Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-03-30
A PLUCKY WIDOW.
HasW she BothaFed . MassaG nn-
sects Ealroad Company.
ass Uassaiiiag Easht Fsr = hst >he Claim
ga ~ 40 Lsa ana hl4lf- a tesapts
O. carr Dat ftsr Basb@ass
lat ss saes-

lSsssa Bs,s.ssnsi 80 Has. Ger sosteo & .f,e.i
re t54l ~ SortA Broo kheid sater~i
4peu the nes a. " los5 vita Z ssirish
~ tfglaPets - s.gualss tue fa-t ta.E tn >
80 i0D sr saei 4aliar, aad tbar ~ lain
tsa wears thaF h.lt sutscrite1 los aud
lal.E a ll-tls s4,raai ~ t1er 9sa of four
mie- asrsby planting tne loea "a the
.nala trsrk d D. B9st . & Albany kad-
rad Q ti4A far paY.ag tb4s tebt %
ne4F.s 300 .se expirei . les ~eezs azo-
aad fh- f8sa ea, equsi ~ IL Thus Sc v a.
thas b. t0sE celebrated AMI felt glad, ne-
~ the sBvy 9l their neishb9rs. shlu
~ssu g~asFoas 1 spissl.tY ts79 invites -
llla q me sbs rsancs ant ! ~ Ilcipate "a
th.- fssss = f-asosf and n9w e s9u. ID ths
To~a Han L4rze numbers came, s-d Aith
liberal applause heard the speakers re-
hearsiu. the virtues 90 the toan. But
lrosa ths mi.ist ~ all tAis merri olent, tbs
tosn nesting Celebration, one ~ eil known
figure sas absent. Although oue of the
oldest citizens ani residents OF the towa.
Mrs kAzab.sth Ksttre.igv irOwaet upon
the construction ~ the new IA lroad
~hieh, she said. ~as buas eostragy a law
and ri ght aud il would be her mission she
insisted, o. prove that she was right, aud
~ uphold the stability ~ honest sentiment
and statute Law. Accord nglg hrs KIT
lFcd viewed the celebration in the most
serious mood Her grievances against the
town vas thar shs Was Obliged % pay a
share of the taxes Of the town - iqaidate
the railroad debt, whue she claims .he debt
vas controlled and the railroad built with
out warrant AMI without law
ia $50, the town voted to raise so 90 70
build a railroad according 10 a law which
allow II towns 20 raise i've per cent. OF
their valuation for such purpose. soon
alter this aCtiol was taken the law was
changed aud instead o i've per cent. two
p per cent. was the amount. allowed py law;
bat the town had already taken ad anita ge
II the i've per cent law. Both Mrs x T.
tredgs aud her husband, who was then
alive. covered the case as well as they
could by refusing 10 pay any taxes FOR the
new debt. aud finally paying them under
( protest. Mr. Kitredge did this year after
/ year until about three years ago, when be
I died, and s.ncs then his widow has done
/ tire same. hiss Mr. Kittredge brought
suit % recover the taxes which he had paid
under protest, but for some reason the
I fl-Fs Wul-A " AH Ut-c-lrtl against MN. Nd-
not taken up % the supreme Court, a
thing which he apparently made III am
bition Of his life. He had lon. cherished
the idea that some day he would be the in =
strument of securing an opinion from
tle highest court against the town.
and, disappointed and dying, he called
his wife 10 his bedside and made
} Two requests. One was that she
should prosecute the case where he left
or, and the other was that around the
bleak aud lonely spot where his bones were
placed, she saould build strong enclosure
70 protect il from the trampling OF the
world. or, 70 use his own words, to prevent
him from being stepped upon when dead
a. be had been while living. The aged
( widow promised to obey, and to- day, en-
circliag the mound that rises over the BODY
OF her deceased husband, is a strong gall
I vanized iron rod. The other request was
not so easily fulfilled, but there was no de-
lay in beginning, aud after three years.
taxes had been paid under protest, Mrs.
Kittredge brought suit to recover.
Mrs. Kutredge and her husband lived in
North Erookfcld for forty years. the own
ers of a farm OF one hundred acres. The
I NAil iiI Nu Al III. lrAtu was rcNtni six. anu
hs widow now is seventy three. She is
OK proud and honorable ancestry, and
boasts that her father was .EIihu Pond OF
Franklin, who enlisted as a revolutiO iOuar-y
soldier when scarcely seventeen years old.
Mrs. Kittredge now seems to feel that she
is II htiag over again the battle OF free
dom. Last fall the widow took up the case
where it had been left of by her husband
and brought suit TO recover the taxes OF
iSSi2-3, alleging the foregoing facts as 70
the ille<alitv Of the assessment. UptO the
.ine that the railroad was built the taxes
on her place amounted 20 about twenty
hvei dollars. but subsequently they in
creased 20 double that amount. Besides
running the track through Mrs. Kittredge's
land ed destroying q vnluable wood lot
the town raised the valuation OF her acres
all 0f which has made her the more anx-
ious and persistent The case was tried
and the verdict vas awarded 20 The town
It was carrisi 10 the Supreme Court, and
from this court a rescript has been receiv 81
at the present session OF the superior
Court affirming the decision Of the court
below in favor Of the town. And from
this court also Mrs. Kittredge appeals e
the bar Of public opinion, and here sh'
feels confident OF verdict. She believes
she is lighting a good fight against tn
power of money. and that she must ulti
matelv win. Already il has cost her %
m cash. The widow has not ripened IL
her knowled "a ~ law on this case alone
but has been in several other suits. She i
out of law now. however. FOR the time be-
ng. Mrs KittredEe il evidently a woman
Of ei1cation. and is looked upon IN kind
ness by the people ~ the town. who sal
that ruce she was a school teacher. He
present ideas aud notions ar nos in har
monv with ths majority, and she stand
today the best known woman in town.