Mexico weekly ledger., 1883-10-18
A Freight.CIaim Romance.

auuIeN AluTtock was an eSLlulaDie gram
ger living in Illinois, and having tired of
the effete civilization of a Republican
State, concluded to migrate to q Com
wealth having a huge Democratic
majority. With this object in view he
up his household goods, and
shipped his stock, consisting of sundry
horses, divers chickens, several bushels
of oats and potatoes and two hoes, to
Mexico, Mo-, taking a through bill of
lading from Carpenter, ILL.,, via the Wa
bash route, on February 81, 1883.
1t was not long after that Mr.. Muir
tock fell into the hands of a railroad law
yer who persuaded him tina: the railroad
company had damaged the freight in tran
sit, and induced him to file a petition
against the Wabash, st. Louis and Pacific
Railroad Company in the Circuit Court
of Audrain County, in which the follow
ing serious allegations were made:
That in transporting the car contain
ing plaintiffs horses, chickens, potatoes
and hoes said car was "o~yerturned and
worsted," whereby said hoes and chick
ems were entirely lost, and all of said
horses were bruised, mangled, injured,
wounded and made sick, diseased, disor-
deIed and manned, SO that one died, and
the three survivors were irretrievably
ruined. And by reason OF the injuries
sustained through the negligence of the
defendant corporation, its agents and
damaged in the sum of 1915, for which,
with costs of suit, he prayed judgment.
The railroad company filed its general
denial to this petition and proceeded to
examine into the bill particulars furnish
ed by plaintiff. Mr.. VIM. B. Jennings,
Travelling Freight Agent of the Wabash,
put in considerable leisure time inyesti-
eating the alleged loss and in tracing up
the pedigree of the alleged blooded stock,
whose manning and bruising had SO Sc
riously impaired plaintiffs ability to cul-
tivate a Missouri farm. Mr.. jennings
report on claim 20, $50 is interesting and
amusing. Under date of May l, 1888,
he writes to Col. ". H. Blodgett, Gener-
al Solicitor of the Wabash, as follows:
GAS to the alleged wreck, would say:
This car was not wrecked, but in pulling
out OIL the side track at Ferguson this
car got off the track. Car went about
w lengths when the wheels dropped off
the end of ties. This canted the car in
an angle of 20 to 80 degrees sidewise, by
reason of which the horses (fve) fell
down. Wrecking train happening (proy-
identially) to be there at the time, con-
dnctor Copeland in charge of second No.
%, called wrecking train to assist in
righting car up, which they did by throw
ing a line over this car (l5,606) and in
pulling the car on to the track, broke one
of the arch bars of the truck frame which
rendered car unsafe to haul in train.
Car was then taken to Graham's Station
and the five horses and other contents
transferred to car 1861 without any ap-
parent damage to stock except a few
slight scratches which are of no real con-
sequence. Referring to the items of the
claim I have to report as follows:
l. One gray horse, legs cut, etc.
damage, $40.
This horse is blind in both eyes, and
was bought from Fred. Saunders, neal
Alhambra, Bond Co., Ill.,, for $40 in thu
fall of'S2. 1 fail to find a single cut o.
bruise about this horse.
2. One sorrel mare, eye knocked out
ETC., Sl25.
This mare is Is years old, and blind il
both eyes; has beer blind in both eve:
for more than two years past. I fount
few slight scratches on the legs, ius1
enough to take the hair off. The mar,
has since given birth to colt. As tt
the condition of this mares eyes 1 an
able to prove the facts stated by William
Mcdonald and Louis and George Conop.
ton, near neighbors of the claimant il
Illinois.
3. One sorrel horse, one eye badl
hurt, viii loose it, ETC., S75.
This sorrel horse is l6 years old, bin,
in q eye and buck-kneed, and l fail t,
find any cuts or bruises on him.
f.. One black horse hurt in the eye
ETC., $3.50.
This horse is partially blind in on
eye, the other one apparently sound; wa
bought in the fall of 1882 of Mr.. Essen
bury, near Alhambra, Bond County, Ill.
for SIS, and is about 10 or IL year
old. fail to find any cuts or bruises o.
him. I found claimant blowing with tn
four horses above referred to on May
1883.
5. One yearling colt, slightly cut, etc
8
This coltI did not go to see. TIL
colt was given to young Ruby by WIN
Hase, of G~reencastle, Bond County, Eli.
and was not the property of this aclai
mant. @
6. Lost out of car, twelve bushels q
potatoes, 80, and twenty-five bushels G
oats, Sl2.
OF the above there was not a peck @
oats lost nor a single potato.
Z. Eleven chickens lost, So.
Of the chickens, there was two dea
chickens in the coop and one chicken 60
out and skipped, which, in my opinion
was the severest loss this claimant sus
tanned.
On being furnished with the abov
facts, claimant proposed to settle thi
claim If this company would pay hin
SIS. Believing this claim, from tn
facts in the case, to be made for tn
sole purpose of black mailing this com
pany out of a sum of money withou
any just cause whatever, and at the in
stigation of a petty attorney, I have de
clined the claim entirely. If you thin
the facts as stated do not warrant m
action in the premises, command me q
you think proper"
THE case never went to trial. Plain
tiff took S25 and paid the costs.
We call especial attention to IL
sale Oct. "a, 1883, by VIM. c. Wilson
attorney in fact Of st. Louis, an
c. w. Daker, agent Of Mexico, {
anetion on the nrem;ses- Sixty Hu1f