Connecticut western news., 1909-09-16
THE WOMAN WHOSUED
By M. QUAD.


 mure and bashful. She was so as n wife, and she was so as a widow up to Il certain date. One day three years after the loss of her husband she was going to the postoffice when she came across the village cooper and the vil- lage butcher engaged in Il wranglc. The wrangle became a fight as she ap- preached, and she was so frightened that she had to lean up against the fence and gasp for breath. The butch CT brought an action against the coop CT for assault and battery, and the widow was summoned as witness. She took the oath and the stand. but that was all. She was so affected that she had to be removed from the court room.
 A few days later Mrs. Colville was left a legacy of $5,000 Men. women and children rejoiced over it and con graduated her, but not for long, how ever. Within a month she developed an idosyncrasy that soon surprised the whole county. She fell in love with the law-she who had never been in n court of justice but once and then to be carried out in n fainting condition. It was a thunderclap to the villa gers to hear one day that she had sued Elder Johnson for trespass For ten long years the elder had been in thr habit of cutting across a corner of the Colville property on his way to and from tie store. He was on good terms with the widow. and she had not warned him. She had simply ap- piled for Il summons and engaged lawyer. The elder called to see her. summons in hand; but. while she was demure. she was also obstinate She had long felt that she did not have her rights ip law. ard now she was bound to get them.
 AS the elder had not been warned personally and as there had been no notice to the public the widows case was quashed. She was not n bit disap- pointed or cast down. She simply looked around for some one else to sue. In q couple of weeks she brought suit against n widower named Solo, mon Lee for breach of promise. Mir. Lee lived at the other end of the vil- lage and was never in her house. On a certain occasion n year before the suit he was passing her place as she was trying to drive q strange hog out of the garden. The hog was an artful dodger, and the wtdower volunteered his services. He not only drove out the hog, according to the widows tes- tmony. but he patted her on the shoul- der and observed that q little woman like her ought to have husband like him to keep the garden clear of hogs.
 In breach of promise case there has got to be something more than q hog incident to nail the lid down. The widower denied the gentle words at tributed to him. and no fond letters or other thrilling incidents were brought forward. The case was there fore dismissed. The widow seemed to revel in being called to the stand, and she paid the costs without losing her smile. Two weeks later came the turn of Deacon Tracy. He lived near the widow and had known her since her marriage. Wanting q hoe one day, he called to borrow hers. She hap lIbltl IO hI thAs anu A11 Ibbh AlIA Albt along. He hadn't returned 1t yet when a summons was served on him for trespass and unlawfully converting property to his own use. He hastencd over to see the widow, but it was no use. She said she had come to just love the law and the suit must go on. It did go on. and the widow was non- suited and had the costs to pay.
 By this time the citizens of Quincy had begun to sit up and take notice. There were laws, and there was widow The query of whether she had had enough of it was soon answered. She hadn't. Half Il dozen women had criticised her for bringing the suits, and so she brought half dozen more. The local justice of the peace refused To issue the papers, but justice over at Perry's Corners did. The six wom- en asked forgiveness. and their hus- bands tried to fix things, but 1t was no go. The suits had to go on. They caused the defendants considerable trouble and anxiety. but when they came to trial the verdict was in their favor. They had criticised instead of scandalized. The widow, however, longed for more suits, and it wasn't long before fortune favored her.
 She was buying some calico at the store when q clerk who was known for his humor expressed the hope that she would not sue him for breach of promise, as he was already engaged to three different widows and more com ing. Next day she had him summon cd for assault and battery. Under the law one can assault and batter'' with the tongue alone. Under the law un- due levity or humiliating any person is a misdemeanor. The humorous clerk was haled into court and fined $J. The winning of that suit inct.td the widows ambition. She sued the parents of children that stole her np- ples; she sued two farmers for throw ing stones at her dog; she sued the cooper because her vinegar barrel