The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1864-03-19
From WaIes)
(From Wales)
; udge Bentss Decision ca the Prairie
Fire Law.

the indomitable Judge Bent's decision on
firing prairies, in the case of Pearce vs..
Smith, startled the community generally,
from Emporia all round causing the pop
ulace to awake only to see the Van Wrinkle
dom into which they had been nurtured and
built up by Elmore and Ruggles. I will,
however, take occasion, just here, to re-
mark, that it is not my intention to cast the
least reflection upon either of the two last
named gentlemen, nor to overestimate Judge
Bent but merely to mention one point, and
the only point, too, in his decision, which
was understood by anybody but himself
and me.
He said that person meaning certain
class Of persons, whom prudence fOrbids
naming) has no right 70 fire against fire IN
der any circumstances. let the contingent
cies be how great eoeyer unless the FIRE
is right upon him. But some timid per-
sons, not more loyal than timid, are very
much afraid Of fire Of any mentiouable de-
serition, and always take to their heels on
its approach, saying That you Lad just as
well stick FIRE into your own premises, and
60 of to town lounging, as to wait till it
GENES upou. you" Some pretend that the
Judge spoke prospectively-a good hint to
the Legislature to make a law to which his
decision would be strictly applicable; but
this is false. He oaly meant that some peo-
pie, from some unknown cause, perhaps
hereditary, had not sufficient presence of
mind in time of raging fire to always do
bat is best And here circumstance oc-
ours to my mind, which mention for the
sake of illustration, in order to get the
proper idea rightly before the mind of the
reader, showing that the eminent iurist was
right, anyhow.
Some time ago, fire broke out in the
neiShb0rhood of Mr.. Humphreys, and was
spreading over the prairie in north wester-
ly direction. But it happened that man
saw it coming-met it-fired against, and
headed it off on The road running east from
town. But just as he had succeeded in
getting it under his control-heading it off
at every poiut-he old man, who is the very
ideal of moderation and sagacity, came tum-
bling over the fence and laundering down
the road, like stray locomotive, with all
the available force he could summon ia his
excitement. forgetting which way the wind
was blowing. cor something," fred on the
wrong side of the rood, and away it went
again, at the rate of forty knots, sweeping
everything before it, to the great chagrin of
the young man who was fast swelling fair
| ly with pride for the reception of the high
est possible eulogies on his great achieve
ments. The old friend was requested to 60
home just then, and wait till called for.
don't know the exact amount of dam
age done by this firing against fire, but am
told that it exceeds that sustained by DR..
Armor, in a similar manner, last fall.
It was such cases as the last named to
which the Judge had reference, and not such
as was the case with the young man first
spoken Of.
The Department of Kansas is divided in
to five Districts for the convenience Of pol
ice regulations, as follows:
1st. District of the Frontier, embrac-
ing all of the Department South of Kansas,
comm anded by Maj. Gen. Blunt.
Cd. District of South Kansas, compris
ing all that portion of the State south of ,he
Kansas River and its tributary, the Smokey
Hill Fork, commanded by Brig. Gen. Thos.
j. Kean.
Sd. District of North Kansas, including
that part of the State north Of the Kansas
river and Smoky Hill Fork, commanded By
Brig. Gen. Thos A. Davis.
4th. District of Nebraska Territory,
commanded BY Brigadier General R. B.
! Mitchell
5,h. District of Colorado Territory,
commanded by Brigadier General Thomas
Ewing. Jr.
TERR1roR1AL GREATNESS OF OUR CouE.
TRY-The Territory of Idaho is large
enough to make IL states Of the size of New
York.
Dacotah is as large as Illinois and Wis
consin.
Arizona is as large as Pennsylvania and
| New York.
Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, are
each of about the size of Indiana, Ohio
! and Kentucky.
The Indian Territory is nearly as large as
Illinois and Indiana
Nevada aud Washington are each larger
than the New England States.
THE UNION LEAGUE REscINDs-At
meeting of the Union League, last night.
the resolutions expelIing members who had
voted for Carney were rescinded by an over
whelming majority. The resolution will
appear in to-morrow's Times.-LeaUengoyth