San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1893-03-24
THE HICKEY FEUD.

in Ioway." in fact, the cider Walk
ers and the elder Benedicts had been
married about the same time at the
beginning of the war and had just
settled on adjoining homcstcads when
the first gun was fired on Sumpter
The men enlisted in the same com
pany, fought sido by side. ate and
slept and suffered together; and at
home their young wives waited and
wcpt together. When the little
! Walkers and the little Benedicts grew
/ large enough to run about they were
( playmatcs and boon companions; the
children Of one family felt as much
! liberty in the home of tho other As
they did i'm their owu-for twenty
eight Years the two families had lived
/ in peace and amity, and then that
miserable calf precipitated an irrep-
7 arabic row. 1t was too bad, the
+ neigbbors said, but it is noticeable
+ fact that none Of them attempted to
patch up a peace life in Hickey
/ township and at Hickey corners would
have beeu dull, indeed, but for the
/ fcud; so every body sat by and
watched each new phase OF the affair
with nervous, morbid interest, and
commented thereon, but not in man
ner likely to provo conducive to
truce Oh the part OF the dispu-
tants
1t was this way: The Benedict and
/ Walker houses had been built on ad-
iaccnt corners Of the homestead
quarters. and were quite close to-
gcther; in fact, one we'll, sunk on the
quartcr-section line between the two
homesteads. had furnished water for
both families for tho first four years
after coming to Dakota, and it was
only 4 short distance from either
house.
But it came to pass that ON the
Walker domain there was born, and
grew. and waxed fat and sassy"
brindle calf, with a light smart
chance of white in its eye and pleth-
ora of dcep-dyed mischief in its
soul-and he (for ii was a Young gem
tleman .'critter'), while yet Of ten
der age but tough record. engendcred /
tho feud He had wandered away
the day before, and when he returned. /
at night, the gate OF the calf-pcn was
shut against him; and in the morn
ing, when Papa Benedict arose from
pcst-breakiast family prayers, and, /.
followed by the younger male Bene-
diets, hied him toward the stable. ne /.
beheld his neighbours incipient steer I
nipping in the bud sundry young and I
toothsome cabbagcs, and kicking out 1
OF the earth, in his bovine abandon, /
all he could not cot
Then was Papa Benedict wroth. Z
and thereupon did he give way to .
naughty, profane words. while the .
young Benedicts surrounded the Of /
Tending calf and brought him up for /
judgment.
Now. Papa Benedict was man OF |
hasty TEMPER. but easily Gained: so,
when the calf was rendered him at
the end of a long pickct-rope, his /
wrath had decreased several degrees, |
and he wound the rope around his
hand and started to lead the calf |
home.
1t was while he was bordering on
what to say to the calls owner that
the calf suddenly remembered a pre-
yious engagement. and started, in
some haste, TO keep it, heading di.
rectly across tho croouet-ground.
Papa Benedict wished to follow with
more dignity than the calf desired;
and. presently. his feet were scraped
from under him by a wicket. and he
was being handled the wav the
vaqucros in South America are SUD-
posed to make butter-at the end of A
lasso He did not look very neat
when. few minutes later, he reached
the Walker residence and called his
neigh Dor out He was holding the
calf up short. but his temper had
slipped its tcther, and caused him TO
say bad words, to which Papa Walker
replied in kind-whercat Papa Ben
cdict seized a convenient ncck-voke
and killed the cause Of the trouble
Or course there Was a fightaud con
siderable lll-choscn language: then,
a soou a. possible Papa Benedict I
sued faPa Walker Tor The damage to
ms cabbages' and Papa Walker sued
Papa Benedict for the value of the
calf After that they prosecuted
each other for assault and battery;
the Younger members OF both houses
''sas@ed each other at every avail
able opportunity; Mrs Walker and
Mrs. Benedict dld no more neigh
norm ana Mort Benedict and Nellie
Walker busted up with each other
hat IS Nellie broke with Mort, who,
Tor his part mad wholesome con
tempt for ieuds and such nonsense,
and would fam have ignored the
state OF affairs SO lar as Nellie was
concerned, except Tor the opposition
any oVertures from him would have
received on all sides and especially
from Nellie 80 he had TO grin and
bear It, leaving. however all hostili-
Ties to the others, and speaking
pleasantly to any OF the Walkers he
CHANGED 10 meet.
But. finally. through rash act OF
his own. he was forced into the feud.