New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-04
LEADING CITIZENS IN COURT PLASTER

reports coming from that quarter are TO be
trusted. considerable portion of the town OF
Norwich, Conn, has been done up in court
plaster Many of the leading citizens also are
carving their arms in sings walking with
n carefully chosen but sincere and unaffected
linn. There has not been such run on court
plaster. crritches and splints since the memo
r,ble wear when the town broke in two oyer
couple of rival gas companies and entered
upon an ntenccine war which disturbed the
peace of families, created i'll feeling in churches,
dcmoraized political parties, pervaded the
whole State set the Legislature by the ears
and eliminated in making citizen OF the town
Chief Justice Of the Supreme Court. The pres
cnt demand for court plaster clutches ana
spnts however does not aiisc from domestic
disturbance or intestine war. The citizens or
Misunderstanding citizens. as some OF the re-
ports have it--were spending the closing hours
of the week and the old year and the opening
hours of tho Sabbath and the new year, not
in the meditatons and dcyoions with which
il Is the custom of the serious and devout to
watch the old year out and the new one IN, but
in the somewhat secular, irregular, irreligous
and IA it would seem, unlawful occupation
Of witnessing competitive examination OF
rOOstcrs.
From the reports at hand, which are not
altogether clear as 20 anything except the final
catastrophe, wa gather that difference OF
opinion has existed for some time between tho
leading citizens Of Bean llill-whch. by tho
way has the distinction of being the birth
place Of Mr.. Clcyelands ancestorS-and the
leading citizens of Yantic--another suburban
village in the town OF Norwich-as to the re-
spcctive merits OF the ROSTERS reared and
ttrancd in the two places This difference OF
opinion was, rs wo understand, OF the same
general character as that which lately existed
rs 70 the respective merits OF Mr.. sullivan,
of Boston, and Mr. Corbctt. OF California, and
which was settled 80 satisfactorily few
months ago. This difference, like the other,
could only be settled by competitive exam
nation. and until it was settled the relations
OF the two villages and of their leading citl-
zcns with each other were liable 10 continue
inharmonious and as one might say, strained
IL was important that a settlement should be
reached This was tho feeling OF the leading
citizens Now, as there was only ono way to
settle the difference between COrbet and sui
Ivan. which was with fists, and only one
10 settle the more recent difference between
the two French gentlemen, Nlcssrs. Clemcnceau
and Dcroulcdc, which was with deadly but
quite inaccurate firearms, thcre/Was hut one
way to settle the rooster dispute, which was
with spurs.
Feeling this way, the leading citizens re-
sorted TO a tavern in the outskirts, in the third
story Of which after having daikcned all the
windows and locked the doors they set down
the competing ROSTERS over against each other.
II does not appear how far the competition had
procacdcd or which rooster was passing the
! best examination, when, unfortunately for the
interest of the narrative and the final adjust
mcnt Of the difference, the Norwich police
made an abrupt and unexpected appearance on
tho scene The effect appears TO have been
magical In less time than it takes to de-
scribe it the thiId story was deserted and the
frozen ground on all sides OF the house was
covered with bruised bleeding and MANNED
leading citizens. The dispatch in which the
occurrence is related records that the police
loaded the cripplcs into wagons and hauled
! them into town, where all the doctors were
kept busy for several hours setting fractured
! lmbsn Other reports intimate that the night
bells of the drug stores were kept jingng for
the remainder of the night, and that by tho
time the church bells began ringing the supply
of court plaster was pretty much exhausted.
| 1t is possible OF course that the reports may
be exaggerated, but it seems quite certain that
the town Of Norwich never saw so many OF
its leading citizens piling out OF third-story
windows in such q hurried and informal way
aS it did on the morning OF the first day of tho
year 1898. 1t will make the day memorable.
| Meanwhile it must have been no small sur
prise 10 the ROSTERS to find themselves so
suddenly left alone. 1t is not known, and
possibly never will be- which rooster came out
ahead, or whether they got any of the court
plaster.
SANTA CLAUS IN MISSOURI