Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-06-18
Mammoth Patent Lawsuit.

'""S"o IN PioSioSS III lne = nltou States
Court for the northern district of this State
which, for foggy procrostination, appears
to be disgrace not only to the country,
but to the age in whichwe live The pres
ent state of this lawsuit is ably set forth in
an article of considerable length in the Sa
ratogn County Press, which states that the
records of the case already ill three prin-
ted volumes of 500 pages each, and per-
haps as many more will be required before
the lnwyers allow the birds to escape from
the nsestcs of the legal net.
The case relates to what is called "thc
hook,headed spike," for making which
Henry Burden, of Troy, n. Y, secured a
patent on machiue in 1910. 1t seems
that i'll 1915 some informal agreement was
made between the owners Of the patent and
Winslow, Corning & Co., when the latter
got some of the machines made and com
menced manufacturing the spikes In l94S
the patentecs sued for an infringement but
the District Court decided that the dcfcn
dants were working under Il license. An
appeal from this decision was taken to the
Supreme Court of the United States, where
the decision was reversed, and decree
made in June, 1858. that the use of the
machine by the defendants was an infringe
mcnt of the patent, for which they must
give an account for damages, profits, &C.,
to the plaintiffs The case was then re-
tered to Marcus L. Reynolds, Esq, mas
ter OF the Court, to take testimony, exam
inc persons under oath, books and papers,
and to ascertain the damages, profits, &C.
.Nr. Reynolds declined the appointment
and the Hon. r. H. Walworth was sclcc
ted in his place, who, in March, 1854.
commenced taking testimony. The amount
claimed by the plaintiffs is S7l6,lG as
profits on 45,046,0G0 lbs. of spikes, and
$4,000 for other expenses. This is LARGE
SUN of money, but our cotcmporary causti-
cally remarks " The costs of masters,
lawyers, witnesses, &c, are enormous we
cannot begin to estimate them. When the
case is closed up-wo think we should prc.
fer to take the costs rather than the yer.
dictp
From this day which the testimony com
menced to be taken until now-iive years
the case, like huge snake, has been coil,
ing itself into complicated folds, Threatens
ing to crush out the whole profits and dam,
agcs claimed. A smart merchant would
have finished the business in as many
months as it has been years in progress,
but then this would not have suiliced to
maintain the dignity involved in cxccu-
| ting the decree of such a dicniied body as
that of the United States Supreme Court.
a commission, it is stated, has been sent
to England to take testimony of the iron
masters th"rc-a most unnecessary act
and dealers in spikes, and workmcn in near.
ly all parts of the country, have been called
upon for testimony. Questions have been
asked witnesses which have required sew
eral days to answer, and some of these
which we have read appear to be rather an
effort at proliXity than precision to assist
concluding the protractcd issue. 1t is now
about eleven years since the suit was first
commenced, and it still affords golden nest
eggs for hatchng wcll-fcathercd brood to
those who are engaged in conducting it.
Nc,c Horh Amc,icau.
a MAN KILLED.-We learn that on the
t4th of last month. two men from Georgia,
James Broxton and - Spears, crossed the
river Tor the purpose of getting shingles. to
the Carolina side, ON Savannah river. in
I
ing. ltappears that about 10 o'clock in the
forenoon of that day, Mr.. William Griffin. n
Georgian also, came across to where these
men, BroXton and Spears, were at work, and
found fault with the shingles, which were for
| Spears, saying some of them was too thick
| others too thin. too narrow. &C., whereupon
unexpectedly. Broxtou seized the baticau
paddle and came up behind Griffin, striking
him blow ON the back of the heal--contin
ued beating him with the paddle until Spears
intertercd and kept him oil. Broxton struck
him, as we learn, some four or five blows aE
forwards. Griffin padded himself across tho
river, to the Georgia side, and went to his
home, about mile from the river, and died
on the following morning, Sunday, at an car.
ly hour. An inquest was held over his body,
and the jury returned a verdict that he came
to his death from the blows inflicted. Early
on Sunday morning, and before Griffin died,
Broxton fed He WAS pursued as far as Beau
tortdistrict,i in this State. captured and brought
to this jail on the 2lst ult., where he awaits
trial.-Be'm@eN Sentinel.
STARTLING DISCLOSURES The trial of j.
Mclaughlin, at Chicago, for throwing a
train of cars on the Galena and Chicago
Rail road off the track, has disclosed most
daring and diabolical gang of villains, both
male and female. The members of the
gang are located at Buffalo, Cleveland and
Chicdgo, and it seems they are engaged in
murders by all sorts of devices, such as
poisoning, arson, and rail road obstruction.
Several confidential letters between two
female friends in Buffalo aud an accomplicc
in Chicago, disclose tho whole matter, and
the entire plan of operations. From these
itappears that number of persons have
fallen victims to their nefarious schemos,