<hr/><div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/65/Judgehawkins.png)</div><br/><strong>Name:</strong>Judge Warwick<br/><strong>Date:</strong>May 4, 1876<br/><strong>Time of Day:</strong>Morning<br/><strong>Location:</strong>The Courthouse: Judge Warwick's office<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>Marguerite Tuerny, Closed<br/><hr/>He considered as she mentioned the vanity, and then gave a sigh, shaking his head.<strong>“I'm sorry.  Most of the thefts we see are considerably smaller items, easily pawned.  If he had such an item with him – I'm certain he would have brought it first to the hotel he resided at.  Unfortunately, he has – according to the documents I have here – continually sunk to cheaper and cheaper establishments.  But I suspect the hotel proprietors would be able to give you an idea where they last saw it and... perhaps an idea who it might have been sold to.”</strong>He smile was wan.<strong>“A timepiece or a bit of jewelry, and I'm certain I could direct you to the usual culprits for pawning such items.”</strong><br/><br/>The papers were actually pointedly simple – the western courts were not besieged by much in the way of complex corporate legal attorneys, and the statement of petition seemed designed by Warwick so that even an unlearned miner could lay a claim without much assistance from a lawyer.<br/><br/>He leaned on his hand in his chair as she made mention of the betrothal, and when she made an argument for the bearing of horse theft in relationship to her own circumstances, his eyes gleamed with appreciation for the nuance of the argument.<strong>“It's an apt argument to make before a court,”</strong>he offered.<strong>“A defense counsel might argue that the crime of horse theft it punished so severely because it would deprive a man, or more particularly a farmer of the very means by which he makes his living.  A horse to plow fields and deliver a crop to town, thus endangering an entire settlement.  Could you argue that the deprivation of your transportation to Gomorra deprived you of the means to make your living?  You might sway a jury to such a sentence if you were capable.”</strong>He spread his hands.<strong>“On the other side, a defense counsel would also argue that Mr. Eklain simply did not take action, in and of itself not a crime.  Or even that he did take action, but was powerless to prevent your fall from the train.  Again, arguments that might sway a jury.”</strong>But he seemed please with her application of logic, and rose from his desk to the shelves behind him, collecting a pair of books from the shelves behind him and pulling them free.<br/><br/><strong>“Blackstone Commentaries and the California Reporter, 1864-65.  A summation of all the criminal deliberations made in the territory of California settled by jury or decision by a judge.”</strong>He set the pair of books down on the desk, and nodded at her decision.<strong>“You're welcome to file any other criminal petitions you care to after perusing it.”</strong>He gave an easier smile.<strong>“A loan, not a gift.  I'm afraid the press which originally published it has sunk into the ocean.  But it might help you articulate your case in court, and provide an understanding of the underlying principles of sentencing.  I suggest the Honorable Judge Hawthorne.  He excellently articulates much of his reasoning, and I'm afraid not all of the cases within can claim the same acerbic wit.”</strong><br/><br/>At the mention of arranging transportation, he offered,<strong>”A steam launch or a knife boat's the fastest way to get where you're going.  Chartering a launch'll be twenty dollars a day, and a knife boat's fifty.  A Maze runner runs closer to a hundred and fifty a day.  Anyone trying to charge you more is taking advantage of a tourist.”</strong>He considered.<strong>”The Collegium has a few steam sleds, as well, and they're cheaper, but they only hold two men.  You'd need to charter several if you plan on traveling with an inspector and a gunhand.”</strong><br/><br/>He gestured for Blue to take the pound cake, who offered a grateful smile to Margeurite.  He drank his own tea thoughtfully, replacing the spectacles and nudging back through the file.<strong>“Three weeks.  If you go longer than that, you risk running afoul of Sweetrock's lawyers.  Twenty days, to be exact.”</strong>He removed the spectacles.<strong>”The definition of 'producing ore' is very limited.  If you can come back with a hundred dollars worth of fundament, no matter silver or gold or ghostrock, the mine is 'in production' for another ninety days.  If it's showing regular purchases at the assayers after that, no one will question whether or not its in production.”</strong><br/><br/>He paused, at the end.<strong>"I might also suggest Machievelli's <em>The Prince</em> if you truly intend to get into the business of mining in Gomorra."</strong>