News: Clark Co. - Circuit Court Finishes Business (Jan 1919)

Contact: Ann Stevens
Email: ann@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Wickham, Pipkorn, Todd, Ingham, Taylor, Owen, Thomas, Debel, Rush, Crosby

----Source: Neillsville Times (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 1/23/1919

Circuit Court Finishes Business (23 Jan 1919)

Judge Wickham concluded hearing the cases in Circuit Court which were set for trial before him and returned home Saturday evening. The jury has also gone home and court is adjourned for the time being. The case of W.H. Pipkorn Co. vs. T.M. Todd was tried and a verdict rendered for the plaintiffs. This case arose over the refusal of the defendant to pay for some paint which was ordered and not returned in the specified time. In the case of the Homemaker Land Co. vs. R.D. Ingham a special verdict was rendered and taken under advisement by Judge Wickham who will render a decision later. The Homemaker Co. sued Ingham for damages to a piece of land which they owned, Ingham having purchased and removed some buildings from the land which had been purchased from the Homemaker Co., but abandoned. In the case of the Taylor Instrument Co. vs. the Owen Canning Co., a verdict was given for the defendants. The case grew out of the sale of some canning machinery to the defendants.

Friday and Saturday a rather interesting case was tried before Judge Wickham, it being that of G.B. and Phoebe Thomas vs. Frederick Debel. On Oct. 9, 1917, Debel purchased the Thomas farm on the outskirts of Greenwood, $24,000 being the purchase price. After Debel had farmed the place for one season, he discovered that there was a great amount of quack grass and Canada thistle on the farm. He refused further payments on the place, claiming that at the time of the sale the plaintiffs in the action represented that the farm was free from all noxious weeds. The plaintiffs then brought action in circuit court and Debel put in a counter claim, witnesses for the defendant testifying that the noxious weeks damaged the farm to the extent of $5,000. The plaintiffs were represented by W.J. Rush and the defendant by E.W. Crosby.