The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-04-21
KANE VERSUS ABEL.

Law Is very uncertain-cspeclally ia q
wooded country. Sometimes n suit Is lost
in one court and gained in another. The
great case of Kane versus Abel, Adam
for plaintiff, Eve for defendant, is an Illus
trafon. 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 amuch finer place than the other.
Down in Mountain county. settled by
Irish mainly from Ulster, with II srrink-
Ing from COnnaught, the original man
ners and customs of the settlers are not
only maintained by their descendants, but
the Gaelic spirit of clannishness exists III
full force. The old families have Kept mp
the old stock 10y intermarriaGcs, and the
only things changed wcr" the names,
which were either corrupted or dropped
their prelXes. Thus the McMahons be.
-camc the Mayhorns; the O'kane5 the
Kanes. the McAdams, the Adams; the
Macliilaus and the MGcAOclls. the Mil
lens and the Alclla. Bat their Highland
Celtic habits filtered through the Irish
sieve. were preserved in their viSor. Be
tween the two leading families, the kanes
and Or. Aieils. there had been a bitter
feul from tie beginning As the rest OF
the people were connected in one way OF
other, they took their sides, and, as they
said, stud by the k'ncXiOn." Pretty far
they carried ii. too. One fellow. who was
pufinz the Abclls, was asked what con-
nection he was ''Wcll. " said he, mot
SO very clo1st, but Clarke Abel he gave
me "a buii pup If a Kane married with
an Abel. or vice versa, the woman in the
case was adopted in her husband family
bur cut of from her own. But a single
quarrel and a simple incident changed
the current of affairs and brought about u
truce which may be considered a peace,
leaving both parties in possession OF the
ut pos,idetis.
A. the eldest son in q straight line from
the original Patrick, who had come 10
this country from Ireland and had settled
here under a land grant of 1000 acres,
Peter kane was the recognized head OF
the family lie was "A good looking, child
less wiGOwcr. - years of age, very well
10 do and looked mp 70 by his tribe, with
whom his word was potential. lie was a
famous bear hunter and kept up "a stock
of ours. valuable for battling with bruin,
hut worthless for any other purpose.
Clarke Abel. who held a similar position
amOng the Abells, was over 60 years old,
tall. athletic AMI rs straight as a gun bar
rel. lie did not look a day ocer 30, with
his iron gray hair and smooth face where
the wrinkles had concentrated about the
corner of the eyes. These two, thou ,
living within three miles Of each other
their possessions ioining-rarely spoke
when they met, and then in monosylia-
bles. eking out the conversation by gest-
urc.
Il happened that kan had seen bear
sicns one frosty morning in November
and laid on the dogs. Bruin heard the
baying afar OFF, and, taking time by the
forelock, made his way over "a 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 rifle, a constant compan-
Ion. with him, when he saw the bear
doing some tall walking in his direction.
He shot the brute. and, with the assist
ance OF his sous, had skinned him when
Kane's dogs, followed 10y Kane, came up.
A demand was made for the bear, which
was denied. There was no fighting the
matter thcre-thrco to one was too great
odds-so Kane and his dogs went about
their business. But the matter ranked.
a well known pettifogger Of the section,
JOll Atlktis Htdiu y ~ anu OuNAtN us
services. The end of it was that Kane
brought suit before a country justice of
the peace, and, after various misadvent-
ures, the case was heard. In was an
action in d~ctiuue, and judgment was
given for $3j. Abel secured the services
of Cecil Eve. "A bright young lawyer,
lately admitted To the bar, and the casc
was removed 10 the county court, held by
f.,r ,reft.as Adam Nyag NOT IA rapn1ar
practitioner, but the county court was a
sort of free and easy tribunal, with "A roll
of its OWE, and Adam was licensed by
custom. He brought suit for damages
''for that the party aforesaid had detained
the bar"
1t was some months after the event
when the county court entered on its half
yearly session. In the meanwhile a little
incident occurred, of the Romeo and
Juliet pattern, which complicated matters.
Abelrs auly unmarried daughter was a
good looking Young woman of -, and, like
her kiusfolk, hated that Pete Kane like
pizen.n But one day she CHANGED TO visit
a neighbor at some distance, and on her
return met with a wandering 4-year-old
buck. II wa at a season Of the year
when the animal, usually SO timid, Is
both bold and aggressive. He charged at
Kitty who deNterously dodged behind a
tulip tree-poplar they miscall it there
aud 50 cvaded tho thrust OF his antlers.
But he was persistent and kept her so con-
stantly shifting her position that she be
came exhausted. She was just about to
drop, which would hayeinsured her death,
when the crack of a rifle and the dropping
OF the buck dead, saved her. The next
she heard the voice OF Pete Kane.
'You amt hurt, air you, Miss Kitty
mo, thank you, Mr.. Kane, but power
full skcert."
No wonder that the service rendered
should make Kitty regard Peter with
favor, and give him a romantic interest in
the pretty girl whom his timely presence
has preserved from II cruel death. Ignor-
ing the buck, Peter walked on with Kitty,
escorting her 10 within sight Of her
fathers house, and then returning to =