The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-26
PECULIAR WINTER SPORTS.
E-armers Indulge in Litigation for
Fun in the Cold Season.


No season like brisk winter the law
ye- observed. as ne finished counting ten
crackly 8 bills He had a large country
practice, and JurIes knew him from San
dy Greek to KenIau Mills
Summer possesses many beautiful feat
ures, but give me ghe cold blasts that
freeze the ground solid as a cement floor"
he went on In the sLring and summer
AMI iaI the farmers are the busiest class
o. people IN the world They don't have
time for anything but Just work. But in
the winter time. what happens2 Why
just thc opposite They don't have any
thing 10 do The stock has TO De cared for
three times a day; the wood has to be
split John Henry generally attends 10
that. aad the milking. tool; but the rest
OF the day passes without manual labor Of
any kind worth mentioning Then come
the harvest days for me- When the far
mers are not occupied in any regular du-
ties they fall back upon one unfallin,,
source Of amusement II helps TO make
the monotony of daily existence pass more
rapidly. They go 10 law
The lawyer filed the crisp baaknct es
away in a large pocletbook-
1t IS sometimes an expensive means of
entertainment he proceeded. Many an
action which has been lying faIlow for
years. awaiting its turn IN the higher
courts for final adjudication. had its OIL
gin IN some petty che horse action begun
n Justices court. Just because there
wasn't anything else 10 do at the time
wish ] had kept track of all the strange
incidents which have passed before me IN
the last ten years Of country practIce,"
The lawyer took down d pile Of musty
blue papers.
Here's a peculiar case, he said. as lie
blew The dust OF the papers before
spreading one Of them out. This Is q
complaint in . damage action brought 10
recover a reward of SO. The action came
to trial. but was never finished Il isn't
the most peculiar case in which I have
ever appeared. but I think you VIII .Gmit
K possesses its odd points
The events happened IN a small village
n Wayne county. 4 series OF petit rhefts
had aroused the community 10 despera-
tion. No trace of the criminal had ever
been obtained At last. after one Ie-u-
liaTly bold robbery. The richest man in the
village offered q reward Of $40 10 thesper-
son capturing the thief. 4 householder
named Eggby owned huge St Bernard
dog. Across the street lived another fam
lily named Beahan. When the head Of the
Beahan family went away for the night he
was ia the habit Of borrowing the ST. Ber-
nard from the Eggbys. It slept all night
IN the sitting room, and added much TO
Mrs Beahan's sense Of security. TWO or
three days after the publication u the
offer Of the reward Mr. Beahan was called
away for the night. He borrowed he St.
Bernard from the Eggbys and departed.
That night Mrs Beahan was awakened Ey
a terrible uprOar n the sitting room
Rushing down. she found that the ST Der
nard had pinned 10 the floor a masked
mar. Assistance was hastily summoned.
and the intruder was secured ana bundled
away to the jail. which was in the base
ment IL Cyrus HorubIower's windmill
The burglar had been captured beyond a
doubt
The village was terribly excited. the
prisoner was aTraigned before the impOr-
taut little justice and remanded for exam
iuation- Mr. Beahan returned and lest no
tine II applying for the reward offered by
the richest citizen in town. IL was paid.
No sooner had this been done than the
Eggbys arose in fine Indignation. 1t was
their dog that captured the thief, and,
therefore. the reward WAS theirs The
town was Immediately split into two fac
lions, the Beahanites and the Eggbyites.
Feeling ran high. At last a civil action
was begun by the EggGys for the recovery
OF the reward Papers were rapidly served
and the action called. Not more than
three days had elapsed while the stirring
events were taking place When the SIX
Jurors were drawn and the crowded court
room was settling itself TO listen to the
( opening remarks OF the plaintiH ) counsel
/ the constable. William Henry Skies burst
+ IN. and. without even taking of his ooIeu
I csp. gasPed out
/ May it please the court, the prisoner
/ hez sscaPedl'