pledged
themselves to stand by liim and support the courts. During these excitements hundreds of armed men appeared ranged on either side, but none were killed or wounded. Here ended the matter.
The miners loved to regulate their own affairs, par- ticularly mining matters, and hanging. At a meeting held Sunday evening, the 20th of April, 1851, at Horseshoe bar, the following pertinent if not logical resolutions were adopted :
Tliat we are in favor of law and order, and are willing to obey all man- dates of our courts, and all authority coming in a proper and legitimate way; but that we do not recognize the right of jurisdiction of our courts in cases of trespass on mineral claims, and thab we believe all difficulties of the miners in respect to their claims can be settled far more speedily, with greater jiis- tice, and with far less cost and trouble, by the miners themselves than by any court now existing in the state.
Resolved, that we are not in favor of throwing our cases into courts which have not been found able to exercise their authority in such a way as to give to the people a feeling of satisfaction; and that while we charge none with corruption or dishonesty, we believe it to be the rottenness of our courts that has brought them into disrepute. We think too many of our public officers are more familiar with monte than they are with mining, and believe they have a better knowledge of twenty-one than they have of trespass on min- eral claims.
Resolved, that we will not carry the differences which arise among us in regard to leads and claims before any court imtil a proper one be established by the general government; that we will discountenance all such appeals, and that as for ourselves, we will resist as best we can all attempts of our courts to exercise jurisdiction of this kind.
In criminal affairs, the miners were governed simply by their ideas of right, formulated to some extent by tradition, but always in the ends of justice. In civil cases, all depended upon agreement, and if there was no agreement, then upon custom and equity. The miners of every locality met and made their own laws regulating right of occupation ; for the rest, there was little to question or dispute about. These laws were much alike in the different districts, and yet they varied a little. There were hundreds of them, enough to fill a volume, I give a few as samples.
Following are the regulations adopted by the min- ers of the Kock Creek Ditch and Mining District at a meeting held the 1st of December, 1853.
I. This district shall be bounded by the Fordyce and Booth Rock Creek Districts on two sides, the Spoilt Spring ravine on the lower sides, and the south braiach of Rock Creek ou the other.
