The herald., 1911-08-24
A Widow and a
Railroad
By NJ QUAD
Copyright, 1911. by Associated Lit
e"ary Press.

been fire swept and then abandoned.
/ The Widow Carter, rclict Of a farmer,
lived on the line Of the rejected cut
off. 1t must run between two lakes
on her farm, and the iSthmus was only
seventy feet wide
There was not a doubt on the part
of the railroad people that the widow
would sell the right of way for 500
or so. one day company lawyer
paid her a call. He was a man of
| fifty, about the widows age and the
/ two had not talked ten minutes before
| 1T developed that they used to go to
| school together as children. When it
/ came To speaking Of the right Of way
the lawyer treated it as tritling mat
| ter All other landowners on the line
/ had granted ii for nothing. but in Mrs
| Carriers case they would pay 500 if
! she would bind herself to keep quiet
! about it.
81 won't say either yes or no today
/ she replied There's something /
want to remember about our school
days-some incident of Importance that
| you were connected with. | guess |
can think it up tonight. and you can
come back tomorrow"
The lawyer departed, thinking the
widow bit odd in her ways, and he
was back in due time next day.
Look here. Sam Davis" said Mrs.
| Carter as they were seated. Il was
purity sure there was some incident.
and it has come to me. You know
there was a hill back of the school
house at Wharton
Yes"
"And we used 10 slide down on sleds
and boards at recess and after school,
$50 we did"
zone noon you asked me to ride on
your sled. Halfway down the hill 1t
upset, and | lost big cud of gum |
was chewing"
The lawyer laughed and slapped his
leg. but the widow had very serious
face as she went on:
"And so your old railroad has got
to pay me thousand dollars for the
right Of way. I'm going to get even
for that lost gum"
"a hundred dollars is a big price,
widow. It's land that you make no
use Of"
But l may decide to make use OF
it. No; the railroad can have it for
thousand dollars, but not cent less.
1T can condemn the land under the
law, you understand, and in that case
1t would get it for $40"
"Well, let 'em go ahead"
The railroad company didn't care to
90 ahead until it had exhausted Other
means. 1t would raise its figures, and
it would send other lawyers to her
Meanwhile the widow consulted law
yer In the village. He was one horse
lawyer, but be was posted on the thinf
she wanted most to know. In certain
states railroad cannot secure the
right of way through u dwelling house
by condemnation proceedings. If the
owner asks an exorbitant figure the
value is to be set by three adjacent
landowners. This law applied In the
widows case. or soon would. She a
8. once ordered lumber to build a shanty
on that isthmus. and within a weel
she was living in It,
The railroad sent on another lawyer
who offered 5000 for the right Of way
Mrs. Carter was firm. Then another
lawyer and $500. Mrs. Carter wa
firmer.
Railroads often seize by force wha
they covet and then fight it out II
court. The idea was to do 1t in thi
case. Mrs. Carter borrowed every shot
gun for a mile around and was read.
for battle. She actually fired charg'
Of bird shot that entered the legs o
three trespassers and sent them howl
ing. Then the railroad people got {
minister from the village to go dow
and talk with the widow. He save'
his breath. even IL he didn't earn hi
money. The moment she understood
his errand she said.
"Now. parson. you don't want to but
into this. Your business is to preacl
Of goodness and heaven and angels
Mine is to beat the railroad. You g
right back home and leave me to rul
things here"
Then the railroad offered $500
"Just half my figurev' was the VIC
mans reply.
Then they called for commission
three to view and value. They wer
three farmers and were good friend
Of Mrs. Carter. They put the value a
$1,000 One OF their reasons was tina
the passing of trains would make tn
fish in the two lakes very nervou:
Another was that the whistles OF th
locomotives would prevent the wido'
? from hearing her clock strike an
might set her ROSTERS to Growing a
hour ahead OF time.
When the award was made know
, the railroad company wanted to Sc
, tie for $1,000.
81 don't want but n thousand" sal
: the widow THAT has been my figge
= right along. However. | want Sal
!. Andrews 10 bring the money and re
me he's mighty sorry about that gun
: and II II was to do over ag'in he'd bel
! me to find the cud if it took all day
And Lawyer Andrews appeared an
| L.. 81 nd "A