The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1912-09-26
A CONTINUANCE OF THE SUPREME
JUDICIAL COURT
Gledhill VS.. McCoombs Case Goes To Law Court
Beauchard Insurance Case Settled

Monday the case OF + landerS VS.
Walton, admr. estate of Charles Fair
brother, was taken up. Action was
brought for $40, the plaintiffs claim
being that the whole was a preferred
debt. Miss Belle Flanders, the plain
tiff, according to her story, was both
! housekeeper and nurse, for some
months for the late Charles Fair
| brother during his last sickness. Af-
! ter his death, she presented a bill
but his estate was found insolvent.
I The suit was brought claiming the
services, came under preferred claims
and payment in preference to an or
dinary claim. The jury returned a
verdict, Tuesday, in favor of Miss
Flanders to the sum of $163.02, for
services as nurse and 1924 for special
| findings, Judge Cornish ruling that
while the services rendered for nurse
were preferred and should be paid in
full, the other services such as house
keeper should go before the COM
missioners and take the percentage
with other claims. Council for the
plaintiff was George w. Cover, Esq,
and for the defendant, L. L. Walton,
Esq, acted as his own attorney.
The case entered upon, Tuesday,
was that of Frank Hanson of st. AL
Bans VS. James Hadley of Portland.
According to the plaintiffs attorney,
Mr. Hanson bought hay of Mr.. Hadley
at the rate of $12 per ton, and the
hay was left in the barn. Hadley de-
cided to move to Portland and wanted
to settle up the affair. The hay was
at that time being pressed but the
machinery broke and then the two
men decided to settle the matter be-
fore the remainder of the hay was
pressed. Hadley said there were Is
1-2 tons and taking his word for it,
Hanson paid him 1852. Hanson
claims that the hay did not hold out to
that amount and according to the
weight, the amount should have been
only $11S. The claims of the defendant
were that the amount was agreed up
on by both parties and the jury su5-
tanned the claim.
Wednesday morning, the claim OF
Peter Beauchard VS. Dirigo Mutual
Fire Insurance Co. was taken up. The
story of the case as presented by the
! plaintiff was that Peter Beauchard
purchased a farm in Cornville on the
Molunkus Road in 1908 He took out
an insurance policy through Alonzo
Smith with the Dirigo Mutual Fire
Insurance Co. The buildings were
struck by lightning, and were burned
/ to the ground. He filed the proof OF
! his loss but the insurance company
claimed that the policy had been Vi
olfted, because of over estimating the
/ value of the buildings and also that
he was not OCCUPYING the place. This
idea was aroused from the fact that
in November, 1910, Mr.. Beauchard s
wife. eldest daughter and the smallest
children removed to Skowhegan vii
lage for the purpose of finding en-
ployment more readily than would be
possible in the vicinity of their farm
] Meanwhile Beauchard and his son
continued to reside on the farm. AT
the time of moving, claim was made
that Beauchard took pains to find out
of the company If the removal of a
portion of the family would make any
difference in the strength of the in
surance and was informed that it
would not The plaintiff claimed that
he had stayed substantially every
night on the place after the depart
ure of his wife and family to Skowhe-
gan. Suit was brought for $500, to
recover the sum of the insurance.
The court took the case from the
jury on the point of its being simply
a matter of law and directed the YER
dict in favor of the plaintiff for the
sum of $500 and interest. Butler &
Butler were council for Beauchard,
and Hiram Knowlton, Esq, of Port
land for the insurance company.
The criminal docket is to be taken
up today