12-gauge-rage: jdeko:theweirdwideweb:Farmers “arrest” the sheriff who was attempting to
12-gauge-rage: jdeko:theweirdwideweb:Farmers “arrest” the sheriff who was attempting to evict a woman from her farm on behalf of an insurance company. Michigan, 1952. we need to bring this back In 1935 the Farmer’s Mutual Fire Insurance Association went bankrupt and hundreds of dismayed farmers in Lapeer County, Michigan found out that, according to the fine print in their contracts, they were liable for the company’s $90,000 debts. 500 of these farmers, banded together, and under the leadership of Clayton Gilliland, fought a legal battle that lasted 17 years. The case went up to the state supreme court 17 times and through 100 lesser court actions, costing the farmers $60,000 in fees alone.As time went by, many of the Lapeer farmers gave in and paid their share of the debt. But, two farms continued to hold out: The Ziegenhardt brothers, Chris and Paul, who owed $274.10 and wouldn’t pay on principle, and Elizabeth Stevens, a poor 60-year-old widow who owed $172, and couldn’t afford to pay it. Both the Ziegenhardts and Mrs. Stevens had judgements placed on their properties, and in 1948 they were sold at auction. Grace White, a Lapeer county attorney, purchased both properties, paying $500 for the Widow Stevens’ 80 acres, and $13,000 for the Ziegenhardts’ farm. -- source link