Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1858-10-30
Law Cases of Interest.

Law Cases of Interest.
The Inrkyille Enquirer, in an article un-
der the heading of Court Week." records
the following:
The only case of general interest was that
OF "John q. Moore VS.. jog. NJ. Smith" This
was an action of trovcr, for negro girl Main-
da. Many years ago, Dr. John G. Moorere
moved from this district and settled in Ala
bama. leaving brothers and sisters, and a
considerable personal and real estate i'm the
hands. of an agent. Very soon afterwards,
his relatives lost sight6 him, and although
diiigcnt Inquiries wcreshiade for some ten OF
eleven years, he could rot lie heard from.-
They believed him to be dead, and so the law
presumed Accordingly, some ten years af-
ter the period at which lie was last heard
from multiplication ON his estate wns gran
ted and the property was divided amongst
his brothers and sisters by distribution. Jn-
cob a. Moore. ot-Texas, since dead, received
tie girl Malinda as part of his share and
| through his agent here sold herto the de-
fendant for a asound price. Ycarb before last.
Dr. John g, Moore came to life againl and
made 1t appear that he had undoubtudly y been
living IN Alabama all the while. He made
| settlements, ne believe, with his brothers and
sisters, obtaining possession of his property
again, excepting the portion allotted to Ja-
cob A. Moore, Of Texas. For portion of
this sharc-the girl. Mslinda--he brought
hik action against Joseph NJ. Smith.
The whole case surned upon the point
whether the decree of the Court of Ordinary,
unrcyokcd, should be sustained and John G.
Moore declared to be dead, noiens rolenS-
whether the letters of administration gran.
ted upon this presumption of law should be
valid to tprotcctt the administrators and pur-
chasers claiming under them; or whether the
appearance OF Moore exercised retroactive
influence, yitiating the entire preceding, and
rendering the letters of administration yoil
from the beginning
The case is an entirely new one in this
State, andathe correct decision oft becomes
a matter of extreme Importance. 1t was ably
elabnrately argued by @. d. Melton and w
y. Wilson, ESqTs, for the defendant, and c.
| w. Williams, Esq, for the plaintiff Under
dcclded,and pointed instructions from the
court. the jury found for tho plaintiff OF
course, an appeal has been taken
In another case, involving a point not de-
cided heretofore. Judge Wardlaw held that
when, pending the suit, q minor becomes of
age, the ''iieXt friend ceases, de Gcto to be
party. and tho liability for costs rests upon
the paondam minor solely.
TnE f. (, ys,--Many of our readers have
eithor seen or heard of the F" First Families
ofVirginia;" ]" but few, we take it, know how
the term originated, An exchange explains
it thus:
In tho early settlement Of that State, it
WAS found impossible to cnlonize it unless
women went there. Accordingly, a ship load
Was sent out, but no planter was allowed to
marry one cof them until be had first paid ono
hundred pounds of tobacco for her passage.
When the second ship load came, no one
would pay more than sevcnty-iye pounds for
sbc matrimonial privilege, except it were
very superior article. Consequently. the des
cendants of oil those who were sold for one
hundred pounds of tobacco were ranked as
the first families, Viii, those who brought
but seyenty-hge pounds frc now ranked as
the second families and the reason why no
one can ever iind any Of the second families,
IS because you can, get o Nirginian to admit
Tint his mother only bronght seventy Eve lbs.
Of tobacco,
AS IRIsH R.rARrEE. Thc Irish mind is
q iie"~r-failing source Of wit. The following
isfhe alteet specimen;
Patricl,-.is Baega&o master ON tbe
Georgia Rail Road, and always attentive to
his business. Al few evenings since, willie nj
his pest, li0Iwos accosted pyian eSeited mas
soiigcr, who in arude and D0isturDus manner
demanded fcpeatedIy to know tho where
aboutsF us trunk, Aftefseyeral times re-
plying.L ,he iptcrrogatoyg no at length lost
hispatience. and thus putan endto the stian-
ger's troablesonie qnestion;ngs s0ch mis-
ther," | with in my soul you nero the EJe-
phant instead of u Jackass for then yon,e
have yope etvmk algays under BUR cycs.
littanfa Ilsttatige,!ccr.
IN is he who has much and wants more
who Is poor, aud he'Nho has little and IS
thcresiths content is fieIs.
sI5owareye, Snlith2 says Jones. Smith
prctcnds noe to know l,iplsand replies, hes.
itatingly Sir you have the adyansaee of
me" .'Yes, Sspose so; everybody has,
that's got common sense. " Smith, loOks
unhappy