Arizona Round-Up — page 106: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

104 WILLIAM HOPSON in keeping with his size. “Are you lawyerin’ fer these killers so’s to git ‘em free an’ put ‘em to work in yore mine?” It took five minutes to silence the laughter after that one. But niggers was patient. He got them quiet once more and continued to talk. a “The point I’m trying to get over to you men is this:” he shouted. “Wouldn't it be better to hold these men prisoners and send word to the outside and have a regular court come in here and convene to take testimony and punish by due process of the law any of those who might be found guilty?” They roared back at him that they didn’t give a hoot about legal hangings. Two men lay stretched out dead in a building close by. One had been murdered without a chance for his life. The man who had killed him belonged to the gang now in jail. Two sweaty horses, shot down at the cabin, already had been identified by the three passengers as the ones ridden by the road agents. What was all this fool talk about how they might be guilty? Get the drumhead in session and then string ‘em up! Biggers looked down at Pearson. The Pound owner shrugged his wiry shoulders. “All right—all right!” bellowed Biggers. “You've made your decision, so we'll elect a judge and get under way. And I wam you now I don't want the job.” They started the process of electing a judge, and Pearson displayed his cleverness. The choice was a surprising one: Gardner the gambler was to preside. The owner of a big tent bar across the street agreed to act as prosecuting attorney. And a wizened little man working his own pit who said he'd once done some preaching volunteered to make the defense. There was to be no jury. Presently the five prisoners, hands manacled behind their backs, were brought over along the boardwalk, ringed by heavily armed guards. They stood side by side on the big packing case where Biggers had stood, their backs against the Pound’s west wall, facing their accusers. Gardner displayed surprising facility in getting the proceed- ings under way. He ordered the three passengers who had been on the coach brought forward for examination, correcting the blundering attempts at questioning by both prosecutor and de- comicbooks.com