They agreed to leave the matter to my
determination, and I settled it in five minutes. Again, on one
occasion a woman, apparently about fifty-six, rushed into my office
under great excitement, exclaiming that she wanted a divorce from her
husband, who had treated her shamefully. A few moments afterwards
the husband followed, and he also wanted relief from the bonds of
matrimony. I heard their respective complaints, and finding that they
had children, I persuaded them to make peace, kiss, and forgive; and
so they left my office arm-in-arm, each having promised the other
never to do so again, amid the applause of the spectators. In this
way I carried out my conception of the good Cadi of the village,
from which term (Al Cadi) my own official designation, Alcalde, was
derived.
To make a long story short, until I was superseded by officers
under the State government, I superintended municipal affairs and
administered justice in Marysville with success. Whilst there was a
large number of residents there of high character and culture, who
would have done honor to any city, there were also unfortunately many
desperate persons, gamblers, black-legs, thieves, and cut-throats;
yet the place was as orderly as a New England village. There were no
disturbances at night, no riots, and no lynching. It was the model
town of the whole country for peacefulness and respect for law.
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