Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-05-26

and Josiah Walker, to be divided equal
~ or worked together, as the brothers
might choose. For several years they
farmed their land together, and then
Hiram married. After that the land
was divided, Hiram taking the part on
which the home stood for himself and
his bride, and Josiah was to make his
home with them.
Added to the ties of blood were the
ties of comradeship on the battlefields
of the south, and they seemed INSOFAR
able. Nothing, it seemed, could come
between them. They assisted each 9TH
er in their work, they shared each 9th
er's earnings; they made it point to
plant at the same time; they reaped
their crops at the same time, and they
sold the products of their farms to the
same men. Their lives were the happy
ones of peace and good will.
And then came a time of doubt, of
hard words, and all the comradeship of
the past was forgotten.
It was in the winter time, and both
brothers were fattening hogs for mar
ket. The pens in which their hogs were
kept adjoined, and day after day they
had stood together and remarked about
the condition of the stock. One morn
ing as Josiah came out to the barnyard
he found his brother counting his hogs,
and as he reached his side Hiram turned
to him and said:
"Josh, there's a board loose and one
of my shoats has worked its way into
your pen. l think it's the spotted one
in the corner there"
"Guess you're mistaken, Hiram;
that's my pig; this old sow here is his
mother. You'll have to look again, Hi
ram, to find your shoat."
But 1 guess 1 know my shoat when
see it, Josh, and 1 tell you that spot
ted pigs mine. I'll git in an catch it
and put it back in my pen"
You'll do nothin' of the kind. That
spotted pigs mine, tell you, an you'll
let it alone where it is. 1 don't believe
you've lost shoat, anyway"
And so the quarrel started. A pig
that either would have gladly given the
other had he asked it was to come be-
tween them.
At his first opportunity Hiram car
ried out his intention of putting the pig
into his own pen, and in less than "a
hours afterwards he was arrested on
q warrant sworn out by his brother.
The case went through the justice
court with a decision for Josiah; when
appealed to the grand Jury the decision
was the other way. At retrial the de-
cision was again reversed, and then it
went to the state courts, where it was
tried time after time, until now it had
reached the supreme court, and Hiram
hoped to have the last decision against
him reversed.
During the progress of the case both
brothers had become heavily involved
in raising the money needed to pay
court and attorneys fees. Hiram's
farm had been mortgaged, his crops
sold to pay the same kind of bills. The
needs of his family had counted for
naught against this legal monster. His
boy had left school that he might take
the place of a hired man and SO save
that expense, as well as that incurred
by his schooling. The daughters had
done without the clothes they were &C
customed to. They and their mother
had worked over their old ones until
they would bear no more, and then
came this plea for just $50 more. Every
plea of this kind had promised to be
the last one since the case was hrst