The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1854-10-27
TIE ISLANDER SUIT.

N"ho uTiy years ago, Wnen ''In'
1 West" lay no nearer to the Pacific thai
he Stale of1lfnois, one Michael Dodd
. ilnurlshFd in what is now the town o
i Sapellia, Michael or, as every bod,
called him, Mike, had done good service
IN The Indian difficulties, aud was knowr
TO all Tho sold settlers" and ''rangers,'
i for manv mile around lie was 10.
wal, kud>IIearied fellow, and came quite
as near as Could be expected 10 fnlfline
lhe command 10 love bis neighbor. as him
SELF Is is trne that he induiged theo,
retca' hatred agaips, The whole tribe o
Yankees" wnom he supposed TO be al
lssndets Of bad clocks, wooden nuimeps
and such like merchandise. Ye, il wa:
notorious that if one of these "lraveIinE
merchants" was in any sort Of trouble, he
might always reckon upon the last biz 10
Mikes 'obacco,box, and the kindcs, per.
sonal assistance into the bargan,
Mike WIS zealous member of the
Methodist society, and as general thing
| DID honor TO l,is religious profession.-
bU, IN those days, a drink, of whiskey was
essential 10 good-Gellowsbip and friend,
y Intercourse, and when Mike happened
to encounter any of his old friends with
whom he had "camped oui "on the In
dian trial, in the early ,roubIous times,
he could moi always keep the number OF
his lInblbings within reasonable limits
The consequence was that he was ever
and anon "ialling from grnce," end in
consequence his namo had been more
than once struck of from the 'scIa ss, "a.
pei;" but such was The confidence that
The brethren still cherished in bis funda>
mental integrity, that it was as often
replaced.
A wandering Yankee had at one time
"located," in Vandala, where he set up
a shop for the sale ofnoions Of all kinds,
no. forgetting a due supply ofcorn-whis-
KY. Mike "suspcioned the stranger,
as he aiterward affirmed, and for long
while kept away from his establishment.
But once upon a time he was induced TO
replenlsh his sugar-hox and whiskey. bots
lie from the Yankees stores. Upon using
the articles he found that the sugar wns
we'll sanded, and the whisky was, as he
phrased il, $50 supplied with the filthy
water OF the KaskRski1, that a dog eesldnn
drink il wit!i4ui being sick" But poor
as it was Nike managed 10 swallow a toll
erOble quantity; and the more he drank,
The warmer graw his dennnciatons a.
gainsl the dealer.
In few days document was pu, into
his hands, addressed to "Michao DoJds'
and signed by the Sheriff, requesting him
to attend the Court, and show why he
should not pny lc Ezekiel Cobb, the tra-
der aforesaid, the sum of one thousand
dollars, lawful currency Of the United
States, in compensation Tor damage TO
character sustained by the said Ezekiel,
by reason Of certain words fnselv aud
maliciously uttered by The said Michael. |
Half that amount would have relieved
poor Mike Of his "qnartvr section," as
we'll as OF all his goods and chaitIes OF
every description.
The trial came on in due time, and
Mike appeared 10 manage his own causc.
Inc plainllii was represented by young
lawyer, who had no difficulty in proving
that Nike, besides dsparaging the sugar
and whisky, had pllitmed that Ezekiel
was thief a cheat, and so on. That
these were epilhus seriously injurious to
the plaintiffs character could not be de
MED; and the learned counsel eloqueni-
ly called upon the Jury TO award DANA
ges equal to the full injury sustained.
Mike "t acknowledged the cnrn;' or al
least, the corn-whisky, o. which he con-
fessed he had drunk too much, thereby
bringing disgrace upon his Christian pro-
esslon, in consequence OF which his
brethren had very Justly suspended bin
from the society. He could not recol,
lect wha, he had said on The occasion;
but the witnesses who had testified were
all "migbty truthful men," and he had no
doub, that he had said just as they had
testified. Ifbe had damaged the chars
acer of tho trader, he was willing to pay
just what tho jury said il was worth, ,lhough
il took his last red cent. Bnt all no had
said about the whisky and the sugar was
rue; and he appealed to the jury if they
had no, found his sugar half sand, and
his whisky "spiled with filthy river wa-
ter" A smile that passed over the faces
uf the twelve showed that the las! point
told.
The jury speedily agreed upon their ver-
dict. They found Mike guily,and put the
damages at fifty cents. Mike forthwith
walked up 10 the clerks desk, rendered
The five dimes, and demanded receipt
IN full for damaging he character of the
trader. Having received this, he mach
ed off, with an odd smile on his face, thai
TO those who knew hun helokened that
something was in the wind.
IL was not many hours before notices
we're posted all over The town, signifying
lha, an auction sale would he held BY
Michael Dodds, al the courl,house door,
as soon as the court had adjourned for to
day.
"Oyez, oyez, ,h' b'u'r'bl c'n's 'djrnd