon his person, until he had employed one Mr Hopkins to defend him, securing his services by giving him a portion of the money stolen from me. The prisoner was then searched and over forty dollars found on his person. I was summoned by the proper authorities of said county to appear in said San Andreas on three separate occasions, to wit; before the committuig magistrate, before the grand jury, and on the trial before the county court, to each of which summons I went as a witness from this city, my home. A few days before the final trial, the sheriff of said county expended a portion of the money found on the prisoner in purchasing him clean underclothing. On April 25th the prisoner, under the name of