The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-09-26
An Extinguisher.

For full appreciation of the follow
ing you ought to have known the par
ties; and you ought to have been at our
Town Meeting and heard Uncle John"
make his speech. But you shall have
the story.
Mr.. Loren Smangle was busy man
in our village. He was carpenter by
trade, and speoulator by instinct. He
built several houses, and upon the pre-
mise that he owned much real estate he
gained considerable credit. He was
constant in his attendance at church,
and outwardly he was very moral
man. He was heavily framed man,
with stoop in his shoulders, and his
voice was attuned to pious twang. In
time! came to pass that Smangle failed
became bankrupt-and when his
creditors looked for his property they
found that he had put it all out of his
hands; all his real estate had been
decided to relative who lived in an ad-
joining town-and his creditors got
nothing. In short, when Smangle came
to make q disclosure of his effects in
court, he was able to show that he was
possessed Of just what was exemt from
seizure by law, and nothing more.
People whom he owed were wroth, for
they knew that the big piece of land
over the mill-brook was his and they
knew he still he still owned the block of
buildings in the village, though he only
collected rents as agent of the relative
aforesaid. There was no BANKRUPT act
of which he could take advantage, and
judgments held against him would re-
main Onnd for a of
Among Smangle's creditors was
Uncle" }" John Watcher, quaint old
genius, who had been Captain in his
day, and who was now settled down to
the cleaning and tinkering of clocks
and the heavier and grosser kind of
watches. Uncle John attended the
same church with Smangle, and, like
Christian man, made no outcry against
his conniving brother, though deep down
in his heart he felt bitterness which he
could not hide.
Immediately after his failure Smangle
commenced the erection of residence
upon the land over the mill-brook, and
there he laid out farm, doing all, of
course, in the name of the distant rela-
tive-and when the house was finished
he moved into it with his family. The
months passed on, and those who held
judgments against him looked in vain
for visible property upon which to lay
an attachment. Smangle was not to be
caught in that way.
At length Smangle wanted the town
to accept and keep in repair road
which he had opened across the mill
brook, and in the warrant calling the
next town meeting he got an article in
serted "To see if the Town will lay out
and maintain road commencing-etc.,
etc:,-runnlng-etc.. etc.,-to land of
said Smangle."
The day of Town Meeting came, and
Smangle was on hand to press his claim
for the road, and he had engaged sew
eral OF the smart takers to advocate
the measure. Finally that article in
the warrant was reached, and Squire
Cummings made an able plea in behalf
OF the project. It seemed only fair and
just that the road should be laid out,
and so it would have been had not an
unexpected extinguisher been put upon
the measure. Uncle John Watcher arose
and mounted the steps leading to the
chairman's desk.
Mr.. Moderator" said he, in his mel
low, measured-tones 81 am certainly in
favor OF granting all proper privileges,
and 1 am also in favor of adopting all
necessary plans for Improvement But,
sir, before the town votes to lay out this
road would it not be well to know where
the work is to endP We do not wish to
start thoroughfare which may find no
termination on earth. This article of
the warrant specifies that the proposed
road shall run to land Of said Smdngle.'
Now, sir, l. for one, haze a great desire to
Sno'e just Where any parcel Of land be-
longing to said Smangle may be located! !"
The meeting very quickly saw the
point, smangle, pale and red by turns,
tried to explain that there had been a
mistake made in drawing up the article
in the warrant, but the merriment of
the multitude overwhelmed him, and he
suffered the article to be passed over.
The road was finished in course of time,
but not at the expense of the town.
N. 7. Ledger.