AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



41 



Malicious Outrage.— Sometime 

 since we mentioned the fact that G. W. 

 Cole, of Canton, Ills., had been sued for 

 maintaining a nuisance in that city by 

 keeping bees therein. He was fined a 

 dollar, but {ook an appeal from the 

 decision of the Justice of the Peace to 

 the Circuit Court. 



Not content to await the decision of 

 the appelate court, the prosecuting 

 witness, from pure malice, again renews 

 the persecution, and the same Justice of 

 the Peace issues a new warrant to annoy 

 Mr. Cole. 



The National Bee-Keepers' Union has 

 the matter in hand, and will endeavor 

 to successfully defend the pursuit, and 

 show the insignificant prosecuting wit- 

 ness that the success of his little "game" 

 is of but short duration. The law, when 

 administered by competent brain and 

 worthy hands, will vindicate Mr. Cole, 

 and the pursuit of bee-keeping Jn the 

 great State of Illinois. 



Mr. S. A. Shuck, of Liverpool, Ills., a 

 member of the Bee-Keepers' Union, and 

 a correspondent of the American Bee 

 Journal, attended the trial, and after 

 returning home, wrote as follows to Mr. 

 Cole about it : 



To any fair minded person it was 

 evident that the grievances were greatly 

 exaggerated in the testimony given by 

 the prosecuting witness ; and not only 

 this, but it is also evident that the 

 prosecuting witness, or his wife, pur- 

 jured themselves as he testified that he 

 helped his wife to wash the clothing 

 over in consequence of the stain from 

 the bees, while his wife testified that the 

 clothes were never washed over. 



The testimony that the clothes were 

 badly stained nearly every time they 

 were washed, is surely false. 



But admitting that the clothes were 

 badly stained in a few instances, and 

 allowing that the parties were stung as 

 often as they claimed to have been — five 

 or six times in all — does that, or can it, 

 constitute a nuisance ? If so, then what 

 is it that may not become a nuisance by 

 being in the least annoyed. 



It appears to me that, if your bees 

 have damaged your neighbor's clothes, 

 or injured them in any way, you should 

 be allowed and required to pay the 

 damages. 



But how any court claiming justice 

 can fine a man $1, and costs amountin*' 

 to S2o or $50, and rob him of $100 to 

 $200 worth of property, and that, too, 

 when it has not been shown that the 

 complaining parties have been damaged 

 25 cents' worth, is something I cannot 

 see through or understand. 



I am a member of the Bee-Keepers' 

 Union, and have been ever since its 

 existence, excepting the first year. My 

 advice would be to appeal to the higher 

 court. 



Kicking: Mules should not be 

 allowed in an apiary. It is criminal 

 carelessness to allow such things to 

 happen as are described in the following 

 telegraphic item in the daily papers : 



Clay City, Ills., June 29.— Richard 

 Emery's mules kicked over a hive of 

 bees belonging to A. J. Price, of this 

 place, to-day. The bees became enraged 

 and stung the mules until they could 

 kick no longer. 



The bees then took possession of the 

 public highway between here and Saylor 

 Springs, and caused the team of Henry 

 Pain, living north of here, to run away, 

 severely injuring George Pain, his 

 brother. 



TraflSc is now stopped on the road at 

 this point, as the bees have taken pos- 

 session, and the hacks are compelled to 

 go a long distance around to reach here 

 from Saylor Springs. Mrs. Anderson 

 had to have the bees literally raked off 

 of her. Several children were stung to 

 such an extent that they are in a critical 

 condition. 



All this was the result of the stupidity 

 of allowing a long-eared team to be 

 anywhere near hives of bees. 



We are Sorry to learn that Mr. 

 N. N. Betsinger has been again sen- 

 tenced to the State's Prison for 4 years 

 and 7 months. A correspondent thus 

 remarks about the matter : 



He will doubtless be granted a new 

 trial. After hearing the second trial it 

 is very clear that he is innocent. He is 

 the victim of quarrelsome neighbors. 



Supply Dealers desiring to sell our 

 book, " Bees and Honey," should write 

 for terms. 



