The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-05
A SHORT FRONTIER STORY.
The Way We're TT lin the Early Days.

In the beginning Of the settlement of
the Minnesota valley, in the early Sos
man located at Traverse DIES Sioux
named Tom CoWan. His name will be
at once recognized by all old settlers.
He was a Scotchman and had been in
business in Baltimore. Financial diff
culties had driven him to the West to
begin life anew and grow up with the
country. He was very we'll read and
ccmpanionable man and exceedingly
bright by nature, and at once became
very popular with the people. His first
venture was in the fur trade, but, not
knowing anything about it, his sue
cess was not brilliant. I remember
that he once paid an immense price for
| a very large black bearskin, thinking
he had struck bonanza. He kept It
| on exhibition, until one day John S.
| Prince. who was an experienced fur
| buyer, dropped in, and, after listening
| to CoWan'S eulogy on his berskin, quiet
ly remarked: He bear, not worth a
d. which decision induced Tom to
abandon the fur trade.
| There being no lawyer at Traverse
! des Sioux but myself, and I having been
elected to the supreme bench, Mr..
Cowan decided to study law and open
ar Office for the practice of the pro-
fession. He accordingly proposed that
| he should study with me, which idea
strongly encouraged, and after about
| six weeks OF diligent reading, princi-
| pally devoted to the statutes, I admit
ted him to the bar, and he fearlessly
announced himself as an attorney and
counselor-at-law. In this venture he
was phenomenally successful. He was
a fine speaker, made an excellent ar
gument on facts, and soon stood high
in the profession. He took leading
part in politics, was made register OF
deeds of his county, went to the legis-
lature and was nominated for lieuten-
ant governor Of the state after it's adj
mission into the Union; but, of course,
in all his practice he was never quite
certain about the law of his cases.
This deficiency he made up by dash
and brilliancy and got along swim
mingly.
One day he came to my office and
said, "Judsey, I am going to try a
suit at LIE Sueur tomorrow, it involves
s., 500. It is the biggest suit we ever
had in the valley, and think it ought
to have some Latin iii it. and 1 want
you to furnish me with that ingre-
dent" said: tom, what is it all
about? l must know what kind of
suit 1t is before L can supply the
Latin appropriately, and especially as
| am not very much up in Latin my
SELF
| He said the suit was on an insurance
| policy he was defending on the ground
of misrepresentation made by the In,
sured on the making of the policy, and
! he must have some Latin to Illustrate
| and strengthen his POINT.
| mulled over the proposition, looked
up some books of maxims, and finally
gave him this, mon haec in pedere
veni," which I translated to mean, Il
did not enter into this contract" He
was delighted, and said there ought
to be no doubt of success with the aid
of this formidable weapon, and made
me promise to ride down with him to
hear him get it off. So the next day
We started, and in crossing the lie
Sueur prairie, Cowan was hailed by a
man who said he was under arrest for
having kicked party out Of his house
who had insulted his family, and he
wanted Tom to defend him. The JUS
tees court was about mile from the
road, in a carpenters shop, the pro-
prietor of which was the justice. Tom
told him to demand a jury. and he
would stop on his return and help him
out.
When we arrived at LIE Sueur we
found that the case could not be heard
that day, and started homeward about
o'clock, we reached the carpenters
shop. There we found jury awaiting
us. We hitched the team and / spread
myself comfortably on a pile Of shaw
ings to witness the legal encounter.
The complaining party proved his case.
Cowan put on his client and showed
the provocation. Then he addressed
the jury. His defense was, want of
criminal intent. He dwelt eloquentIy
on the point that the gist of the Of
Tense was the intent with which the
act was committed, and, when it APP
peared that the act was justified, there
could be no crime. Then, casting a
quizical glance at me, he struck a
tragic attitude and Numbered out,
Gentlemen of the jury, it is indellibly
recorded in all the works on Roman
jurisprudence, non haec in federe veni,
which means there can be no crime
without a criminal intent The effect
was electrical; the jury acquitted the
prisoner, and we drove home fully con-
WINGED that the law was not an exact
science. With what effect Tom util-
lied his Latin in the insurance suit,
have forgotten, or was never advised.
Charles E. Flandrau
Mrs. Stevenson Sinking.
BLOOMINGTON, ILL.,, March Mrs
Stevenson is still alive, but sinking Ex-Vice