The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-11-19
OLD EZR.l'S ELOIIlNH FIRM
The Way Yankee Avoided Paying Taxes
Stories Of Floating Islands.

stories OF Floating Islands.
Speaking about paying taxes" said q
man who had perhaps been performing that
pleasant duty. reminds me of an old fellow,
sort of hermit. who lived where / did in 4
small town in New Hampshire. and il he wasn't
the out-and-outcst chap for avoiding the de-
mands of the State. then Pm mistaken"
Why didn't they sell him out 2"
Because they couldn't get hold Of tho prop.
crty. No, it wasn't air custles and lie didn't
live in n balloon but on solid property and
every time the tax collector came around in
New Hampshire Ezra and his property were in
Massachusetts,.
Oh. see. He had the State line on wheels.
and showed it about to suit"
Not exactly. but he had his property fixed
80 that he could shift it anywhere he wanted.
1t was nothing more nor less than a floating
island made up of bog and stuff aud for II good
many years it blow about the pond. until finally
S en an put cH Ks and nut Ind Sp it Exit
ing farm. But one day h" heard the assessor
he had rugged to the island and before The
the STATE line that ran through the pond
int MassaGhusciti md when lie collector
AS they called him. actually t6 r"st.n,Inni
to have him arrested for trying to collect tho
i lanes OF a nrishbor state He anchored tho
isInnu on t.e massachusetts, side until tho
Se!cc'mcn, got after him there. and for scvera,
yrars he dGlscd back aud forth, and didn't pay
np Job on him. and two nssessors one iron,
each State, went out in skifrs, the island being
ahenoreJ n the middle of the lake; Tho ~
i Just r'aht rs he lived in both Statrs-thn
house WIS in one STAT" and tho barn in III,
other. Inc collectors got 80 mixed up irving
To- striEhtrn it that beIieye they had TO take
It into a SSu src A la,Mr don" think the Old
pGs - SaM F me Sail, h@ "n # IT, an,h"r
Of Tie. I,t-,
WWys,Trsqs ,,lmd ND Il 1eI,2ns,d +" The town Of
nnd S c"vSrci Win trees hiriy rae Gr I more
high som" of the people declared they had
s"rn I'M f I my" y"nrf ago but they W"r"
;mc uro over The State line in New n S,H'.
stood. II was originn!ly bog held togc.foi hy
roots. mud the water had gradually undermined
IT. nhtl good sharn breeze took the trees as
Mnny asss lay" Sc similar ran1- even in
anchored by roots. rising ana faiiing with the
water. ana swinging by their vcGc,abic cab.cs.
Some OF the Europran lakes have such island.
carry IN" is and population to great distances.
TO- During thr Erca, iloo'! in the Missis7r N
rivernn'l carried FAR GU INTO the Gulf. stream.
on" that vessel ran mo 800 miin- from tle
usiin wts oyer an 9crc IN cN,cn nn1 piG'a,rd
ties. besides II numbcru f land HniHiniS TINT hnd
sought protection there from the li-nG Wai"rs,
only 70 he swept out 10 sea. Tic G"pEIulhlrd
distribution Of life. II wll be e"'n d"lruas
much upon those ilogttn.; slund--a tact proved
by comparing III" inhabitants of Islands miles
apart. Several years a,o a large -unkc was
picked M oil the bermuda islands clNliHg 10
4 lloatlh@ island that. without doul, had como
rom the Amazon. Miles oI cprda@r T. H' uut
OF the great river IN the sam" WAY. lar'y.n;
seeds and oven nuim9lS far arnund 'h,., ji.fii'
OF tho Atlantic, The same i 'ru' 60 the
GanErS, Great RATS. populated WIN animals
from The injector have been found uN Nr--c.-
over 900 miles from tho mouth of mo li'rr.
Tho great mass ~ -raWcod orrt,I,yiI. IN
area Of many Thousand square, nl'ir- M tln ~
lahllc. better known n the SarGus-p Sea. l- tt
vast island inhabited ly II fauna entirely au-
ltlrnt from thal ui tho sUrruUudiu. Nn',I..
ana all the animals arc in some WAY p,rU.U'.f
adan'ea or modified - their surruui liu...
SINH tracts occur in various par,e o' t'H
y w23ru "t,"n So thi"k TINT thr passage, 81 '"-'
StiS through them il seriously mIruru.'
Well. | d,ciar"." sid III, Gr-t -paacr.
them old Era floating farm vast sn d.
very angular ttn- ait.la!!, but | - n.a A1
made a. riput ~ - II