Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-02-20
tween two well-to.do planters occu,r.a

tween two well-to.do planters occurred
four years ago in Superior Court Of
a Southern State The estates of the
litigants, each comprising a number
of hundred acres, lay adjoining, and
ever before either owner was in posses.
sion n fence had divided them,
Both were high strung, dignitied men,
the weakness of each being that of
inherited hot-headedness. Through the
prevarication of some sinister neighbor
A was led to make some impulsive crit.
cism upon B, which the listener re.
peated to the latter. B retaliated in
kind, which A hearing of, the friend.
ship of long standing was ruptured.
Twin fences were determined on but
they could not agree upon how and
where they should be run. A suit at
law by A was met with a counter
suit by b. For two years after the
filing of the actions continuances
were had for one cause or another.
When the cases were at length set.
and each party had half ahundred wit
nesses at Court, the Judge of the Court
asked if any effort had been made to
have the differences betweent the litigants
settled by arbitration. The respective
attorneys answered that no agreement
could be had upon who should consti-
tute a board of arbitration. The Judge
then, ordering the attorneys to be seat
ed, addressed the two principals, ask
ing them to come forward and stand
one on either side of the bench. Lean
ing back in his chair and looking first
one and then the other in the face as
he proceeded, he reminded them Of the
boyhood time when they three had
played and attended school together;
OF how their respective fathers had
through life lived as neighbors not only
~peaceably, but cordially; of three
graves near together in the country
churchyard, i'll which the three fathers
were buried; of the early manhood of
himself and the two litigants when
they We're bosom companions and in
separable. .aGentlemen," he said; II
have always found in you both the
same honorable qualities that bound
me to you then; may l be permitted to
settle this dispute between you wi hout
assistance OF evidence or jury?" Both
answered yes. 81 know every foot OF
the boundary line," he then said.
''and so need none of the maps YOU
have had made" While each looked
over a shoulder of the Judge, he drew
a line on a slip of paper, made a heavy
dot for a certain large oak, and direct
ed that north from that tree A should
maintain a good fence, while b should
keep up the fence running south from
it. "Does the decision satisfy you?"
he inquired. Each answered in the af-
tirmative: mi. Clerk" the Judge adj
dressed that officer, '.you will foot up
the costs accrued in these cases and
hand the bill to me; 1 propose to settle
it out of my w pocket" A stepped
forward and proposed that he should
settle the costs, .'for," said he, 1
brought the suit" But to this 3 Wig
orously objected, claiming that he haV-
ing answered with a counter suit was
entitled to pay at least half the bill.
The Judge directed the costs to be di-
vided according to BIS proposition, and
then turning to the two he ordered,
CHOW, you two shake hands," The or
der was obeyed, and thus harmony was
restored to a community which,;
throughthe work of evil gossiping, had
been for more than two years almost in
wal.
1t does appear that men should learn
to disregard misunderstanding gossips.
State SnntineL.