Bridgeton pioneer., 1894-11-15
WON HIS SUIT.
Col. Wm.i Dubois Wins The Case
Against Postmaster Lanfng.

| Col. Wm.i Du BOfs Wins the Case
against Postmaster Lanfng.
The famous case of Col. W. Z. Du.
Bois against Postmaster 8. A. Lauir g,
foolish and undignified as the whole
me tier has been, was tried on Monde y
before Squire Meyers and a crowd
of spe' t, tors 10 the Grand Jury room.
The Court reserved its decision till
tomorrow mornir G ten o'clock.
j. L. VanSyckel represented the
Colonel, and began by saying: 1.-THE
whole busine ss on both sides Is some :
what foolish, but as it has reached the
dignity OF lawsuit it must be treated
with due seriousness. The whole mat.
ter has become so notorious through
publication that no stt tament of tae
case is necessary" and he called MIR.
Dubois to be sworn.
Mr.. Laning had filed set-of to the
account at the opening CT the Court.
On Mr.. Dubois being sworn, Mr..
Sheppard, attorney for MIR. Laning,
asked that Mr.. Dubois sit little fur
ther away from his counsel, to which
he acceded.
Mr.. Dubois was sworn and told
whs happened at the cigar store of
the White Eephal t, t t which the con.
tract upon which suit had been
brought, was made. He stated ths
he had brought suit for the recovery
of $40, which he claimed was the
amount. of the contract.
Mr.. Dubois said he had fulfilled his
pal of the contract to sit down and
keep still for 30 minutes, for which act
Mr.. Laning had promised to give him
$40.
He said he had sent MIR. Laning
bill for the amount and then called
upon Mr.. Laning at the Post Office
and when he asked MIR. Lanipg if he
Intended to pay the bill Mr.. Laning
had replied, Pay you h." Then
you don't mean to pay the bill Mr.
L aning Mr.. Dubois said he asked, and
Mr.. L aping informed him that he did
not intend to pay 1t.
Mr.. G. E. Sheppard, council for Mr.
Laning put Mr.. Dubois through
a serious cross.examination. Mr.
Sheppard asked Mr.. Dubois what he
did while he sat still. Mr.. Sheppard
kept asking him what else he did
when Mr.. Dubois admitted that he
smoked cigar up which he was
smoking when he sat down.
These questions were evidently
shaped to form the grounds of de.
fense the t Mr. Dubois did not keep
his mouth shut while smoking the
cigar and therefore did not keep his
his mouth shut. Mr.. Dubois said he
smoked tle cigar, taking it out and
pntting it in his mouth as he smoked.
Mr.. Lsnlng's set off was bill for
| subscription to the Btidgeton Chronicle
for four years, 81; prir ting wedding
cards, 90 25; bills for merchandise as
signed to Mr.. Laning by Robinson
Bros. Tor $7.95: total, Sl4.2U.
Frank Miller was sworn and corrob-
Grated Mr.. Dubois testimony as to
the terms of the contract, and to Mr..
Dubois having fulfilled tho contract
by sitting still and keeping quiet
When Mr.. LINING made the offer
said witness he made 1t in a bantering
tone of voice, but the parties to the
matter were not laughing; he did not
consider Mr.. Lanipg and Mr.. Dubois
to be joking.
Mr.. Lsning, he said, when leaving
the room, said to the parties in the
t ore, 'see that he does IT." he was
laughing then. Elliot Hardon and
Joseph Cresswell corroborated this
witness.
When Mr.. L aning left the room he
charged the crowd t. see that Mr..
Dubois did it, said Mr.. Hardon.
On cross examins tion Mr.. Hardon
said that If the offer had been made to
him Ia the tone of voice which Mr.
Lsning used he should not have con-
sidered 1t a bona-fide offer.
Joseph Cresswell's testimony closed
the plaintiffs case.
Mr.. Sheppard said that the defend.
ant proposed to rest his case on the
testimony of the plaintiff, and should
offer no defense of their own. The
court, Mr.. Sheppard held, could moi
give Judgement for plaintiff on the
evidence submitted, for there haG
been no case est ablished. Mr.. Van
Syckle argued quite differently, ant
at the conclusion the court said deci
sion would be rendered Tuesday a
10 o'clock.
TUESDAY MORNING.
ii - - ns,E Enis n