Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 96, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 August 1901 — A Prairie'Chicken Case. [ARTICLE]

A Prairie'Chicken Case.

Constable Wick went up to Fair Oaks this morning and brought down John G. Liggitt, the poted hunter and hunting dog trainer of that town, who was charged with shooting a prairie chicken on August 10th. They were accompanied down by nearly all the storebox philosophers of Fair Oaks, as witnesses. The witness delegation being headed by Tom Joyner, in the capacity of an expert guide through the mazes of Rensselaer’s irrigating district. The trial began at 1 p.m. before Squire Troxell in the east court room. Mr. Liggitt had no trouble in proving an alibi, all the other philosophers swearing that he was present at their regular all day’s session, the day of the chicken’s death; and the court promptly dismissed the case. The death of the chicken is supposed to have resulted from its coxing in violent contact with a telephone wire, probably with suicidal intent over dispoadency, from brooding over supposed inability todearn to fly before the hunting season opens next November. As soon as the tiial was over, Mr. Liggitt had the complaining witness, Mr. Kale, of Rose Lawn, arrested, on warrant issued by Squire Burnham, on charge of having a prairie chicken in his possession. He having brought along the very dead remains of the suicide, for evidence. This last case was taken under advisement until Wednesday.