SHOOTING KING BIRDS AND TOO MUCH PECK IN IT

King Bird.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, October 16, 1891.

Shooting King Birds.

   Tuesday last the Cortland Sportsmen's club held a grand king bird tournament on their grounds opposite the gas works. The forenoon was somewhat chilly yet the crack of firearms indicated that the club and its visitors were bent on a full day's sport. The attendance was quite meager and numb fingers fanned by a stiff northwest breeze lowered the scores in each of the five events of the morning. In the afternoon the atmosphere was all that could be desired on an autumn day, and the attendance large.

   The first event was ten king birds, at unknown angles, in which Rindge killed 9; Beard 2; LeFevre 7; Crittenden 6; Clarke 8; H. Ailing 8; Lansing 7; Hill 9; Williams 9; Mowry 9; Schermerhorn 7; E. Harrington 9.

   The second event of the afternoon was 15 king birds, rapid firing. Rindge 13; S. K. Jones 7; Mowry 12; A. D. Wallace 11; LeFevre 15; Clarke 12; Schermerhorn 14; Crittenden 13; Barrett 11; Ailing 10; Hill 10; Williams 10; Lansing 13.

   Third—Five pair doubles. Crittenden 8; LeFevre 9; Harrington 6; Wallace 5; Ailing 6; Jones 7; Lansing 10; Moyer 9; Clarke 7; Rindge 8; Schermerhorn 5; H. P. Gray 5.

   Fourth — Ten singles, rapid firing. Rindge 8; Gray 8; Wallace 5; Clarke 9; Jones 8; Miller 10; LeFevre 9; Williams 8; Lansing 8; Ailing 8; Mowry 10; Crittenden 10; Hill 9; Schermerhorn 10; Harrington 9.

   Fifth—Fifteen singles, rapid firing. Gray 11; LeFevre 16; Harrington 9; Miller 14; Williams 9; Schermerhorn 15; Crittenden 12; Moyer 15; Ailing 11; Clarke 13; Hill 14; Jones 9; Lansing 14; Rindge 14.

   A sweepstake purse followed the last event on the printed program and the fun closed for the day. The grounds are naturally adapted for the requirements of the club and have been fitted in a style to please as was manifest by the visiting sportsmen, while the success of the past season has been so complete that large and more varied meetings will be arranged for the season of 1892.

Death of a Little One.

   The many fronds of Mr. and Mrs. Irving H. Palmer, of this village, sincerely sympathize with them in the death of their infant son, Edwin Delevan, which occurred on Monday morning. At its birth the child bid fair to be robust and healthy, and was a source of great pride to its parents. After a few days, however, it became ill, and despite every effort upon the part of the attending physician and nurses, the fond hopes that centered in the little one were crushed by the cold hand of death.

Death of L. Augustus Hudson.

   Last Friday Mr. L. Augustus Hudson, only son of Mr. and Mrs. H. S. Hudson of this village, was taken suddenly ill and complained of sharp pains and vomited freely. Dr. A. J. White was called and the symptoms indicating a bilious [sic] attack, the usual remedies were prescribed. The intense pain had not subsided in the least on Sunday morning and Dr. White decided that there was an obstruction of the bowels and in this opinion he was supported by Dr. Dana who had been called in consultation.

   Mr. Hudson was informed that the only chance to save his son's life was an operation and Dr. John Van Duyn of Syracuse was telegraphed for and came on the 11:30 train Sunday evening. The operation was performed upon his arrival, Drs. White, Dana and Didama assisting, but young Hudson was too weak to stand the shock and died at 8:30 Monday morning. He was a young man possessed of many excellent qualities and his genial pleasant disposition made him many friends in this community, who were pained to learn of his untimely death.

   The funeral services were held at the house at 8 o'clock Wednesday morning and was attended by a large number of citizens and the Cortland Wheel Club, of which he was a member, attended in a body. The remains were taken to Watkins, the former home of the family, for interment and the Wheel Club acted as an escort to the procession as it moved to the E. C. & N. station. Rev. J. L. Robertson conducted the services at the residence in this place. The bearers were Wm. H. McGraw, F. W. Melvin, G. H. Lloyd, Fred Peck, C. G. Smith of Cortland, and N. H. Waters of Homer.

Item.

   A large force of laborers and teamsters commenced the work of grading and laying out the grounds of the new Catholic cemetery on the Wadsworth farm at the head of Fitz avenue [West Main Street.] The work will be pushed to as early completion and the new cemetery will be a very handsome one.

More of Squires' Record.

   EDITOR DEMOCRAT:—In 1889, Jerome Squires as the attorney for George Atchison brought a suit in the Supreme Court against Frank Crandall and Charles Pullen to recover the purchase price of cream sold by said Atchison to said Crandall and Pullen.

   While said action was pending, George Atchison went before his attorney, Jerome Squires, then acting as a Justice of the Peace, and made a complaint against Frank Crandall charging him with larceny in having obtained the cream, for which the suit was brought by false representations, and said Squires, thereupon as such Justice, issued his warrant and had Crandall brought before him, compelled him to submit to an examination and finally held him to await the action of the Grand Jury.

   Is such a man fit to occupy any office, much less the important office of Dist. Att'y?

   A man that would resort to such practice must be destitute of shame and wanting in common decency. Ordinarily when a mm is sued he can at least have an impartial trial by jury. In this case before Squires, Crandall was not entitled to a jury, but was entitled to an impartial examination before a fair tribunal. The examination was before Justice Squires, who was the attorney for the complainant.

   The manifest object was to use the criminal law to aid in collecting a civil debt. The people have already had to pay the expenses of this criminal prosecution in Squires' exorbitant bills. Squires is probably the only justice who ever commenced a civil action against a defendant and in the same subject instituted a criminal prosecution before himself as a magistrate, against the same defendant. Such procedure is an outrage both upon civil and criminal jurisprudence. Will anyone dare to defend Squires' course in this matter? It is utterly indefensible.

   JUSTICE.

Thomas Platt.

Rufus Peck.

PLATT'S FAUCET.

The Big Meeting that Did Not Materialize—Too Much Peck in it—A Slim Show—Where Were the Farmers?

   The Silk Stocking club, assisted by the Republican County Committee attempted to have a grand blowout in this village Wednesday afternoon, and to this end advertised that the meeting was to be held in the Opera House and that those who desired to hear the great speeches to be delivered by Fassett, Vrooman and Baxter, must go early in order to get a seat. The speakers arrived on the 9:46 A. M. train from Elmira and were drawn from the E., C. & N. station in Ike Finn's cab at $2.50 per draw.

   Chairman Bronson ordered the doors of the Opera House to be locked for fear the house would be filled before the hour for the meeting arrived. When the hour for the opening of the meeting arrived the doors were flung open and it was sometime before the seats were all taken. It was a noticeable fact that there were very few people in the house who resided outside the corporation and as the President of the Silk Stockings said to District Attorney Bronson after the meeting, "The farmers were conspicuous on account of their absence."

   Judge Smith was made chairman of the meeting and delivered a racy speech that put the audience in good humor. Mr. Fassett was then introduced and at once pitched into Tammany Hall and Gov. Hill. In speaking of his action with reference to voting on the confirmation of Michael Rickard for R. R. Commissioner he stated that he believed he voted for his confirmation. He spoke the same evening in Ithaca, and in his speech there he admitted that he did not vote for him because he was sick and not in the Senate. Fassett's memory seems to be very treacherous. The confirmation of Mr. Rickard was a very important political event and Mr. Fassett must have known whether he voted for Rickard's confirmation or not.

   The decisive statement of Gov. Hill made at Rochester the evening previous that he did not vote for Rickard may have jogged his memory while riding from Cortland to Ithaca in the evening.

   After Fassett's speech the Glee club chanted the lullaby, "We'll all vote for Fassett aud Vroo-m-a-n," and Judge Smith introduced John W. Vrooman, the candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Mr. Vrooman is a very dry speaker and failed to inject any enthusiasm into the audience. Col. A. E. Baxter of Elmira was the last speaker and he was decidedly the best one. He is a good story teller, a fluent talker and was at times quite eloquent. It was easy to see that he carried off the honors of the day.

   Even the most pronounced Republicans were sadly disappointed in Fassett. They had been lead to believe from reading Republican papers, that he was an orator and possessed an unlimited amount of magnetism. He is sadly deficient in both respects and candid Republicans admitted the fact and freely expressed their disappointment.

   The meeting was also a sore disappointment to the managers, who expected to see a magnificent turnout and the streets filled with people. "What does it mean?" was the question propounded to each other and there were none to answer. Some thought there was too much Peck in it, while others thought the farmers were not to be caught with Platt's Faucet.

   The speakers were entertained at the Messenger House and the Committee invited the merchants, manufacturers, lawyers and doctors to dine with them. Here too the farmer was conspicuous by his absence. The few who were in town dined sumptuously on crackers and herring at the corner grocery. How the Republicans do like farmers.

Labor Men and the Ballot.

(From the New York World.)

   What more can workingmen desire in a ballot law, than the present statute secures to them? The object of ballot reform, for which The World contended earnestly when some who are now mouthing its praises were either dumb or hostile, is to secure to every voter the right to cast a secret ballot, provided by the city or town, free from espionage or dictation. This right the present law secures. Every voter is supplied with a full set of all the tickets in nomination. He retires to a booth, selects and prepares his ballot free from observation and casts it without spying or interference. This secures freedom to the voter and renders bribery a very difficult and hazardous matter.

   In addition to this, the voter may if he pleases bring a paster ballot from his home and affix it to the official form. But he is under no compulsion to do this, and no one can know whether he does it or not. The privilege does, however, secure to illiterate voters or to those who are not handy in the use of a pencil a method of being sure that they vote as they want to do. Would workingmen, would any honest believer in universal suffrage, deprive any legal voter of this right?

   The blanket ballot has some advantages, but it has disadvantages as well, especially for illiterate or unskilled voters. The present law secures the essentials of ballot reform to a degree which takes the issue out of the election.