New-York tribune., 1901-02-24
ONE RURAL WINTER SPORT.
.,ooING TO LAW" HELPS TO MAKE LIFE EX-
CITING FOR THE FARMERS.

brisk winter" the lawyer observed. as he nm
,shed counting ten crackIy s. bills Tie had
a large country practice and juries knew MIN
from Sandy Creek To Kendall Mills
summer possesses many beautiful features.
h,t ai,. M. the cold blasts that freeze the
ground solid as a cement floor" he went on
IN the spring and summer and fall the farm
ers are the busiest class of people in the
world They don't have time for anything but
just work But in the winter time. what hap
pens Why just the opposite. They don't
have ANYTHING 10 do. The stock has To be
cared for three times day; the wood has 10
b. split John Henry generally attends To that.
and the milking. tcol: but the rest of the day
passes without manual labor OF any kind
worth mentioning. Then come the harvest
GAYS for me When the farmers are not oc-
cdYied in any regular duties they fall back
upon one unfailing Of amusement 1t
helps to make the monctGny of daily existence
pass more rapidly They 20 to law"
The lawyer filed the crisp banknotes away
A. large pocketbook-
1t is sometimes an expensive means Of en-
tertainment." he proceeded. Many an action
which has been lying falow for years. await
ing its turn in the higher courts for final ad-
judcation had its origin in petty. one
horse action begun in Justices court. just
because there wasn't anything else to do at
the time. 1 wish / had kept track of all the
strange incidents which have passed before
in the last ten years of country practice
The lawyer took down a pile of musty blue
papers.
Here's a peculiar case. he said as he blew
the dust off the papers before spreading one
Of them This is a complaint in a dam
age action brought To recover a reward OF SO.
The action came to trial, but was never fin
ished. 1t isn't the most peculiar case in which
have ever appeared. but l think you will ad-
init il possesses its odd points.
The events happened in a small village in
Wayne County series Of petty thefts had
aroused the community TO desperation No
trace Of the criminal had ever been obtained.
At last after one peculiarly bold robbery the
richest man in the village offered a reward
OF $40 10 the person capturing the thief
householder named ESsLy owned a huge St
Bernard dog. Across the street lived another
family named Beahan. When the head Of the
Beahan family went away for the night he
was in the habit Of borrowing the ST. Bernard
from the Eggbys. 1t slept all night in the
sitting room, and added much to Mrs Pea
hans sense Of security. Two or three days
after the publication Of the offer Of the re-
ward Mr. Beahan called away for the
night He borrowed the St Bernard from the
Eggbys and departed That night Mrs Eea-
han Was awakened by terrible uproar in the
sitting room. Rushing down. she found that
the 81. Bernard had pinned the floor
masked man. Assistance hastily sum
moned. and the intruder was secured ana
bundled away TO the Jail. which was in the
basement Of Cyrus HornblOwers windmill
The burglar had been captured beyond doubt.
The village MAS terribly excited. The
prisoner was arraiened before the important
little justice and remanded for examination.
Mr.. Beahan returned. and lost time in ap-
plying for the reward offered 10y the richest
citizen in town. II paid No sooner had
this been done than the Eggbys in Ine
indignation. 1t their dog that captured
the thief, and therefore, the reward Was
theirs. The town Immediately split into
two factions the Beahanites and thr Eegby-
ties. Feeling high. At last "A civil action
was begun by the Eegbys for the recovery of
the reward. Papers Were rapidly served ami
the action called. Not more than thre. days
had elapsed while the stirring events n-r.
taking place. When the six jurors were drawn
and the crowded courtroom was settling itself
20 listen TO the opening remarks Of the plain
hns counsel. the constable. William Henry
Skies, burst in. and. without even taking Of
his woOllen cap. faspeG out:
May ii please the Court. the prisoner h-z
eScaDed""