Sunday, May 9, 2021

Mrs. Tingley, Mrs. Van Ness In Court Over Angora Cat, May 9, 1921

Two Women Go to Court Over Blooded Cat. . . Two Families Declare Strayed Angora Is Their Special Property. . . Mrs. John R. VanNess Has Animal Pending Hearing Before Justice

Fur is expected to fly, figuratively speaking, next Friday at Squire J.W. Cobb’s office at the court house when litigants meet there to determine the possession of a one-year-old Persian Angora cat. The case was to have been tried Monday morning before Squire Cobb, but it was postponed by agreement between the two attorneys in the case until Friday.

The case is up for trial on claim and delivery papers taken out by Mrs. E.P. Tingley of Dilworth. The cat has for some time been in the possession of Mrs. John R. Van Ness, on East Trade street, who gave a replevin bind and took the cat back home with her, to be held safely and scathlessly until Squire Cobb can go into the merits of case next Friday mornign and see who the aristocratic feline rightfully belongs to. Unlike an ordinary, unpretentious cat, a thorough-bred Angora is worth real money and is worth ‘litigating’ about.

It is expected to be shown at the trial that Mrs. Tingley had a fine cat of the class and description indicated and that Mrs. Van Ness also had one of about the same description. Catlike, the feline that will hold the center of the stage in Squire Cobb’s court next Friday was wandering about the streets of Dilworth one night when he spied by Frank Potts, who lives on Worthington avenue. Mr. Potts is a great lover of fancy animals, fancy poultry, and other members of the non-human family when they show signs of being gently bred. He made friends with it. The cat went home with him and stayed there for some days.

BOUGHT CAT UP NORTH

Mrs. J.R. Van Ness some months ago purchased a fine Angora cat in Philadelphia, and it strayed off after a few weeks. She advertised for it and offered a handsome reward. In the city-wide search for the missing pet one city policeman says he walked 900 miles, as far as from Charlotte to Philadelphia. Seeing Mrs. Van Ness’ advertisement for a lost cat, Mr. Potts called her up and proffered the information that he had a cat which might be hers. Result: The cat was soon at the Van Ness home.

Mrs. Tingley also formerly owned a fine Angora cat, this one sent by her daughter in New York. It also had strayed and she was looking high and low for it, with the aid of all agencies that might help in locating it. Mr. Potts lives not far from the Tingley residence on Worthington avenue. The cat he made friends with looks much like the blue-blooded Angora she had lost. Also there is the fact that the cat was only a short distance from the Tingley home when Mr. Potts met it. Was it not, in all likelihood, making its way back to the Tingley home at the time? is the argument. The cat is at present in the possession of Mrs. Van Ness. She gave a $100 replevin bond and will keep the cat until Squire Cobb hears the evidence in the case and brings his judicial mind into action to say whose cat it is. It is expected he will have to display Solomonic wisdom, if he settles the case in a manner to satisfy the litigants. It was hinted by some of the onlookers who were present and ready for the hearing Monday morning that the squire postponed the hearing in order that he might think up some oracular, some Delphic saying, or stroke of jurisprudence that would settle the matter in a trice.

Col. T.L. Kirkpatrick is attorney for Mrs. Tingley and Francis O. Clarkson is attorney for Mrs. Van Ness.

From The Charlotte News, Monday, May 9, 1921. The photo of the woman with the cat is not a photo of the women and cat involved in this suit. It's just here as an illustration.

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