The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1877-06-08


A horny-handed old farmer entered
the Offices 81 one Of the big railroad
companies Saturday and inquired for
the man who settled for horses which
was killed by the locomotives Of bloat-
ed corporation. They referred him TO
the company's counsel, whom, having
found, he thus addressed; s.Mister, /
was driving home one evening last week
--'' ..Been drinking ?" sententious-
ly questioned the lawyer. .I'm Center
pole Of the local Tent Of Rechabites."
said the farmer. ssThat doesn't answer
my question: replied the man Of the
law; III saw a man who was boiling
drunk vote the prohibition ticket last
year. Hadn't tasted liquor since the
big food Of 1885, said the old man.
ssGo ahead" II will, squire. And
when ! came 10 the crossing Of your
soulless monopoly, il was pretty dark,
and zip. along came your train, no
bells rung, no whistles footed. contrary
To the statutes in such cases made and
provided, and agin the granger decis-
sions, and-whoop! away went my off
boss a-scootin over the telegraph wires.
When had dug myself out'n a swamp
some distance off and pacified the other
critter, found that thar oh-hoss was
dead as Perry Smith; nothing valuable
about him but his shoes, which mought
have brought say eight cents for old
iron. Well --'' "Well. you want
pay for that ERE off horsePr said the
lawyer, with scarcely repressed sheer.
II kinder should, YOU see, said the farm
er frankly, .sand don care about suing
it, though possibly I'd get a verdict;
for juries out in our town Is mostly made
up Of farmers, and they kinder help each
other as matter Of principle in these
cases OF stock killed by railroads"
g And this ere off-hoss,' said the c0un-
sci, mockingly, g was Hambletonian
colt out Of an Abdallah mare, with sew
enteen Messenger crosses, wasn't he?
He was Using four years, as he had been
for several seasons past, and had shown
2 25 on half-mile track in the mud,
hadn't he? And you had been offered
SIC, 800 for him the day he was killed,
but wouldn't take il because YOU were
going to win all the purses in the grand
circuit with him, and then going tomove
10 Nevada and buy silver mine and
Senatorship with the proceeds? q, I've
heard of that horse before" :" guess
there's a mistake somwhere, sonny"
said the old farmer, with an air Of sur
prise; "my boss was got by the old
man Butts roam pacing Pride Of
Lemont, out'n wall-eyed, no account
mare Of my own, and now that he's
dead, may say that he was twenty-nine
next grass. Trot? Why Fred Erby's
boss that he was fined for furious driving
Of, was old Dexter alongside Of him!
Sixteen thousand dollars? Bless your
soul, do you think I'm darn fool, or
any one else lisp 1t is true was made
an offer for him the last time | was in
town, and for the man looked kinder
simple, and you know how it is with
hoss-trading, asked the fellow more'n
the animal might have been worth.
asked him sixty-fivs dollars, but I'D
have taken forty dollars z Forty dol
lars,r gasped the lawyer, = forty dol
larsi- ssYes,' replied the farmer,
meekly and apologetically. :. il kinder
looks big sum. know, for an old boss,
but that ere off boss could pull mighty
big load, considering. Then | was
kinder shook up. and the pole Of my
wagon was busted. and had 10 get the
harness fixed, and there's my loss Of
time, and all that counts. Say $50, and
it's about square" The lawyer whis-
pered softly to himself: "Well, III be
bulldozed,r and filed out check for
$500. Sir said he, covering the old
mans hand, lyon are the first honest
man have ever met in the course of a
legal experience Of % years, the farmer
whose dead horse was worth less than
81, 900, and couldn Z trot better than ? "a
without training. Here also is free
pass for yourself and your male heirs in
a direct line for three generations, and
If you have a young boy to spare we
will teach him telegraphing and find him
steady and lucrative employment" The
honest old farmer took the check and
departed, shifting his brawny leg with
his horny hand in triumph as he did so,
with the remark: 81 knew I'D fetch
him on the honest tack. Last boss
got killed sworc was trotter, and all
| got was S165 and interest Honesty
is the best policy "-Factory and
| E1y>,l2