Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1853-12-28
Life i'm Mississippt-GettinS mp q
Railroad Su subscriptions.

| Life i'm Mississi M q
Railroad subscriptions.
| Having seen nobody fol- thirty miles, night
| overlook me at the centre of Jones county,
The road was only visible by the three
"scores" on the trees, the grass growing on II
rank and tall, like ina: in the adjacent woods
was striking for the court house. passed
small opening in which stood three rickety
cabins, but they were untenanted. The road
branched of into dozen trails. Completsly
puzzled, l threw down the reins and left the
matter to the instinct Of the horse. He struck
into one of the paths. and in fifteen minutes
halted at large farm house.
''Halloo!" cried I.
"It's 49, elf" cried the man in the
gallery. = - .
"How fssxO court ID ase"
Where ase you fromw said tie man.
From. Winchester.s = s
ssThen. |" said hsssvs sqsn 1suse b bshinl
and 70 ssossss 4 i 81 b j al poississ
| to the deserted cabins
why, I saw nobody there"
II reckon you didn't" said he. "There's
doggery and tavern twice year. two days at
time, but they come with the court and 90
with the court"
"And the clerk and sheriff." said I, "where
do they liver"
'Oh, the sheriff is clerk, and the clerk ID
squire, assessor, and tax coIlectos in the bar
gain, and he lives away down on the Leaf"
"But the lots, my friend-who owns all
those lots?''
"The same individual that owns the best
part of Jones county--the only landlord who
never sues for rent-U ncle SAM"
"Well sir.l am tired and hungry-can stop
with you to-night?'
Light, stranger light. Michael Anderson
never shuts his door on man or beast"
Having carefully housed and fed my horse
soon sat down to substantial supper OF
fried chicken and stewed venison, corn cake
milk butter and honey served with welcome
and abundance peculiar to the pine woods.
Ny host was a shrewd man, well to do in
the world, rreferrlng Jones county to any
place this side Of Paradise, having lived there
twenty years without administering dose oi
medicine, and having been crossed during al,
that time. was curious to know what had
disturbed the serenity of such a life as his.
"Why, sir" said he, )" don't make prac.
tice Of talking about it, but being as you are
a stranger, and I've taken liken to you, III
narrate the circumstance. May be you've heard
how the Legislature chartered the Brandon
bank to build railway through the pine
woods away down on the sea shore. In these
parts we 60 against banks, but roads sort ol
shook our prejudices. Before the bank could
be set going the law required SO much coin
to be planked up. The managers all lived
about Brandon, bus the metal was mighty
scarce, and the folks about there didn't have
il or wouldn't trust 'en
They strung what little they had around the
babies necks, to cut their teeth with. Well,i
got wind that had some of the genuine, and
the managers kept sending to me for it, offer
ing to put me on the board, but always an
swered that the money was safer in the old
woman's stocking than in the bank. heared
nothing more about il for three months, wher
one night a big, likely looking man rode up
and asked me for chunk OF fire.
Squire Anderson, said he, my men have
camped quarter of a mile from here, down OF
the creek. We are surveying the railway te
Mississippi city. but have come to dead halt
because our lines run chuck up against your
clearing, and we will have to make bend tc
get round the court house.
The big man said this with so serious an al,
and seemed SO mys.ifed at having to crook
his line around my field, that his words wen,
right through me. invited him in. We
talked it over, and emptied bottle of liquo,
on the strength Of it. Next morning we wen,
to the camp, He took his compass and run
the line right spank up against my smoke
house. which had just finished after six
months labor.
"Well.' said he, this is unlucky The road
will come right strait through your new smoke
house; what's to be done2'
you shall see,' said I calling my boys /
ordered them to tear it down. Stranger, there
mics, all hewed by my own hand. never lad
the heart to pu. them up again. Well. the big
man never changed countenance. He ran on
with his line, and the next day he came back
on his return to Brandon. was nightly Iif-
ted with the notion of the railroad aud stop.
ping place right before my door. ! entered
six hundred and forty acres Of land My neigh.
bors said we'd got the state house here The
big mai, smiled and nodded; be pointed out
where the cars would stop, and where the gov
ernor would like 10 have q summer seat-and
when he went. he carried away three thou
sand dollars for me, al! in two-bit pieces and
picayuncs.'
We'll. SQUIRE said !. 4 suppose you got the
value of iii?
Stranger solemnly replied the squire, I
never saw the big man afterwards; heard no
more of the road. Here's my smoke house
logs. My old woman has got the empty stock.
ings Here's what they sent me. certificate
Of the Brandon bank stock, for the money,
and if you've got ten dollar mint drop in
your purse. LIN ready for a swap!'
A PRECEDENT IN THE Law OF EVIDENCE E-The
district court of Schaffhausen, in Switzerland
has lately furnished useful precedent in the
law Of evidence. A citizen of Schaff hausen
was accused Of having boxed the ears of an th
er citizen. There were no witnesses to the act
for at the time Of the alleged offence the par
ties were alone in the coffee room Of hotel
But The landlord and the walters, who were il
room near the scene Of action, swore tha
they heard the blow. The defendant, of course
pleaded mot guilty." and that even if the of