The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-09
MESS OF ANGLE WORMS CAUSES
 TRIAL BY JURY
NeWtoWn Residents Involv- ed in Bitter Court
 Dispute.
Especial to The Farmer

Especial to The Farmer)
 Newtown, April 9-The Center was the scene of public interest, Saturday, when from all sections of town people came on foot, by teams and automo- piles to attend trial in Justice McCar- thy's court, which bids fair to become a celebrated case.The court room was crowded.
 The case was entered in the court as State of Connecticut vs. Thomas Dring, under two counts, breach of the peace and assault and battery against Charles Finder. This was a grand jury complaint, but instead of the town furnishing an attorney to prosecute the complainant, the latter hired Attorney J. Robert eecher, who represented the state in the absence of g. regular town attorney. The grand juror who signed the complaint did not appear to prosecute, but by signing another complaint for Dring. defend ant in the first action against Finder put up a state of affairs that at first non-plussed the justice.
 However, the justice took counsel with others, and after looking up pre- cedents, he found that former justices up against such contretemps called in a petty. jury of six to decide the ques- tion of guilt or innocence of the ac- cused, or otherwise strike the impar- tial verdict. Under the procedure thus decided upon Constable Thomas Carlson in the presence of the town clerk, drew from the jury list of the town the following six men as jurors: Lauren Sktdmore, James Egan, Charles G. Peck, W. N. Reynolds, V. G. Hard and Harry M. Greenman. By peremp- tory challenge of Attorney Beecher, Reynolds was retired, while Attorney A. J. Hull promptly struck out the mayor, thus making two vacancies. Deputy Sheriff Beers was then order- ed to go out and bring in two tales men. Without leaving the court room he promptly made choice of Eli B. Beers and T. J. .Corbett, who' plead ly immunity unavailingly. They were sworn in and the trial began. The jurymen tried to do their duty, while the witnesses poured out mass of contradictory evidence, punctuated by lively tilts of counsel from Il o'clock a. m. till after dark before the case was given to them to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused.
 The charge was that Finder and a companion Downs on March 29 were caught digging angle worms on the side of the road contiguous to the land of Dring. The latter ordered them off, but they declined to go. Dring claiming to own to the middle of the road abutting on his property. They responded that they were on the highway and again refused to go. Then an altercation began in which stones were weapons of one side and unlaw- full seizure of the body of one par- ticipant on the other, eliminating in a blow on the forehead of Finder which required medical attendance.
 Surveys, plans of property and photographs of the scene of the mix up were exhibits in the case, while Se- lectman Curtis testimony that the original survey of the road was four rods wide gainsaid the contention that the fracas was contiguous to the prop erty of the complainant but was nearer to the opposite abutting property hold- CT. Although the case was so hope less of determination that the jury agreed to disagree after being sent back twice to confer and re-confer. They were discharged by the Justice, who seemed chagrined that the jury trial did not help him unravel the in- tricacies of court actions arising in the vicinity of Zuar bridge. Whether another trial is ordered is problematl- cal, as the additional costs must be paid by the town and not the state when a verdict of guilty is not found Probably a nolle may be entered in both cases and to many citizens ehis seems to be the best way in this neigh bors' quarrel Both sides seem to be heartily sick of The whole matter and would gladly end it. That a mess ot angle worms from the side of the roadway could cause such commo. ton seems almost incredible. but from this little affair the town of Newtown will pay quite a sum of money for court expenses, while the litigants will have heavy counsel fees to pay. But law is a luxury which only the rich