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CITY ITEMS.

NOTICE.—All legal advertising in the STATE JOURNAL must from this date be paid in advance, except where otherwise provided by law. 
TRACY, SIEMERING & CO.

Arrests by State Police.

J.A. Bigner, horse stealing, Hidalgo county; turned over to civil authorities.  A.P. Dykes, horse stealing; Hidalgo County; turned over to civil authorities.

Rafael Navarro, horse stealing; Donales Garcier, horse stealing; A. Ruinz, cattle stealing; Daniel Regalado, cattle stealing;  all arrested in Hidalgo county.

Satumeno Rodriguez, horse stealing; Brownsville.  Thomas Walker, aggravated assault; Brownsville.

Sefereno Ramon, murder and horse stealing; Corpus Christi.

Francisco Vidal, cattle stealing; delivered to sheriff of Cameron county.  Satumeno Rodriguez, horse stealing; delivered to sheriff of Cameron county. 

T.C. Sparks, illegal branding; arrested in Indianola and sent to Fort Bend county.

Baxter King, of Leon county, murder; turned over to the sheriff.  Allen King, of Leon county, murder; turned over to the sheriff. 

Mat Burney, false imprisonment; turned over to justice of the peace of Madison county.  Jas. P. Mason, attempt to murder; turned over to civil authorities of Madison county.  Jos. McIver, attempt to kill; turned over to civil authorities of Madison county.  Ike Sturke, carrying deadly weapons at election; turned over to civil authorities of Madison county.

Richard Cowart, carrying deadly weapons at election; turned over to civil authorities of Leon county.

J.H. Bryner, horse stealing; turned over to sheriff of Cameron county.

H.P. Dykes, horse stealing; turned over to the sheriff of Cameron County.

A Mexican, cattle stealing; turned over to authorities of Hidalgo county.

C.H. Porter alias Davis, felony; (who broke jail in Victoria), arrested at Rio Grande City and turned over to authorities of Victoria.

James Llanos, assault and battery; delivered to sheriff of Cameron county.

James Ferguson, disorderly county; delivered to city authorities of Brownsville.

Jose Casas, horse stealing; delivered to sheriff of Cameron county.

Jose Maria Flores, cattle stealing; turned over to sheriff of Hidalgo county.

Juan Longaria, cattle stealing; turned over to sheriff of Cameron country.  Jose Maria Garrero, horse stealing; turned over to sheriff of Cameron county.

Sergeant Burke, of the State Police has been very active since his appointment, having traveled over two thousand miles and made many important arrests.

The State Police pursued a gang of cattle thieves from Mexico, getting so close to them that they abandoned the stolen property and the horses they were riding.  Some parties on the Rio Grande ferried the thieves across the river.  The police have received instructions to arrest all persons conniving with or assisting the thieves in this way.

We learn that a Democratic nominee for Congress, from this District, approached General Hamilton and requested to make a ratification speech at Washington, in his, the nominee's behalf.  How is this for high?

[[stamp]] THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES [[/stamp]]

Justices of the Peace.

AUSTIN, Texas, March 9, 1871.

Hon. William Alexander, Attorney General, State of Texas:

Sir—The impression that justices of the peace have concurrent criminal jurisdiction with the District Courts in all cases below the grade of felony largely (and I fear injuriously) obtains in this judicial district.  Section 20, page 27, of the Constitution provides that "justices of the peace shall have such civil and criminal jurisdiction as shall be provided by law;" and in section 2, page 87, General Laws, it is provided that justices of the peace shall have jurisdiction in "all suits in behalf of the State, where the fine, penalty or forfeiture, shall not exceed the sum of one hundred dollars."

Acting upon the former view, however, which is urged to be gathered from section 18, page 26, of the Constitution, some of the justices have finally disposed of cases of petit theft, aggravated assault and adultery, resulting in fines greatly in excess of one hundred dollars, and in default of the payment of the fine, long and continued imprisonment in the county jail.

Your published opinion is respectfully solicited, believing that it will have the effect of removing all doubt upon the points involved, and settling an apparent question, which remaining open, will produce much confusion, if not great evil.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Rebel Colonel B. Trigg,
Dist. Att'y, 27th Jud. Dist.

ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE, AUSTIN, March 16, 1871.

Col. B. Trigg, District Attorney for the Twenty-seventh Judicial District of the State of Texas:

Sir—In reply to your communication of the 9th inst., I have to state that section seven (7) of article five (5) of the constitution of the State of Texas, which, as it requires no legislation to give it effect, is in force propio vigore, expressly confers upon the District Court "original jurisdiction (not appellate jurisdiction) of all suits and cases in which the State may be interested."

Section two (2) of "An act to organize the courts of Justices of the Peace, and to define their jurisdiction and duties," approved August 13, 1870, which limits the jurisdiction of justices, so far as trial and adjudication of suits is concerned, to cases where the "penalty, fine or forfeiture shall not exceed one hundred dollars," was enacted in pursuance of and to give effect to section twenty (20) of article five (5) of the constitution, which states that "Justices of the Peace shall have such civil and criminal jurisdiction as shall be provided by law."

The two sections of the fifth article of the constitution above cited, do not conflict with each other.  The one gives "original jurisdiction" over certain cases to the District Court, which the other and the statute passed to give it effect do not trench upon.

From them, and from the act referred to, it is clear that Justices of the Peace have no original jurisdiction to try and determine cases in which the fine might exceed one hundred dollars.

It is not perceived that section seventeen (17), article five (5), of the constitution, which does not treat of of the jurisdiction of the District Courts, or of Justices of the Peace, can be fairly construed so as to repeal or modify either of the sections cited.

The principle of construction that a constitution must be so construed as if possible to make the whole to stand, requires that the