Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 301, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 December 1916 — “HAPPY JACK WRITES TO OLD FRIENDS [ARTICLE]

“HAPPY JACK WRITES TO OLD FRIENDS

Jack Walker,* Former Court Reporter, Writes From Tombstone, Ariz., But Not For Publication. We feel that the article below will be of interest to every single person in Rensselaer and a great many others throughout the county. It contain® extracts from a letter to the editor of The Republican written by John W. Walker, better known as “Happy Jack,” former popular court reporter of the Jasper circuit court, and known to practically everyone in Rensselaer. Mr. Walker 1 went to Tombstone, Ariz., a sow years ago, where he has continued to make good in a most determined fashion.

Mr. Walker, in his letter to Editor Hamilton, an old time friend, admonished him several times in the letter not to publish any of it. We believe that Mr. Walker is entirety too modest and retiring and does not know the interest that Rensselaer people take in him; hence, we are going to betray the faith he has placed in us, in the absence of the editor and publish part of the letter as written to Mr. Hamilton, and will assume Mr.

Walker's wrath ourself. The letter was written under date of December 13 from Tombstone, Ariz., a part of which follows: “There is nothing unusual doing out here, Of course the Mexican situation has grown old to us, for we have the border at two of the towns in our county, with soldiers stationed on both sides of the line, and while we have no troops stationed here, th ; s is one of the stopping places for all the “hakes” that the Douglas, Nato and Fort Huachuca troops take, so we have some of them in and" about the town about all the time. One day last week the Kansas artillery came through and stayed all night here, and a 'cw days before that some 100 army automobile trucks were here, so there is something doing about all the time. The conditions along the border on the Mexican side are about as they have been for the past three or four years. All business is gone, and the people are in a more or less starving condition. Roving bands of soldiers keep the few of the population that still remain about cleaned of anything to. oat. They watch every opportunely to come across the line tfrtb' rfhe United States, and some of the stories that they tell could hardly be believ-

ed, and would not be if we did not absolutely know that they are true. "Well, the election is in the discards, and white I see you did very nicely back there in the county, and also in the state, there were some other places that did not cover themselves with the same amount if glory, but the west certainly gat a long way from doing herself proud as we all thought. Of course, Arizona did just what we expected she would do. She is made up mostly of, as we say here, “Tehanas” (Texans), and they think that they would be tricken instantly if they voted any place else than just below the large rooster at the top. We have a fighting chance for governor. According to the count the republicans elected governor by 31, but there is a contest now on, and it is in the hands of a. democratic court, with the supreme court the same, so there is little chance of our candidate taking his seat- Our s * B ' ter state on the west Is the one that put the kibosh .on Mr, Hughes. Arizona did one .thing that in a measure made up for some of her other bad things, and that was to vote the state dry. When I say “dry,” I mean just what the word implies. It is a violation of the law now bo have liquor in your possession, and on a trial for boot legging now, it is prima facie evidence of guilt that you have it in your possession, and it is up to the defendant to show that he got it lawfully, and there is but one lawful way, and that .would be to have had it before the law went into effect, and that supply will soon he exhauster, and then what? We have a partial prohibition laiw for the past two years, and it was no good. The supreme court read into the law that you could bring it in for personal use, but there <wa» no standard as to what would constitute personal ust, hence it was everywhere, and they were serving it oyer the bars in the saloons the same as when the staite was wet, but that is cut out now, and the P. U. fellows have arrived at the conclusion that they overplayed their hand just a little hit.