From the Richmond Dispatch, 5/1/1869, p. 1, c. 4

OVER DE LINE AGAIN. – The numerous squatters in the region of Chimborazo have frequent difficulties in regard to the confines of their patches; and scarce a week passes that some one of them does not appear before some tribunal of justice to complain of some neighbor for “steppin’ over de line.”

Yesterday morning a complaint of this kind was entered by a sable individual and his wife. His wife came up with something in her hand which puzzled us to know what it was, and commenced her story. She said: “Dis here land here is my land, and my line run long like here, and his line run long like dar; and Mr. Constable Robinson he measured de land off, he did, and he measured me twenty-five feet four inches, and he measured Andy dar twenty-nine feet three inches; and last year my ole man took ‘n plant beans, he did, and Andy come over dar and dug ‘em up. Well, you see, Cote, de mar beans whar he dug up was on my side de line; and de yuther day he cum long and took’n dug up and scratched up some o’ de corn whar de ole man done plant, which was on my side de line. [Here the old woman displayed the contents of her hand – a handful of sprouted corn.] Yes, Cote, and here do corn; and all dis arter I done tole him not to scratch up my things; and yit he kep on scratchin, and a scratchin, and a scratchin, till I couldn’t stand it no longer; an I had him brought up here, Cote. You see dis land belongs to nobody – dat is, it don’t belongs to Andy nor to me. You see, ‘tis in law; Mr. Pleasants he claim it, Mr. Crump he claim it, and Mr. Johnson he claim it. So we don’t know who to pay de rent to; an you see we settles it dis way: we don’t pay de rent to nobody.”

In view of this admirable arrangement, the case was dismissed.

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