The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-24
HORSE SETTLES
DISPUTE ABOUT
LOAD OF WOOD
Animal Runs Away and
Dumps Timber in Front of
One Belligerent's Home.
Especial to The Farmer,)

Newtown, Jan. 24-How a horse
settled the first round of dispute
over a load of wood, became known
Saturday, when Patrick Harmon, care
taker of the country home owned by
John A. Poland. of 1873 Pequonnock
street, Bridgeport, was arraigned in
the Newtown town court on the charge
of assault.
During a fight between Harmon and
two neighbors, Henry Morgan and his
son, Harry c. Morgan, last week, the
alteration reached the point where
the disputants were threatening each
other with weapons The scrap was
over the ownership of a load of wood
that Harmon was carrying to his mas
ter's home. The horse settled the
matter by running away and overturn-
ing the sleigh in front of the village
store conducted by the Morgans. All
the latter had to do then was carry
the wood into their yard.
The Morgan family has owned a,
piece of almost inaccessible woodland
for more than a century and it has
been the custom of the family to icut
timber, push it down a, declevity that
leads to a fiat piece of land and thence
led it to their home FOR firewood. The
fiat land was bought recently by Mr..
Poland, of Bridgeport, and when he
purchased it there was a load of the
Morgans' wood on it.
the privilege they were accorded, of
using the fiat land. They had no right
of way, but they had never been in
terfered with.
Wednesday Poland ordered Harmon
to get some f1reWood from the lot
where he also kept his wood. Harmon
loaded a wagon with timber. The
Morgans heard in the meantime, that
Harmon was stealing their wood
The elder Morgan stopped him on
the highway, grasping the bride of
the horse. Harmon, according to the
testimony, jumped from his seat and
brandished a stake in the face of Nor
gan The demonstration caused the
pedestrian to release his hold on the
bride.
Harmon then drove toward home.
The horse was nervous, however, and
probably frightened by the demon
STATIONS that had been made it ran
away. It was unmanageable, the
harness broke and it fed toward the
store of the MQrgans There the
wagon overturned and the load of
wood was dumped near the cellar
door. A
Harmon went home for another
horse and sled When he returned
to the Morgan store, the pile was
gone. He assumed that the Morgans
had taken it.
The caretaker then went to the lot
and got another load. The Morgans
cornInuni Gated with the owner of the
lot and were told that if they owned
any wood there, they might get it.
They didn't tell him of the encounter
with Harmon. ~
Thus, according to the testimony
Harmon knew naught of the privilege
accorded the Morgans and Mr., Po-
land knew nothing of the dispute.
The next day, Friday, the Nor
gans went to the lot to get the rest
of their wood. They made so much
noise loading that Harmon heard
them. He rushed out and ordered
them to cease taking the wood. They
laughed at him. He went back into
the house and got a gun. The Nor
Harmon says that when they saw the
gun they left precipitately.
Harmon, was arrested Friday. He
acted as his own counsel in the court
room, before Justice p. n. McCar-
thy.
He said he knew something of the
law. He told how things were done
in England, whence he came. He
muttered of the Magma Charta- He
becace indignant.
Justice Mccarthy fined Harmon S.
and costs, but RENTED the fine on
payment of costs, and placed him
on probation for six months
Mr.. Poland was in court He was
dncensed, too. He didn't like the
idea of having his mare haul wood
for the Norgans.
The White star liner Cynric,
which left Liverpool on January II, !