The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1913-07-23
COURT ADJOURNED
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Five Hundred Dollars Awarded Larry
Cunningham In Suit Against c., N.
q l.. Appeal to Supreme Court.

IL. Appear 10 supreme Court.
The court of common pleas adjourn
ed Saturday afternoon after having
considered equity cases all Of that
day. Judge Devorc returned to his
home in Edgefield the following day.
The trial Of the case of Larry H.
Cunningham VS.. the c., N. G. l.. rail-
ROAD, which was In progress when this
paper last went to press, was con-
cluded Wednesday, afternoon, the plain
tin securing verdict for $500. AS
Will be remembered, the suit was for
$4,000, the plaintiff claiming that h.
had been injured in this amount be-
cause of negligence on the part ct
the defendant railroad when It was
alleged that he was thrown from one
OF its trains while passing through the
Laurens cotton mill village in June
Of last year. The attorneys for the
defendants have filed motive of an ap-
defendants have filed notice of an ap-
peal to the supreme court
up the case of T. L. Barton VS. j N.
Leake ct al. This was a suit for actual
damages for the recovery of a part of
crop attached by the defendant and
for punitive damages in the sum of
$1,000. According to the testimony,
the defendant, acting under a mortgage
given during the spring of 1912, had
the sheriff seize a part of the crop
grown by the plaintiff on two adjoin-
ing farms near Gray Court, claiming
that the papers covered the crop on
both farms The action of the plain
tiff was brought to recover the portion
OF the seizure grown on one of the
farms, alleging that the papers only
covered the crops grown on the 9TH
er farm. The jury found for the plain
tiff for the return of the property or
for $175 in case the property cannot
be delivered. No punitive damages
were awarded.
A verdict for the defendant was rem
dered by the jury in the case of Luth-
er Boyd Palm, by his guardian ad
litem, III. p. Riddle, VS. The Watts Cot
ton Mills. This was a suit for dam
ages in the sum of $4,000 for injuries
alleged to have resulted from burns
about eight years ago, when the plain
tiff stepped on a pile of live Goals on
the premises of the defendant com
pany The contention on the part of
the palintiff was that the defendant
was negligent in leaving the Goals in
the pathway running by the boiler
room. The answer of the defendant
was that the Goals, instead of being
in the pathway, were between the
pathway and the boiler room and that
the plaintiff was trespassing when the
accident occurred. Evidence was in
troduced to sustain both sides in the
case. but the jury sustained the con-
tention of the defendant company.
Friday afternoon the court awarded
verdict for the defendants in the
case Of Matte Hill vs. Temple Gillian
and Harriet Williams. All of the par
ties to this case were negroes.
This was a contest over the will of
Elihu Williams who lived near Cross
Hill. When Elihu died Matte Hill,
who claimed to be his wife, took pos
session of half of his property of
about fifty acres, the other half of the
property going to Harriet Walker,
about whose claim there was no dis
pute. After the death of Elihu and
after Matte Hill had taken possession
of the land, Harriet Williams made
her appearance and claimed that she
was the rightful heir OF Elihu, as they
had been married years before. 1t
vas to settle the dispute that Matte
Hill brought suit. The case was de-
cided in favor of the first wife. w. c.
MCGOWAN, of Columbia, was present
to represent still another claimant to
the estate, one Ella Rigsby, Of Liver
pool, Eng. ELLA, so it was testified,
is huge negro woman showing her
self in England as a giantess, going
under the title of the Princess of Bo-
mar. She also claimed to have mar
ried Elihu at one time, but the evil
dence went to show that she reigned
in the house of Elihu "betwiXt" the
other two claimants, so Harriet Will
liams said.
This was the last jury case to be
tried, the court giving its attention to
,o,orol nuuitv caSes Saturday