The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-07-26
ANECDOTES.

| ply druggists with herbs used in medicines
Some eight years ago, while making his
rounds among his customers in this city, he
went to the store of Messrs. w. S. Merrell
& Co., wholesale druggists, and was given
by the younger member of the firm orders
| for different roots, barks, etc. They had a
printed list, and as they came to the needed
article the word was checked off, such as
Tansy, three pounds !" Z" Cammomile flow
ers, five pounds y "Pennyroyal, six pounds"
and so on. When they got down to "Sas-
safras pith," Nj Merrell who was eight
years younger, said according to Mr. Pat
rick's statement), Get as much of that as
you can find"
Sassafras pith is the spongy matter found
inside the stems of the American plant sds-
sdfras madulia. 1t is used, when soaked
in water, as wash for diseased eyes, and as
drink in dysentery, catarrh, etc. An
eighth of an ounce to pint Of boiling water
will make wash the thickness OF weak
muciage. The article has heretofore come
almost entirely from down South, and it
was generally believed th1t it grew nowhere
else in the country. 1t was high priced, the
| wholesale rate being at that time over three
dollars pound. Mr.. Patrick, understand
| ing that he was to get as much sassafras
pith as he could find, pocketed the list and
went home. He at once hired about two
hundred men, women and children, and set
| them to picking sassafras stems and strip
ping them of the bark. When he had got
large pile he wrote on to Messrs. Merrell
to send him two hundred bags. They denied
ever getting this letter. lie went on pick
ing until large part of Eastern Kentucky
was cleared of the plant. He then hired
boats, and loaded two Of them with pith.
Enough was left to half fill third boat.
One day the druggists on Third street were
astounded with the announcement that there
are lying in the river three boats laden with
sassafras pith, subject to their order, and in
day or two in walked Mr.. Elijah Patrick
with his little bill of S5,90l. AS might be
supposed, there was a scene. Messrs. Mer-
rel & Co. hadn't room in their whole build
ing wherein to store it. 1t has been calcu-
lated that at the rate of drachm to q case
of dysentery or catarrh, there was more than
enough for the whole of the United States
Flatly, Messrs. Merrell refused to pay for it,
when Mr.. Patrick walked to Judge Han
overs office and engaged him to bring suit.
The case came up in the Superior Court,
and Patrick lost. He continued proceed
ings, and the case was tried six times.
Meanwhile the pith had hard time of it.
Piled up in stacks, it grew mouldy and
rotted. The rats got at it. Twice the
warehouse burned down. The first time
half of the heap was turned to ashes, and
the second time the other half went up.
Never was case that looked clearer to
outsiders than Patrck's claim, but never
did anything so bother the judges as did
that mountain of sassafras pith. Toward
the last, fresh proof involving Messrs. Mer-
rell was brought forward, and it began to
look as though the druggists would get the
worst of the suit. Judge Taft, who had
been down to look at the pith, was nightly
puzzled, and finally declared that he could
not decide the case, and it must 60 to jury.
Mr.. Patrick here grew discouraged. He
had pushed the thing through the courts for
seven years, and just when he could almost
hear the judgment in his favor, it was pro-
posed to begin all over fresh, and, in the
end, depend upon the verdict of a jury.
why" said he, as he mournfully listened
to the proposition of compromise, yer
kin better tell aforehand where lightin's
going to strike as to tell what decision them
| felers would come to-" So he concluded
that he had had enough of law, and agreed
with Messrs. Merrell to call the whole mat
ter square for thousand dollars-Cincin-
matt Enquirer.
Judge l.. of Lafayette, Ind, not only
dispenseth justice with an even hand, but at
| times indulgeth in the jocose. During the
progress of a certain trial involving the
ownership of a calf, it became important
that the jury, in order to arrive at just
conclusion, should be sent to view for them
selves the chattel in dispute. The plaintiff
who had the animal in charge lived some
two miles from the court house, and one OF
the elderly jurymen demurred to the idea OF
being sent so far. The Judge, in his usual
full voice replied, Gentlemen, | anticipated
this objection, and had the calf brought to
the court yard. 1 thought it less trouble to
bring in one calf than to send out tCelre. .
The jury emerged into the open air, and in
the presence of the calf deliberated
CHEATING THE MAILs.-Iemrae Bar says:
In the days of heavy postage no one had
the slightest scruple in cheating the reven-
ne. Persons leaving home, whether for in
land or foreign travel, were importuned by
| friends to carry letters for them to other
friends. An idea prevailed that if the let
tiers were carried "open,' that is, unsealed,
| there was no infraction of the law, and that
consequently no penalty could be exacted.
! This was popular error. The law, more
over, was evaded in another way. A news
| paper was sent by post in an envelope; in
side the latter, a long epistle was often
written in invisible ink, generally milk.
When this was dry, the writing could not
be seen. By holding the paper to the fire
the writing came out in sepia color, and
the law was broken. In place of writing in
milk on covers of newspapers, they make
slight dots, in ordinary ink. under such
printed letters as suited their purpose for
conveying intelligence; This was trouble
some for both sender and receiver, and it
was therefore used only for brief messages.
The postal tax pressed most heavily on the
poor, but the ingenious poor found means
| to evade it. For instance, a son or daugh-
ter in town dispatched letter to parents in
the country who were too poor to pay the
postage. The parents declined to take such
letter in, which they had a legal right to do.
Returned to the general post Office, the let
ter, on being opened, was found to be a
iblank sheet of paper. The fact is, that par
ents and children had agreed to send these
blank sheets as indications that all was well
with the sender; the receiver got that much
of news, and had nothing to pay for it
The letter was never taken in unless Pc
eular mark was on the cover, which intima-
ted that it contained something Of import
ance.