Sergio N Lalli

The Irish Mag Sergio N Lalli

James Daly, a Welsh immigrant, went to Bisbee, Arizona, in the 1880s to prospect for copper. His most promising claim, Irish Mag, was named after Bisbee's first dance hall girl. Daly feuded with the boss of the Copper Queen mine, Ben Williams, who wanted to run a railroad over Daly's claim. The confrontation drove Daly mad and came to a head when a deputy sheriff went to Daly's cabin with a warrant for his arrest. Daly shot and killed the deputy and escaped. A Mexican woman who lived with Daly then became the subject of intense attention. Was she merely his housekeeper and girlfriend? Or was she his common law wife? If she proved to be his common law wife, she would inherit half the mining claim. An 8-year legal battle ensued which was finally settled in U. S. Supreme Court. The case tested the scope and validity of oral agreements in general, whether in the context of common law marriage or in the grubstaking of a prospector.