Kansas City journal., 1898-02-08
SOME FEUDS OF OLDEN time.
EXISTED IN THE NORTH AS WELL
AS IN THE SOUTH.
Massachusetts Was Not Free From
Strife Among NeiShbOrs-Law
Took the Place of Weap-
Ons In This One.


the North as we'll as among the mountain
eers of the Southwest. The principal diff
ference is that the law courts are the
Yankee weapons instead of shotguns and
revolvers. and in the North the rancor
does not as a rule extend SO far as in
heritance, and oftentimes is confined to
individuals instead of families.
The Worcester tMass) Gazette says a
noted Massachusetts, feud was that between
men We will call Jones and Smith, who
had its origin many years ago. when the
farmers were young men, but how no one
seems seer to know. For years whenever Jones
for more than five minutes there was sure
to be fight.
Sometimes one would win the battle,
an incentive to scrapping. And as they
lived on the same highway and not very
different townships-they met not infre-
quently. Whoever was thrashed had the
other arrested. and the trial justices OF the
imposing fines.
Jones was driving home from the vii
lage one afternoon and overlook Smiths
side. They kept ahead Of his horse and
wagon and when he arrived at his own
farmyard they had filed in ahead Of him.
Smith thai he had had imponnded i'm @ his cattle.
and he could come and get them on paying
charges. Smith presently appeared and
changed hands. For some unexplained
reason there was no fight on this occasion.
into row. A few days later Smith hap
pened to be passing the home of Jones
and noticed his cattle by the roadside.
him. and he took his turn at impounding.
When Jones arrived in search OF his live
tere1 ter tax X mes" as To Which his e enemy re-
piled, Yer set the price yerself." and there
was a lively fracas before Jones handed
reveled in his victory for almost week.
Then they met In the village, and as 1t
was an off fighting day. for Smith he
WSS pre m Of N Zones ras but the
fine of s25 which the latter had to pay
did not sooth the aching body and wound
ed spirit OF the defeated T.; iodar farmer ea;or mn
in corner of Smiths pasture lot is an
ancient burying ground. 1t has not been
used for generations. and srs SO overgroWn GROW lis is
dark, moss-covered slabs can hardly be
seen.
Jones happened to be looking over
when he saw calf belonging to Smith
feeding in the sacred ground. Smith
had permitted a section of fence to fall
Jones hurried home as fast as his, 60
year-old legs would carry him, and, har-
Messing up a team. FASTENED to the vii
next day Smith was fined SO.
They met again shortly afterward. and
cleaning out well for a neighbor. when
Jones drove up. He inquired concerning
the graveyard fence and the calf and the
in reply heard few things about himself
which were directly personal.
Then he was unfortunate enough to re.
Es Et snar af If dssa smh sdod dsnS shet up hsr hsd
upon Smith smote Jones over the head
with a crowbar. The skull was not frac-
tured, curious to relate. and so Smith got
small brook meanders through both
farms. Jones, whose land received the wa
ters first. damned up the stream in order
to flow a piece of ground at times of high
water. for otherwise the ground was not
sufficiently fertile to produce satisfactory
Smith Objected to this for several reas-
ons; first, because part OF the water
was lost to him: secondly, because a piece
Of highway was also flowed by the dam.
washed it away. he claimed. And it was
jones dam. The town fathers agreed that
the road was injured and ordered the dam
removed. but Jones paid no attention to
their command.
Smith was driving a heavily loaded four
horse team into town shortly afterward
through the muddy road for which Jones'
dam was responsible. He waited in the
village late that night. The next morning
the dam was missing. Some one had de-
stroyed it in the night.
Finally the feud was ended by the death
of Smith. Jones was lonely without a
feud on his hands. but not for long. A
Mr. Brown, who lived some distance away.
accommodated him with an interesting Sc
ries of troubles. the first of which was a
civil suit as to the ownership of few
dogs. which Issue was decided in Browns
fayor.
jones remembered how we'll impounding
had worked, and he found Browns herd
IN the road % me- near & ms own UP place, ace one day
placed them behind the bars of his barn
yard for safe keeping until Brown should
appear to pay charges.
That night there was a sudden change
in the weather; 1t became very cold and
several inches of snow fell. Four of the
cows died of the exposure. and Brown