The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1869-02-19

TIKI FIRST. .TEEA.I I. Held m SAN
~ DUsKK COUNTY.

= y 3 .Es ts6rt 81 oOhr36n plsus sse
held in sandusky county, May ID, lS2.
And the fTst tfisl aOa the docket was on
3 brought by a Seneca Indian, by his ne1
friend, EflrthP Pfs d Iudisp, add peal bIelh
oaist preAeler, b The same of Bi6ntgol6ery
Thssuk aas brSaght tO prove he ideaHt
J aud ownership Of an Indian pony, repleEied
IA holb6 BEief 81 81 soHerIi sctinQ for th
Seneca Isdian, found, aiter Il had straye
! from its rightful owner, in the possession 9
a WAitsapsn, living s6lns fOa Bls Vea Z
! th6Ssaeca Reservation. AS the White ia
laid claim TO the pony, and was not williD
( togiVsit Rp. Maatgonsry bad to Oissplesy
and then bring proof into Court to estsblis
/ The fact that Il belonged % The Seneca Indian
After the Court was opened in the usna
form, on Monday, the I'd day of May, 1924
J shp trial for the oEaenhip. Of the INDIA
pony was called. Lawyer Cook, Of Ssndusk,
city, acted as attorney for the Seneca In
dian, And ek-Judge PaTish3 from Golun
bus, aetsa as aitofuey jof tlisi white man
/ The Indians statement was, that be haC
raised ths pony frofn colt; and having
been out a few miles beyond where the
white man hFedR Dn hunting excursion, In,
pony left him and was making IFS way hom.
20 the Seneca RserFs, ,lbut Vas steppsd b
is way and lslzsu - 81 tie Tfte nan ,Rhp
upenlh Indian fhding ihs pouy, refused
to give it up, which was the cause Of its be-
ing repIeVied, as before stated. The white
man in justification of his conduct in refus-
ingtO give up tie horse, claimed that he had
raised him from colt
To prove that the horse was raised bY l5e
Indin, +e ssts four seneca Indians
brought into OcuTt as witnesses. The first
called Was,GeOrgs, the chief He was at the
time tall, POrtly, good looking Indian, full
six feet two inches in height, and straight as
an ArroF, although, at the time9 said to be
IS yssrs old. Il frequently saw his old
father, whose hair was as white as wool. He
was said to be one hundred years old He
was bern and raised at or near Cayuga Lake,
In the State Of New EOrk, and was generally
known tad called oayuga George. He
would frequently come down to town, at.
tended BY half dozen young, beautiful
well featured squaWs, who, like guardian
angels, would watch over him while he lay
cOckcOOsy on yankee rum at the end of Ohm
Stead's store. Beside George, the Seneca
chief, there were three other Seneca Indians
brought into court, and these Indian wit
nesses must be sWOFnss The question nat
urally arose, by what rule or form are wild,
untutOred, savage Indians, to be qualified to
tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but ths truth. The presiding Judge, Lane,
had the IDdiaus brought forward, and
through an Indian interpreter, put the fellow
ing question to George. the chief - 5sT
DO you believe the Crest Spirit will pun
ish you if you tell lie about the horseT
George fbs ocbisG aspEed, il his own
Seneca Language, to the interpreter, quickly
and with great animation.
What does he say ? asked the Judge Of the
interpreter.
He says, replied ebs interpreter, that he
would not tell lie for any mans horse.
Judge Lane then ordered them, through
The ihtsrpsster, 70 hold Up their light hands,
and he put the following oath to them
You, and each Of you, do believe that the
Great Spirit will punish yOu,-each one, If
you tell lie about the ownership of the
horse, nov in dispute between the Indian
and white man.
The Indians were then questioned by
Judge Lane, through the interpreter, con-
eerning what they knew about the pony,
eommsncihg with Geofgei tbe CHIEF. Their
atsteHert YES, one b one, that the Seneca
Iudiab, who aIimed the horse, had rsibea
the horse from colt and that be was three
years old the last spring.
The white man brought four white men
ss witnesses into court, who testified thst
the Nhifs nan, who claimed the horse. had
raised him from a colt, and that he was four
years old the last spring.
Hef6 the6 wsA 8 differsnes in the testi-
nOny given by the two contending parties,
Of one year, concerning the age of the horse
To aid thei1ry in iodg;ng which party was
right, Judge Lane ordered the Sheriff to seek
out and find three men, who prOEsssed to
know the age of horse, by examining his
mouth. The sheriff sgreesbly TO the Judges
order, sought and found three men having
the requisite qualifications. The men thus
chosen proceeded to examine the mouth of
the horse after which they came into court
and were sworn, and stated on oath, that the
horse was but three years cd that present
spring. After hearing the testimony of these
three msn taken together With that of the
Indians, who all testified that the pony was
but three years old, cane directly to the
conclusion that the jury would have no
trouble in giving up the horse to the proper
owner, the Ssneea Indian; bat, in thus iudg-
ing, wa mistaken, for the Jury suffered
themselves to be led astry by readings and
Pleadings Of sx-Judge Parish, from 0olum-
bus, who plead for the white man, and award
ed the horse p him. Aherths Tsturn Of
the verdict BY the jury, all the Indians pres
ent showed their diSaPprObatiOn and resent
meDt, And the white men attending court
to paeifY the indians, made apurse of fifteen
dollar and bought the pony Of the white
man and gsys il 70 tIe right owner The
Seneca Indian, and that Satisfied the Indians.
So much for the uncertainty of law.
ROBERT A. SHEKRAKD.
Sugar Hill, Jefferson county, o.
Pork Packing.-on Friday last we Wis
tied the pOrk-packing establishment of the
GusdOffA and found them jast about closing
up their seasons operations. Everything
indicated an extensive business, and the en-
ployment of q large capital. In their mack