The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-08-04
BULL CALF CASE
DECIDED At LAST
Hosford Park Farmers Are
Acquitted of Charges
Brought by Widow.
DIDN'T TEACH CALF TO SMOKE
Defendants Swear They Did Not
Teach Calf Any Bad Habits
At All.

After an nll-day trial in Judge VIII
liam w. McMahon's city court jury of
twelve of the peers of Jack Arnold and
Louis Blackmare decided that they
were not guilty of stealing the bull
owned by Mrs. Mary PfaR of HOsfOrd
park, and that they were guilty of feed
ing the calf chewing tobacco and max
Ing 1t smoke pipe.
The "teenth" justice case in which
the contending parties in the village
feud sought to hand each other large
doses of retributive justice, ended in a
verdict in favor of Arnold and Black
mare and against Mary Pfaff.
Say They Didn't Torture 1t.
Arnold and BIackmare are alleged
to have cut the rope with which Mrs.
Pfaff's calf was tied to a stake in her
front yard and after taking it to a
barn owned by one Of them, they are
accused of torturing it.
The defendants claim they found the
calf running loose on their premises and
simply took it up and notified Mrs.
Pfaff that she could have it if she paid
them so cents for feeding the animal
The rope with which the calf was
tied was brought into court and sew
eral strands were shown to the jury as
evidence that. the calf had been stolen
in the manner described in the COM
plant.
This exhibit which was introduced by
Attorney Joseph Conroy, representing
the plaintiffs. proved their undoing for
Attorney Milo Bruce, representing the
defendants, showed by the ends of the
rope that it had been cut in two by a
single blow of an AK or hatchet in
stead of being hacked in two by a
knife as the witnesses for Mrs. Pfaff
claimed.
Knew Rope When They Saw One.
1t is understood that there were sew
eral men on the jury who knew a
thing or two about rope, and they were
Convinced that Mrs. Pfaf's witnesses
were not telling the truth when they
testified that they had seen Arnold and
Blackmare come into the yard, delib-
erately cut the rop and take the calf
away with them.
The condition of the ends of the rope
showed that the strands had been
cIeanly severed with one blow of some
sharp instrument and not cut with a
knife
The jury also thought that it was
extremely improbable that Arnold and
Blackmare would come into the
yard in broad daylight and steal bull
calf Ten of them are said to have
voted for acquital on the first ballot
The case was intensely interesting all
the way through because of the feeling
which has been aroused in the matter
as a result of the feud. The court
room was crowded all day with not
only the feudists in Hosfords park, but
with a great many Hammond people
Looking for Next Outbreak.
1t is not known in just what form
the next out break will appear, but
everybody is looking for more trouble
and it is likely Hosford park will be
in the Hmelight for some time to come
1t was a matter of considerable sur
prise that the people who are mixed
up In this peculiar feud should be such
intelligent looking and apparently re-
fined people. 1t is hard to believe that
people of average intelligence in this
day should become involved in petty
quarrels which bring them into the
courts so frequently.