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Show 104 Minnie, who was our neighbor one block to the north, with their two city lots adjoining our two, figured in another edifying town event, if you look at it from the entertainment point of view. Catty-cornered across the street lived Neve (Geneva) Peterson, Jim's wife. Their lot south of Neve and west of Minnie was planted into corn by Jim. Minnie's chickens, being no respectors of neighborhood relation^ aiade frequent visits to Nevefe corn patch, until Neve caught one of them and wrung its neck, threw it over the fence. This hen proved not only to be a laying hen, but Minnie's best hen and she went forth to do battle. The quarrel didn't stop with words. When Neve said: "Shut up, or I'll knock your false teeth down your throat, " it was too much, and Minnie physically attacked Neve, who physically retaliated and it became a hair-pulling. Neve, thus attacked, and backed by Jim, retained a lawyer. Minnie, not to be outdone, retained the only other lawyer in Richfield and filed a cross complaint. Naturally, the day of the trial was declared a town holiday and all turned out in the interest of justice. The testimony brought out that Minnie's chickens were not content to take what corn they could reach from the ground, but developed super-chicken abilities and actually climbed the stalks and peeled back the shucks to get at the choice ears. False hair and false teeth, hair dye and the little wire baskets women wore to enhance their breastworks at that time entered prominently into the testimony. Both defendents had difficulty keeping quiet while the other was on the stand. |