Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-03-02

you bitS lldTt llOIl JOln Dcnd-
ger Alderman, an honest, upright and
most intelligent witness, testified that in
1928 when informant was drawing logs
at Crane Pond Rufus Rising had and
worked this gray mare. 1t may, then,
be considered as certain that at or about
1923 Mr.. Rising got this John Glazier
mare and owned her a number of years,
probably till 1888 or "a, when, after having
hipped her in snowdrift, he sold her to
George johnson, who traded her to
Caleb Balcom and son, who in turn sold
her to VIM. II. Balloon. VIM. III. Balloon
raised four or five colts from her and
gave her, he said, in the fall of 1871, to
Ira Wallace of Northeast Bay. Now
Mr.. Thomson assumes, and indeed, says.
that this was the dam of Ethan Allen.
He says this though the testimony is
overwhelming that it was not; and he
says it in an article that is paraded as
authoritative without giving or speaking
of this testimony, and still he must have
read it all, has read it all. 1t is like his
statement that horse was born GER
tain year when he knew nothing whatev-
er about it, except the testimony of the
owner which he had just given, that it
was born four years later. His intui-
tions are to him above ordinances; they
are greater than facts. We hardly know
how to place logican of this sort. We
could use harsh language about him, but
we prefer not to. 1t is perhaps natural
for one to persist in a view that he has
taken, but he will certainly stand in the
end alone if he cannot support it by evil
dence.
Let us consider the testimony.
In the first place we have very strong
testimony that Rufus Rising owned this
gray mare, the dam of Ethan, when he
moved from his old residence, near the
school house, to the new one, where his
son now lives, about 1898. This was
certainly after 1887. Benager Alderman,
one whose testimony was wonderfully
accurate at every point, and as upright a
man as the sun ever shone on, testified
to this; was very sure he had the gray
mare when he moved to the new farm.
So was Myron Balloon, and so was the
best witness of all in this whole matter,
J. b. Rising. We may, then, consider
it almost if not quite certain that Rufus
Rising had a small gray mare, and the
small gray mare that was the dam of
Ethan in 1898. He could not have had the
John GlaZier mare then, for VIM. II.
Balcom had her at that time. Hence she
could not have been the mare. We have
the testimony of AFRO Bailey that he
, worked for W. Ii. Cook in 1871 or 2
/ while he owned this mare that inform
, ant drove her to Weybridge, and that
| she was young mare not over seven or
eight, or so. At that time the hipped
) John Glazier mare was over 20. We
| have much testimony that this mare
: came from Vermont; that Mr.. Rising
got her there. This was j. II. Wallace's
' original statement in regard to the mare,
} looked up a good many years ago by
r Woodward and Baldwin for him. This
is the positive statement of Hoyt John
son. who says he knows he got her in
5 Vermont about 1884 or and sold her
= about 1887 or to George johnson, his
r brother, and he, soon after, to Rufus Ris-
+ ing.
, But testimony that is to us conclusive,
! that she is not the John Glazier hipped
e mare, comes again from Justus B. Rising.
l We know that Mr.. Rising knew more
t about the mare than any one else we
5 saw. We know that he was perfectly
5 truthful and knew exactly what he was
talking about. 1t was his testimony
h that made it certain that the mare Rufus
: Rising had was the dam of Ethan. He
e knew this with absolute certainty. Our
5 notes taken at the time of the last con-
e versation say: Justin b. Rising says
e that his father, Horace Rising, used to
l.. 90 up to Hague in the fall and log
: through the winter, and that he went
:, with him when about If and drew logs
r he does not remember that he saw the
e mare at that time, but thinks it was af-
: terward; used to see her frequently
when he was there in the summer be-
:, cause she ran in the lot next to his place
2 remembers her having colt; thinks il
n was an iron-gray colt: thinks the mare
y ,cas a young mare. (Mr. Rising was born
:, in 1920 and his father died in 1870 He
e thinks it was after his fathers death thai
+, he saw the mare with the colt, but would
:, not be certain. The mare was quite q
g jumper and they used to have a poke OF
: her. Has seen his Uncle Rufus drive hel
e in team on the farm, but never saw him
G draw logs with her; does not think he
: ever drew logs with her; he seldom drew
+ logs; he had brown mare that he drove
r with her. Is quite sure he saw her there
e before his fathers death; thinks that Ira
Potter would be pretty apt to know
+ about the mare, as he lived right there
among the Risings and married Betsey
DoIann, n sictar of ITnala Iann Dicinn.,