New-York tribune., 1891-02-06
THE JONES COUNTY CALF CASE.

Four or FIVE days ngo the telegraph brought
tbe Intnlliecncc that the famous Jones County
calf case the mos, celebrated proceedings al law
ever before the Iowa courts. had been finally
brolcht 20 a close, after O+er twenty years OF
active life, By verdict IN the Supreme Court
for the ulain.in. We rcfraincd from commenting
on il at tie time as we could not believe the Re-
port II did not seem possible that tie able coun-
81 employed on both side, would let 1t die out
side Of the United States Suprcmc Court Later
alyicc., however, seem 10 show that the hrst r.
por, was only too trrc and that the Jones County
calf casc is no more As thing reared by the
hand Of man il was. We suppose, only natural that
it should have an end.
II was a bright day in early June, 1869, that
five young calves MIGHT have been observed wcnd
ing their woy down a Iorcs County road, as
younl calves Will lo They were the property
of man named Johnson soon these five thought
lc>, young calves came t. the garden of man
named Miller They broke into this garden and
ate up and trampcd down sundry vegetables Miller
came out and "sicrd' hi, dog on the marauding
calves The dog chased them back mp the pretty
Jones County road on fast run Indeed, hc chased
tlcm 80 fast that when they arrived at their
nome three of them died from exhaustion. The
others we're Injured one of them dying in 1872.
The other il is true, fingered along as late as
1851, but il was never what il should have been
and WAS always more o: les, troubled with palni
taion Of the heart The next dag after the
calves came home bringing the dog behind them
johnson engaged counsel and sued Miller
Miller engaged counsel and began a spirited
defence. This was the beginning Of the Jones
County calf case. The amount for which johnson
sued was So, the value OF three calves. Miller,
through his counsel set mp the following defence :
First. that the calves were never at his place {:
second. that he noticed when they broke in that
they were sick and about ready 10 die and third
that they didn't die at all. but were sold by
johnson 10 n man in a ncishborng county. The
casr got n good start in 80 and ran on vigorously
through the early and late '70s tool, new lease
of life in December 1879, and gallopcd along
through the sos. showed great activity during
1890. and opened the present year in perhaps the
best shape that it has ever been in: but before
scarcely month has passed ii is cnt of in its
prime. Miller died in ISIS, but his children kept
up the fight johnson held ont to 1883. dying .hc
next day after his last calf but active grand
children stood ready and anxious TO take up the
sirugclc. Why the Iowa Supreme Court. com
posed of JUDGES who were formerly lawyers. lei
the cose end. We cannot conceive.
For it is on tho lawyers that the burden of the
ending Of the Jones County calf case falls the
heav West The first dispatch said significantly: ." Ii
has bankruptcd everybody connected with it ex-
cept the attorneys II comes with especially
crushing effect on Colonel Markham and family,
counsel for the plaintiff. Colonel Markham began
with the case in 1860. He gave up his other
practice in 1875 and devoted himself solely to
IT, Four years ago he associated his son, George
Markham. rising young lawyer of thirty, with
him in the case, and it the CoOncl's intention
to retire at the end Of this year and leave it
altogether to the younger man. George Markham
las little son six years old. and many times
his father has taken him on his knee and told
him how he expected him to enter the law and
some day succeed 10 the ease on which his grand
father and father had lived 50 long Now, Of
couIsc all of these bright prospects shattered.
Colonel Markham. it is truc can retire with
comfortable fortune and George has an excellent
start in life. but the Iowa Supreme Court has
hcartlessy LEFT the boy with no prospects what
ever.
Thus the Jones County calf case passes into