The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-09-14
BULL CASE ON TRIAL
Hauser-W Whitley Personal Damage Suit
Occupies the Attention of the
Circuit Court.
DEFENSE SEEKS A NoNsU1T

They claim That No Notice Was Served
on the Defendant Stating an Intention
of an Action for Damages-A Short His
tory of Case That Has Become Famous
in the Courts of Kenosha County-Many
witnesses Present.
The "bu11 case occupied the atten-
ton of the Circuit Court this morning
and from present indications the time
Of the court and jury will be taken UP
for some days in hearing the evidence
and arguments in this case, which has
been made famous by it's long continu-
ance in the courts of Kenosha county.
The parties to the action are Peter
Hauser and Mary Ann Whitley. Both
are residents of the town of Paris. The
case has attracted a great deal of
attention and is one Ct the most pecu-
liar personal damage cases ever
brought before the courts of Wisconsin.
Hauser was farm hand and in 1896,
in the month of July, he was employed
on the farm of the Whitley near Paris.
Harvey Whitley, who was the original
defendant in the case, has since died
and the case is now continued against
his widow, Mrs. Mary Ann Whitley.
The accident which resulted in the suit
being brought against the Whit1eys
occurred shortly after the plaintiff was
engaged to work on the farm. The
Whit1eys kept a large number of cattle
and at the head of the herd was bull
which seems to have been of a very
vicious nature. While Hauser was
employed on the farm he was at one
time instructed to go to the box-staI
in which the animal was kept and at
tend to some feeding. While Hauser
was in the stall the vicious animal be-
came enraged and1eaped upon him and
in jured him in such a manner that the
plaintiff claims that he will never be
able to work again. AS soon as the
accident occurred Hauser left the farm
and at once made an attempt to bring
suit for damages against his erstwhie
employers. The suit was taken to
Racine but all the attorneys in that
city after examining the evidence in
the case decided that the plaintiff had
no claim for damages and refused to
bring the matter to the notice of the
courts. Hauser spent over year in
seeking an attorney who was willing
to undertake the suit, and finally the
matter was left IN the hands of Attor-
neys Bohmrich and Buckmaster of this
city.
The case was first brought up in
1897, but the attorneys for the defense
by a series of delays, managed to pre-
vent the case from reaching a jury
until the March term of last year, when
the jury brought in a verdict in favor
of the plaintiff, and fixed the amount
of his damages at s., 00O The defense
then secured a new trial on a
teohnica1ity, There are many
witnesses in the case and half
the town of Brighton is attending
court on account of the interest in the
outcome. The session of the court
this morning was occupied in seeking
a jury to try the case and the attor-
neys found their task hard one. The
plaintiff in the action is represented
by Attorneys Buckmaster and Bohm-
rich, while the defendant is represented
by Attorneys Cavanagh, of this city,
and the firm of Nelson, Cooper, Sim
mons & Nelson, of Racine.
There was no session of the Circuit
court yesterday afternoon, and the
criminal cases will not be taken UP
until after the Hauser-Whit1ey case is
Gil t7r11i +fed +O the i111-v