at 15, i met a handsome union soldier named jeremiah fultz and we eloped. we moved west to greener pasttures. first to oregon. then san jose, california. it was around 1876 and i had just had my fifth child. i was working at home as a dress maker and the sheriff came to the door and took my sewing machine for a debt that my husband owed. well, i knew this was illegal. i had been reading blackstone since i was 10. so i went to the court and i pled my own case and won. then, after that, mr. fultz decided he needed to go on to greener pasttures and he left so i realized that i was going to be the court of myself and my children. so i decided now is my chance to be a lawyer. why couldn't i be a lawyer? well, it is right there in the code. you have to be of good moral character. i'm that. you have to be over 21. i'm that. and a white male. so i simply took the code, took out white male, put in person and called it the laid lawyer bill and off i went to -- the lady lawyer bill and off i went to sacramento. there i was. now i had very little money so i was able to