Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1906-01-12
ROCKVILLE MARYLAND FRIDAY MORNING. JANUARY 70. 1906 RI
When the Lawyer.
e a' +. Came, .a...
By CARL DAY


and a sawmill. but when any Of Its
people visited other towns they didn't
brag of these things, II they boasted
at all 1t was OF the fact that the village
never had had lawyer or lawsuit.
Now and then differences OF opinion
arose among the villagers, and they al
ways went to old sllas Warner to set
tie them. He was the father OF the
village. When he said It was going to
be a hard winter or hot summer no
one thought of doubling his word. He
was ready with advice to old and
young, and no one ever knew him to
say mean thing about anybody. He
would hear both sides of story and
then decide, ccording to his judgment.
and It was seldom that his decision
was appealed from or created hard
feelings. Efs5
Uncle Sllas had been fathering Kills.
dale for twenty years when an event
happened A boom struck the town.
Some one sold his house and lot, the
cooper got an order for a hundred bar
rels all at once, and 1t was discovered
that the water of spring emptying
into the mill pond was good for sore
eyes. 1t wouldn't have been called
much Of boom In Kansas, but 1t was
enough to make them hold their breath
In Hlllsdale, and It led to results. One
of the results was move to get law
yer to come there and open an office.
II amt goin' to say yes nor no to it."
Uncle Silas said when he heard Of II,
but II We get q lawyer here we can
look out for mumps and measles to
foller." 1i uaH %
The lawyer came. He was an object
of curiosity for the first two weeks.
and then he was an object Of some
thing else. To do him justice, he was
no pettifogger to set neighbors by the
ears. but the fact that there was q
lawyer In town to be consulted had an
! influence with the villagers. and soon
most Of them discovered chips on their
shoulders.
4 The cooper had a plot Of ground on
which he always raised about fifty
bushels Of potatoes. The sawmill man
had six or eight hogs running at large
that always managed to get in among
the potatoes and reduce the crop by
ten bushels. Heretofore this matter
had been carried to Uncle Silas for ar
bitration. He had taken a couple Of
days to think it over and then said:
"Waal, nayburs, hogs is hogs, and ia
tiers Ia taters, and It's mighty hard to
keep 'em apart. Fact is. hogs have got
to have 'em. l can't say that 1t was
anybody's fault in this case, but I
guess II the owner Of the hogs pays the
owner of the taters about dollar and
half no one will be the wuss off"
That sum had been paid over with
out demur, and there never had been q
hard word between the two principals. |
Things were different now, however.
One day the sawmill man got let
ter from the lawyer demanding $40 |
damages because his hogs had made
their annual raid on the potato patch |
of the cooper.
"Yes, joe" said the cooper when his |
neighbor came to see him, II told the |
lawyer to write you that letter. It's
time you took care O. them blamed
hogs O. yours. You've got to pay me
$f0 this time" ts
But you owe me 81 for lumber,
jim"
"Tlen sue for it."
'IIanged If | don'tl I'll show you
that can start just as many lawsuits
as you CAMP
For ten years people had been In the
habit of taking short cut across ia
bez Smiths lots when going to the
postofiice, and Jabez had no more
thought Of complaining than he had of
flying. All of a sudden, however, he
puts up signs of mo Trespass." and
when the Widow Thompson didn't heed
them he came outside his gate to meet
her.
"see here, widder," he began, you
either keep off my land or I'll have you
up for dalnages!"
"What's the matter Of your she
asked In surprise.
"Waal, I've been picked on and pick
ed on for the last ten years. and I've
stood 1t Jest as long as I'm goin' to.
We've got a lawyer In the town now.
you know"
'Then you keep your hens out Of my
garden or you'll hear from that law
yer! I allus thought you'd be pizen
mean IL you had a chance, and now
know IT,"
"Don't use violent language. wilder,
or the law will make you suffer for It,"
Horses, cattle and hogs always had
been allowed to run at large In Hills
dale, and the citizens were supposed to
protect themselves by keeping their
fences in repair and their gates shut.
1t was not long after the arrival of the
lawyer that dozen different neighbors
were shaking their fists at each other
and threatening lawsuits for damages
done. In the long before, Jonas Bebee
had given the village the privilege OF
digging gravel at his banks to fill in the
mudholes of the three or four streets.
There was no sale for 1t at any price,
and the more they dug away his hills
the better for his property, but one day
Jonas rose UP at the postoflce to speak.
Gentlemen" he said, this thing has
been goin on long enough. It's ridin
a free boss to DEATH II any more grav-
eli comes out o. my pits it's got to be
paid for at quarter load"
whats the matter with you, Jo-
nas?" asked neighbor.
give Jest woke up to realize that I've
got some legal rights In this world, and
you hear what say about that gravel
i've made a fool o. myself by givin'
the town about a thousand dollars
wuth, but 1t stops right herep'
When one Of the fifty hogs running
at large got under the front steps of
SINNERS grocery in the daytime and
grunted away it was SINNERS Drivi-
lege to rouse him out with pole and
then hit him with as many clubs as he
could. This had come to be considered
a constitutional privilege, but Skinner
was to have his eyes opened. One day,
after having enjoyed himself with
stray hog, the owner Of 1t came along
and stopped before the store.
4. h. ~