Middletown transcript., 1877-09-29
Summons.
TIL lfEa H lEMel

the Office 0f one Of the big railroad
companies in Chicago and inquired for
the man who settled for horses which
we're killed by the locomotives of a
bloated corporation. They referred
him to the company's counsel, whom
having found he addressed thus:
sMister, I was driving home one
evening last week"
@Besn drinkingS" sententiOusly ask
ed the lawyer.
aI'n centre pole of the local Tent Of
Reehabites, said the farmer.
"That doesn't answer my question"
replied the man oflaw. Il saw a man
who was boiling drunk vote the Pro
hibition ticket last year.
Haven't tasted liquor since the big
food Of 1916" said the man.
Go ahead"
~ viii, Squire. And when 7 came
10 the crossing Of your soulIess monop-
oly-it was pretty dark-and zip !
along came your train, no bells rung,
no whistles footed, contrary to the stat
utes in such eases made and provided,
and again the Granger decisions, and
-whoopl away went my off horse
seooting over the telegraph wires.
When had dug myself out'na swamp
some distance off and pacihed the other
eritter, I found that thar off horse was
Is dead as Perry Smith, nothing valu-
able about him but his shoes, which
mout have brought say about 8 cents,
for iron. Well"
"Well, you want pay for that ere off
horse Y said the lawyer, with scarce
" repressed sneer.
Il kinder should, you see" replied
the farmer, frankly, "and | don't care
about going to law about it, though
possibly I'd get . verdict; for juries
out in our town is mostly made up Of
farmers and kinder help each other as
q matter Of principle in these cases Of
stock killed BY railroads"
GsAnd this ere off horse" said the
counsel, mockingly, was a Hambleto-
man colt, out ofan Abdallahmare with
venteen Messenger crosses, wasn't
her He was rising four years, as he
had been for several seasons past, and
had shown 2.354 on half mile track
in the mud, hadn't he2 And you had
been offered s16,5OO for him the day
he was killed, but would not take it,
because you were going to win all the
purses ii the Grand CIRCUIT with him,
and then going to move out to Neva-
da and buy asilver mine and Sena-
torship with the proceeds? o, I've
heard Of that off boss before
II guess there's mistake sOme-
where, sonny" said hefarmer, with an
air ofsurprise smy hoss was got by
old man Butts roam pacing-hoss, Pride
Of Lemont, out'n wall eyed, no ac-
count mare Of my own, and now that
he's dead. 7 may say that he was 20
Iast grass. Trot? Why, Fred. Erby's
) that he was fined for furious dri-
Vim Of was old Dexter along side Of
himi Sixteen thousand dollars Bless
your soul, do you think I'm a darn
fool, or any one else is? II is true, I
vas made an offer for him the last time
vas n town, and, as the man looked
kinder simple, and you know how tits
yourself with horse trading, 1 asked the
.uss more than the animal might have
been worth. I asked him s65, but I'd
have taken $40"
@Forty dollars r gasped the lawyer,
forty dollars p
sY@. replied the farmer, meekly
md energetically, at kinder looks
BE sum- 1 know, for an old hoss, but
hat ere off hoss could pull q mighty
good load, considering. Then / was
kinder shook up, and the pole Of my
wagon was busted, and / had to get the
harness fixed, and there's my loss of
lime, and all counts. Say about $50,
Ind its all square,
The lawyer whispered sofy to him
Jelf, aWelI, TIL be bull dozedr' and
filed out a check for $500.
@Sir, said be, coveringthe old mans
hand, you are the first honest man /
nave met in the course Of a legal expe-
ience Of twenty-three years the first
armer whosedead horse was worth less
han 81 900, and couldn't trot better
han 2.34 with training. Here is also
free pass for yourself and your male
ieirs in a direct line for three genera
ions, and if you have a young boy to
pare we will teach him telegraphing
md find him steady and lucrative EN- I
/
The honest old farmer took the J
heck and departed, smiting his horny
eg with his brawny hand in triumph {
IS he did so. with the remark 7aI e
newt d fetch him on the honest track / 9
LAST horse I had killed I swore was a /.
rotter, and all i got was $165 and in
crest. Honesty IS the best policy"
PERPLExED IN THE EXTREME
\ tramp sat on a door step back in /
5aston, Penn, a few days since, ten