News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-07-17
A MATTER SOON SETTLED.
RI,Jpe,s Grandfather Gillespie, and the
Manner in Which He settled His Sons
in.I,aW.

in-Law.
The. Pittsburg Dispatch is responsible
for the following story: Old Neal Gil
lespie, father-in-law of Ephraim Blaine,
the father of Jim, lived out in Washing
ton county. He was shrewd business
man, well-liked by his neighbors, but
always considered little queer. One
of his favorite pranks was to hitch a
horse to his sleigh in midsummer, throw
in a lot of buffalo robes, and drive over
to Washington. I think the whole
trouble with him was, that the more
his family endeavored to prevent his
doing queer things, the more he would
do them. When his sons and daughters
married and left his roof, he gave each
one a fine farm, and when his daughter
married Eph. Blaine she shared like the
others, though Eph. hadn't very much
of this worlds goods at the time. Mat
ters moved along for good many years.
Eph. sold the farm his father-in-law had
given him and the proceeds soon disap-
peared. Old man Gillespie still carried
on in his queer ways until finally the
sons and sons-in-law petitioned court for
q lunacy commission in his behalf, as
they claimed the old man was mentally
incapable of taking care of his estate.
The question came up before court for
hearing, but old Neal Gillespie de-
clined to have any attorney and pro-
ceeded to conduct his case himself.
Ephraim Blaine, his son-in-law, was the
first witness called. He went exhaust
lively into the causes which led the fam
lily to take the step they had: told about
his father-in-law's crazy ways, and was
then turned over to the alleged lunatic
for cross-examination.
"You are my son-in-law, Eph., 1 be-
lieve ?"
"Yes, SIR" responded Jim's father.
''Did You get any dowry with my
daughter when you married herr"
Eyes, I did,"
''Tell the court what property you
had yourself when you were married.
The witness objected on the ground
that it had nothing to do with the case.
"But I'll show you that it has, re-
sponded Gillespie, and to humor him
the Judge required Blaine to answer the
question
"Well, didn't have anything" said
the witness, reluctantly.
"Now, tell me what became of the
farm l gave you and my daughter when
you were married?"
"Ah-well--it has been sold"
"Aud where is the money!"
"Oh--it has been spent for household
and other purposes.
SCOT any of it left now?"
"Not very much"
''That will do, said the old man, with
a twinkle in his eye. "I'm done with
you for the present"
He took up the next witness, an
other son-in-law, and subjected him to
the same excrutiating cross-fre, and so
relative being the same. Ephraim Blaine
was called up again.
"Eph., want you to tell the court if
my estate was diminished any when L
gave part of it to you and your wife ?"
Eyes, sir; it was"
"Well, since then have I added to or
kept on diminishing it ?"
81 believe you have bought some land
since then"
''Added several farms, and stocked
'em, too, haven't 1 ?"
Eyes, sir"
you have sold your farm and got
nothing left of it p
Eyes, sir.
"And you want me declared lunatic, |
and you take the management of my
estate ?"
"That's what we want the court to
do, sir
The old fellow, tall, gaunt and awk-
ward, arose in court, glared around on
the members of the family who had
wasted their substance, and yet wanted
him adjudged a lunatic, and blurted
out: 'Well, you are fine set of ducks
to want to manage my estate after you've
squandered all of your own," ard he
strobe from the courthouse in tower
ing rage. The court refused to adjudge |
him a lunatic, and the sons and sons-in- |
law failed to get their fingers on the old |
mans property.