Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-05-18
cor the loss of her own chance in
] matrimonial market?"
"La!" said Mrs. Fslkirk. 81 never
! thought of that. ."-Saturday Night.
A Queer Case.


In September, 1871, Griffith Jones,
a farmer of Forestport, Oneida coun-
ty, N. Y purchased at tax sale a
tract of $50 acres of land in the town
of Allegany, Cattaragus. Co, n. Y.
The tract was wild and barren, in an
isolated region, and its owner, James
Hill, had ceased paying taxes on it,
and had removed from it. Jones,
who was man of small means, paid
SloO for the property, but after visit
ing it be concluded that it was not
worth putting any more money in,
and he paid no more attention to the
purchase beyond securing his tax
deed on the 23d of September, 1873,
two years after the date of purchase.
which gave him legal title to the
land.
In 1879 petroleum was discovered
in Allegany. Hill assumed control
again of the tract he had abau doned,
and transferred it to the Bradford Oil
Compan. This company drilled wells
on the tract and it proved to be val
liable and large producer of oil.
Jones was ignorant of the sudden
great value given to the tract he held
the deed for until 1880, when it
had yielded more than
S5OO,OOO worth of oil
and wss still great producer. Jones
then brought suit against the oil COM
pany in the Cattaraugus county court
to regain possession of the tract and
for the accounting of the oil that had
been taken from it and sold for the
profit of the company. The company
disputed Jones' title to the property
on the clause in the tax sale law Of
New York State which makes tax
deed invalid if the purchaser does not
serve on the occupant of the premises
bought at tax sale, notice to redeem
the same within two years. The oil
company asserted that Hill was occu
pying the premises when the deed
was passed to Jones and redemption
notice within the required time, and
occupancy was claimed on the novel
point of law that, although Hill was
not living on tract he had left guam
| tity of hay in shan'y on the place
when re moved, which gave him le
gal domicile and entitled him to 6
notice.
This was the entire defense to the
suit, and the court decided that if the
simple fact of there being hay on the
place, as claimed, could be establish
ed. it would be ample proof of occu
pancy in law and would destroy
Jones' title to the property. The tri
al resulted in favor of the oil compa
nv in 1882. A new trial was grant
ed, and Jones proved by six witnes
ses that on the 22d of September
1873, one day before be became g nti
tied to the property under the tax
deed IIill's cow had entered the shan
ty and eaten all th
hay that Hill left there
thus depriving Hill of legal domicile
and leaving no one in occupancy O
the premises on whom redemption
notice could be served. The proc
on this subject showed the following
facts: On the 18th day of September
1873. as shown by the marriage cer
tifcate, a young man by the name q
Langworthy, who worked for an
boarded with Hill on the adjoinim
lot was married. On the followin
Sunday Langworthy's parents on
his wife's parents, who lived in Penn
sylvania, visited him at Hill's house
and finding the house too small fo
occupancy by both families, six {
these persons went together to thi
old shanty upon the lot in question
to see whether it could be fixed u
for Langworthy to live in. The
found that Hill's cow bad broken int
the shanty and eaten every particl
of the hay, and the floor was so br'
ken and covered with filth that the
decided not to attempt to do anythin
with it, The visit to the shanty wa
on the 22d day of September, 1873
Just one day before the plaintiff b'
came entitled to tie deed Hill's COZ
had therefore forcibly robbed him
possession of the lot. and he was n
longer an occupant or entitled to no
ice, and plaintiffs title to the prope
ty was therefore valid and absolute
, On that act of Hill's cow Jones' tit
to the property was established, an
Jones obtained verdict for an a
aounting for the oil. which amounte
to nearly half million dollars.
The oil company obtained an ord
for new trial. but Jones was agai
successful and his judgment was q
firmed by the general term, and d
1 cision has just been given by Il
Court of Appeals sustaining all Il
, points in the case in favor of Jone
!. Now for Big Crop Of Corn.
Practical farmers may well laue
at those who talk about corn beir
deficient in protein and phosphate
1t is the grandest crop in the worl
A well-iilled corn.crib makes tt
!, farmer and his horses, cows, shee
pigs, and chickens happy. Throug
out large area of the United Stat'
;, corn is grown for home use and n
:, for sale. John Johnston, the faith
. of American tile-draining, and one
. the best and most successful farme
of his time, said to us: IL have nev
- sold corn but once in my life-al
. that gave away to be sent to Ii
" land during the famine" He gre
large crops of corn, but fed it all OF
stalks and all, to sheep and 9th
q stock, supplemented with oil-ca
% when it could be purchased che
enough, He was firm believer
y oil-cake, but would have laughed
.s any one who claimed that it W
:. :. worth more, pound for pound, tn
~ ~ good sound corn.
- In many sections last year
&c - corn crop suffered from drouth. II
O. O. is unusual On good land kept Gle
:, by the frequent use of the cultivat
~ corn will stand drouth better tn
any other crop. Said On experient
W farmer: II believe could raise
-, good crop of corn il not a drop
m ,u rain fell from the day it was plant
70 until the day it was cut" He lo
., ed to the stores of water in the 81