Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-02-11


struck the side of her face against the bed
post, she SAID that he struck her in the face
and knocked her on the bed She had an
ugly face when she appeared before Justice
Beidler to enter suit against William. Ver-
dict not guilty and the costs to be divided
between the parties. The costs will amount
TO fifty six dollars and some cents.
The fourth jury trial was that OF Enoch
Beale VS.. Huston township, Blair county,
cooperation Mutual Fire Insurance Compa-
ny, and was 10 recover Sii0.50 adjusted
insurance money that was due on the loss
of hog pen, grain house, and carriage
house building and grain, that was destroy
ed BY fire on Beale's farm, in Tuscarora val
ley in 1888. The Insurance company was
about ready to pay the claim as it had been
adjusted, when they received letter, sign
ed by a number ofcitlzens OF Tuscarora val
ley requesting that the payment of the in
surance money be withheld from Beale on
account of suspicious circumstances. The
company took the advice OF the letter and
withheld the money Beale brought suit to
recover the amount Of the adjusted claim.
The company resisted the payment because
of what they called suspicious circumstan-
ces.
They alleged that it was suspicious cir =
cumstance. that while in fit of desponden-
cy over his debts he had expressed the
thought to hi, father-in-law, that he could
free himself from deot by insurance money
obtained from the burning of his farm build
ings. The lawyers for the company main
tsined that il was a suspicious circumstance
that he contemplated crime.
That it was a suspicious circumstance,
that, from tetimonv heard in Court there
was not as much wheat and corn in the grain
house as was claimed.
That an additional policy of insurance for
3 years had been taken oRt.
That the main policy of insurance was
soon to expire.
That Mrs Beale was away the night of
the fire on a visit to the family of her
brother-in-law.
That the door of the house was left open
that night.
That Beale had counted up the amount of
his Indebtedness, aud the value of his pro-
iuce a night or two before the fire in the
presence of his son.
That the hogs were not in the pen on the
night of the fire.
That piow had been pulled out of the
building and escaped the fire.
That he had charged other people with
having burned his property.
That he had taken three times the usual
amount of wheat to the mill 10 BE- ground
into flour short time before the fire.
That can Of coal oil had been bought at
Ba. toms. store aud the boy who bought 1t
SAID that it was TO melt the ice in the straw
stack.
The above are the chief circumstances,
that lawyers for the defendant presented,
they slated a number of minor cIrcumstan-
ces that increased their chain to twen ty-
seven links 20 strong they said that Samson
could not break the cham.
The lawyers for Beale took up the plea
and eclared that the Sampson to break the
chain Of y links OF circu instances that bad
been pronounced against Bells by lawyers
for the insurance company would be tho
weakness Of the links, that when examined
would one, by one, drop out OF the chain.
They declared that the insurance coups-
uy had offered great deal of testimony but
little evidence.
Beale was pronounced to be an honest
man, good citizens, one whose ancestors
had lived in the valley for the period of or-
er a century aud none of whom had been
guilty Of crimes or misdemeanors. The
spirit that prompted the insurance compa-
ny to pay the claim was declared TO be borL
Of the spirit OF revenge.
As rule incsDiiary people do not burn
buildings that are insured hence the men
that burned the property in question, went
to grain-bouse, hog-hOuse and carriage
housc, believing those buildings to be with
out insurance.
The circumstance as stated, that there
was not enough grain in the building, was
liSproved By the testimony OF the witness
es for the company. IL was testimony that
over five hundred bushels of wheat had
been put IN the building, and when all that
was taken out was summed up, one-hundred
and seyenty-fve bushels were lett which
was even more than Besle himself, claimed
that he had let.
The corn that was in the building was
burned. Germ Is first rate fuel and in the
west it is used IN may places instead of
wood for fuel. The heat of the burning
corn helped to lessel the pie of wheu.
There was nothing in the circumstances
Of the nurchlSc of the coal oil, and if it had
b en- knowa that it would be nsei A. a link,
witnesses would have been produced to tes-
tity as to that ink.
The circumstances as to the charges that
Beale made against people for burning h IN
out, considered, but who did he tell his
charges to
The circumstance that the plaintiff had
debts vas considered weak link. His debt
all told did not amount TO over $1,000 his
property is worth 5000 AMI he could have
realized money on it without iro Ible.
The circumstance that he summed the val
TIE of the products of his farm was a weak
Ink, who is the man that does not frequent
ly count up his debts and means TO pay
them with.
The circumstance that an additional poll
cy OF insurance for 500, had been taken on
The property was weakened under the tes-
timOny of an insurance agent that the build.
ing was worth fully 500 more than the val
ut placed on it.
Tla sL.3 81 II