An invaluable compilation of legal lore, much of it based on first and second-hand accounts, this work offers a history of the early years of the California bench and bar. Contents include "Recovery of the Pious Fund" by John Thomas Doyle, "Irrigation Laws and Decisions of California" by John Downey Works, "Adoption of the Common Law," "Tragic History of the Sharon Cases" and "The Field of Honor: Historic Duels in California" by Oscar Tully Shuck, "Lynch Law in California" by John Francis Davis and "The Early Bench and Bar of San Jose" by John Evan Richards.