Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 111, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 October 1899 — A Big Case in Court. [ARTICLE]

A Big Case in Court.

A big case is now on trial in our circuit court. It is one of the fire damage cases against the Monon railroad, brought here from Lake county on change of venue. The plaintiff is Wm. B. Brown, of Crown Point, and he sues for damages done by a fire which burned over about 5 sections of land belonging to him, and lying northeast of Shelby. The fire occured in October 1897. He claims the fire burned off great quantities of the soil, and left his land honey combed with holes. Also that it burned several bridges over large ditches on his land. He claims damages to the amount of $20,000. The case is being tried before Hon. R. S. Dwiggins, as special judge, and the remlar September term jurors. similar case, in which John Brown was plaintiff, was tried in March, before a stuck jury, and with Mr. Dwiggins as special judge. The attorneys for Mr. Brown are exJudge Wm Johnson, of Valparaiso, and ex-Senator Youche, of Crown Point. The attorneys for the railroad are Judge E. C. Field general solicitor and Wm Kinnan assistant solicitor of the company, John B. Peterson of Crown Point and Chilcote & Parkison, of Rensselaer. The former John Brown case lasted two weeks and this one bids fair to last even longer.