To the editor:

Lawyer Jim LaPan told a story about ex-boxer Mike Egan, who ran a livery stable where the Waterhole bar is now. One day a guy brought back a horse worse for wear, and Egan was arrested for assault. On cross-examination at trial, Egan was asked if he hit the man. Mike answered that he “chastised him a little bit.” When asked again, Mike answered, “He’s still here, isn’t he?!”

Another story was about a man who skidded on an icy patch of highway in the Wilmington Notch, parallel to the AuSable River. His car ended up across the road with its rear wheels in the drain ditch. He gunned the engine, and the car went up the snow along the low retaining wall, and he was last seen driving high above the river.

Another story was about a truck driver who was sued for a collision on the Whiteface Inn Road. His lawyer (Jim) asked him what he had done during the war, and the judge allowed the question over an objection as to relevance, assuming he had driven trucks. When he answered, “flew bombers,” the case was pretty much over, according to Jim.

Paul Herrmann

Saranac Lake