Story Time w/ Aunt Phil: The Miners’ Code

Prior to the arrival of sheriffs and judges to much of Alaska, a practical application of frontier democracy called the “miners’ code” was the only law that ruled. Each camp decided matters of common concern by majority vote and meted out justice to fit the crime.
When a situation came along that necessitated a meeting, the miners came together and elected a judge and a sheriff. Defendants and plaintiffs then gave their sides of the story, and after all the evidence was weighed