The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-03-29
KANE vs.. ABELL.
The Happy Ending Of a Suit for
Damages.


Damages.
Law is very uncertain-especialIy in a
wooded country. Sometimes a suit is lost
in one court and gained in another. The
great case Of Kane rerS,es Abel Adam for
plaintiff. Eve for defendant is an illustra-
ton. Nor did it happen in the Garden of
Eden, as might be supposed from the sound
Of the names, but in Mountain County,
which the inhabitants suppose TO be much
finer place than the other.
Down in Mountain County, settled by
Irish mainly from Ulster with a sprinkling
from Connaught, the original manners and
customs of the settlers are not only main
tainCd by their descendants, but the Gaelic
spirit of clannishness exists in full force
The old families have kept up the old stock
by intermarrlagcs; and the only things
changed were the names, which were either
corrupted, or dropped their prefiXes. Thus
the MacMahons became the Mayhorns: the
O'kanes, the kanes: the MacAdams, the
Adams; the MaclIillcns and the MacAbells.
the Millens and the Abells But their High
land-IGeltic habits, filtered through the Irish
sieve, were preserved in their Vigor Be
tween the two leading families. the Kanes
from the beginning. As the rest of the peo-
pie we've connected in one way or other. they
took their sides, and, as they said, ''stud by
the k'nexion." Pretty far they carried it,
too. One fellow, who was putting the Kanes.
was asked what connection he was. wall
said he, mot so very cloast. but Clarke
Abel, he gin me a bull-pup." If a Kane
married with an Abel, or rice uerxa, the
woman III the case was adopted in her hus-
bands family, but cut off from her own
But single quarrel, and a simple incident
changed the current of affairs, and brought
about truce which may be considered a
a peace, leaving both parties in possession OF
the Hti pOSSidefiS.
As the eldest son in straight line from
the original Patrick who had come to this
country from Ireland, and had settled here
under land grant of a thousand acres,
Peter Kane was the recognized head of the
family. He was a good looking, childless
widower, thirty-two years of age, very well
10 do, and looked up to by his tribe, with
whom his word was potential He was d
famous bear-hunter, and kept up stock of
worthless for any other purpose Clarke
Abel, who held similar position among
ours, valuable for battling with Bruin, bat
The AbSlls, was over sixty years old, tall.
athletic and rs straight as a gun-barrel He
did not look day over fifty. with his iron
gray Eair, and smooth face where the
wrinkles had concentrated about the corner
Of the eyes. These two, though living with
II three miles of each other-thcir possess
sions joining-rarely spoke when they met.
and then in mtnOsyllables, elling out the
conversation by gesture
1t happened that Kane had seen bear sign.
one frosty morning in November. and laid
on the dogs. Bruin heard the baying afar
of, and taking time by the forelocl, made
his way over Z gap and then down a dry
branch hollow. In avoiding Scylla. he fell
upon Charybdis," and SO on: for old Abel
happened TO be in his field, his rife. a con-
slant companion, with him, when he saw
the bear doing some tall walking in his
direction. He shot the brute and with the
assistance OF his sons, had skinned him
when kane's dogs, followed by Kane. came
Up. A demand was made for the bear
which was denied. There was no fighting
the matter there-three TO one was too great
odds. 50 Kane and his dogs went about their
business. But the matter ranked A we'll
known pettifoggcr of the section. John
Adam, heard Of it and offered mis- services
The end of it was that Kane brought suit
before a country justice of the peace. and
after various misadventUres the case was
heard. 1t was an action az deti3tse. and
judgment was given for thirty-five dollars.
Abel secured the services of Cecil Eve. a
bright young lawyer lately admitted to the
bar. and the case was removedt to the County
Court held by four justices Adam was not
regular practiuoner, but the County Court
was a sort of free-and-easy tribunal with n
roll OF its own, and Adam was licensed by
custom. lie brought suit for damages for.
that he the party afo'said had detained
the bar"
1t was some months after the event when
the County Court entered on its half-vearlv
session. In the meanwhile little incident
occurred. of the Romeo and Juliet pattern
which complicated matters Abell's only
unmarried daughter was a good-loolSing
young woman Of twenty-five. and. like her
kinsfolk, ''hated that Pete Kane like pizen. ;,
But enc day she CHANGED to visit a neighbor
at some distance, and on her return me:
with wandering four-year-old buck. IT
was at the season of theyear, when the ami |
NAL usually SO timid, is both bold and 30
gressive. He charged at Kitty. who dexter |
'OuSly lodged behind tllip-tree-ponlar
they miscal 1t thece-GnG so Graded the
thrust OF hls aniers. But he was persist
SAAl ssAAu hStN i.SA 50 constantly Shlftfnr- her
position that she became exhausted She
was just about to drop, which would have
insured her death, when the crack of \ rif,a
and the dropping of the buck. dead. saved |
her The next moment she heard the voice |
of Peter Kane:
You amt hurt, air YOU, Miss Kittvg,,
mo, thankyou, Mr.. Kane, but powerful |
skeert''
No wonder that the service rendered |
should make Kitty regard Peter with favor |
and give him romantic interest in the pretty
girl whom his timely presence had preserved |
from cruel death. Ignoring the buck. Peter
walked on with Kitty, escorting her to with |
in sight of her fathers house, and then re-
turning to dwelling, which, in spite of his
dogs and his hired people, seemed more |
lonely than ever
They met by chance, the usual way.r
again and again, and the old story, ever old |
and ever new, was told and listened to
feter neglected the suit he had brought in
one court, to prosecute suit in another.
ana when the great case of Kane,ey Abel |