Nevada County picayune., 1888-03-07
FOR THE PLAINTIFF.
The Testimony That Secured to
 The Widow Her Rights.

The two-maSted schooner "T. F. Baxter was owned and commanded by Captain Baxter.
 The season had been Il good one and the Captain had made moncy.- He needed what cash he made. for the season before that one had been very dull, and il was all the Captain could do to keep the vessel in his possession. But this particular year had been so fortunate that he paid off the mortgage on his boat and had something left over to carry the family through the winter.
 There had been q terrible storm in September. but the Baxter. had weathcred it. through the skill of the Captain and the staunch- ness of the boat but il had been q close call. and the Captain. who had np to this time carried no insurance except what he had put on when he mortgaged the boat to secure the lenders. now effected ten thousand dollars additional. so that if the good ship went down his family would not  he left penniless. The September storm had worked greatly on his mind. and the torture he felt during the gale. when he knew that if the boat was lost only small amount would come to his family. made him resolve never again to take such risks.
 The insurance ran out on Novem- Der l. the Captain expected to have the boat laid up by that time; but freight went higher and higher. and additional trips became more and more tempting. and when the storm of October 3Oth began it found the Baxter on the open lake. but just where will perhaps never he known.
 Part of the ships boat. with the name "BaNtcr. came ashore. and that was all that was left to tell the story of the wreck. Went down with all hands" the papers said.
 Then came the question of inSur- ance. The companies banded to- gethcr and resolved to contest the case. They claimed that the "BaN- ter was a staunch boat and that she had ridden out the two days storm of October 30 and 3I, and that she had been lost on the lst or 2nd of November. when the insurance had expired. and il rested with the plaintiff to show that such was not the case,
 The lawyers for the plaintiff knew that they had pretty poor chance to show this. They had not much hope of securing a verdict. But they knew that their client was a widow who had lost her husband in that gale. and they trusted to a strong appeal to the jury, who are very apt in such cases to Sympathlzc with the unfortunate and pile on the damages on a soullcsS corporation.- What the chief counsel for the plain tiff feared was that the judge would so plainly direct the jury to give a verdict for the companies that those twelve gentlemen would have no chance of letting their sympathleS take the place of good law.
 Mrs. Baxtcr's lawyers were feeling rather blue over the aspect of affairs on the second day of the trial when word came to the senior partner that q man wished to speak with him on important business. After snort absence from the court room ne re- turned with person who was eNi- dcntly seafaring man. and sald:
 Your Honor. we desire [" place another witness on the stand.
 The other side al once ob1'c''''' and said il was very unusual at that s,ooe of the case, and desired t" know what his brother intended |" prove. n, 1a,o of inc los, of the Baxter. WiSh |" call Jacob Swanson. one Of the '''rN'- vors.
 Ali this extraordinary announce ment there was a sensation' eSpec'a'-