74 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Anottier Victory. — The second 

 case against G. W. Cole, mentioned last 

 week on page 41, has been decided in 

 his favor by Justice Bass. The National 

 Bee-Keepers' Union is managing the 

 case, and this is another victory for the 

 Union. The following items from the 

 local papers will give the details in their 

 own language : 



After devoting nearly all of Tuesday 

 to hearing the testimony of neighbors 

 and bee-keeping experts, and the argu- 

 ments of the Hon. M. Walker for the 

 prosecution, and 'Squire Stearns and B. 

 M. Chiperfield for the defense. Justice 

 Bass decided that G. W. Cole had not, 

 since May 12 (the date of the former 

 similar complaint against him), been 

 guilty of keeping bees upon his premises 

 in violation of the law in relation to 

 nuisances. 



It was proven that since .the date 

 mentioned, one person had been stung 

 by a bee, which might have come from 

 one of the 37 colonies kept by the 

 defendant. 



It was shown also that some persons 

 had been terrified and annoyed, although 

 not stung, by bees. It was in evidence 

 that bees,- presumably belonging to the 

 defendant (or some other or others of 

 the four bee-keepers in that immediate 

 vicinity) got into a watering trough and 

 sometimes stung the noses of horses 

 drinking the water in which the insects, 

 washed from the sides of the trough, 

 were drowning. One witness testified to 

 the bees soiling clothes hung out to dry, 

 so that some pieces had to be washed 

 over. 



Offsetting this, seven bee-keepers 

 testified to the pacific disposition of the 

 honey-gathering insect, and that only 

 during a very few days in early Spring 

 was the presence of a colony of bees 

 near drying linen objectionable. — Canton 

 Register. 



Mr.Cole had previously been defendant 

 in a similar suit, in which his neighbors, 

 represented by Mr. Shaffer, said that the 

 quarter of a hundred hives of bees 

 belonging to Mr. Cole, were a nuisance, 

 especially during the " emptying " period 

 in the Spring. 



The case went against Mr. Cole, who 

 took an appeal. While the case was in 

 this shape, Mr. Shaffer brought another 

 suit on the same ground as before, and 

 the defense proved, by experts, that the 

 case was not similar, the later time in 

 the season producing change of circum- 



stance, as the "emptying" only takes 

 place after the bees have been shut up 

 for a long time. 



It was proved by witnesses that the 

 nuisance alluded to continued during the 

 Summer months to the detriment and 

 defacement of various and sundry arti- 

 cles of clothing, that had been washed 

 and hung out to dry. 



The experts testified that such things 

 were impossible and contrary to prece- 

 dents established by all well regulated 

 bees. Bees were innoxious, but disliked 

 having their hair stroked the wrong way, 

 and were liable to produce facial contor- 

 tion in whoever pinched or stuck pins 

 into them. — Peoria Journal. 



That terrible bee case was decided in 

 accordance with the forecast given in 

 the Journal yesterday. Mr. Cole came 

 out ahead this time. Now, for a little 

 common-sense forbearance. It is no use 

 trying to force Mr. Cole to move the 

 bees until cold weather sets in ; for if 

 removed now, the bees will straggle back 

 by thousands, and their voice will be for 

 war. If the matter is allowed to rest 

 until Winter, there are grounds for 

 believing that the tenants (Italian and 

 native born) will be moved to a less 

 crowded locality. — Peoria Journal. 



Now, that both sides have won a 

 round, the thing is pretty badly mixed. 

 Mr. Cole has 37 colonies of bees, and, 

 according to the best of our recollection, 

 there are fully one million bees in a nest, 

 and every one has a stinger with a 

 mighty sharp point. And, counting the 

 points made for and against the bees in 

 the various discussions on the streets, 

 there must be a point in the case for 

 every bee, and the fact that there are 

 thus in the neighborhood of 75,000,000 

 points involved, is what causes the 

 lawyers to smile, and it is what will 

 make the judge and jurors swear, when 

 Mr. Cole's appealed case comes up in the 

 Circuit Court next month. — Fulton Re- 

 jjublican. 



Next month the appeal comes up 

 before the Circuit Court, and we have 

 no doubt but that it will be another 

 victory for the Union. 'Concentrated 

 venom is the cause of the persecution. 



Fatlier I^angstrotH, although 

 occasionally experiencing a little lifting 

 of " the dark cloud," yet he has had no 

 material relief for nearly two-and-a-half 

 years. 



