The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-08-09 00:00:00

RAILWAY DAMAGES.

At the Stafford killers, the cause of "Dann ro. the London
Lad NorthiWestern Railway Company" hae been heard. aid
was an action to recover compenesilon loran accident which
happened to the plaintiff while traveling on the defendant?
railway The damages were laid at Efi3Outt
-

The plaintiff, Thomas Major Dunn, is a clergyman,
sad was at the time of the rwcideut curate at Iteddalle
hill, Cradley•Leath. On the 7th of last March he took
a third-class ticket at Newastreet. Birmingham, for
Craoley. The London and North-West, ra train from
New street only goes as Inc as Smerlawick Junction,
where the engine is taken off and plactdat the-back of
the train, which it puebes up to the back of a Great
Western train, ti which it is attached and FO proceeds
on its journey. It avears that n this occasion the
defendants' train was puebed up more qu ckly than
usual, the two trains came into aomewhat violent con-
tact, and the plaintiff, who was in a front carriage,
was thrown forward and backward, and brnieri the
lower part of his hack very severely against the seat.
It was for the injuries to his health, resulting from
this accidant, that the plaintiff brought this action.
The defendants having admitted their liability, the
question re,olved itself entirely into one of damages.
The plaintiff was put into the box, and several
medical witnesses were called on both ride, whose
testimony was of the WOW conflicting charneter. For
the plaintiff it was contended that his health VMS
thoroughly undermined and his nervous system shat-
tered, that he had epileptic fits, symptom of paralysis,
oh mischief to the brain, and inupwrerl vision which
might regal, in total blindness. Subsequently to the
accident the plaintiff hal taken a tone in Vales for
the benefit of his health, which, the defendants con-
tended, was a proof that he could not be very ill.
For the defence it was urged that the paralysis was
at most confined to one nausea • that the fits were
Wilting, not epileptic seizures; 'lst he was suffering
from nothing more serious than impaired digestion
arid hypochondria, from which he would probably
recover in a few months; that Lis vision, so far from
being impaired, was very good, one medical gentleman
asserting that he found the plaintiff's eyes in such a
healthy state that, had be wished for a plate of the
retina of the eye of a florid man in good health, he
shou.d have selected the plaintiff'. for representation.
On the other hand, one of the medical witnesses for
the defence admitted, on cross examination, that from
being a ,rr,ug mao I,,fore the near:rat he should now
consider the plAi4tiff to ic weak, nervous, and debili-
tated. it was iurtiaer shown that the plaintiff re-
ceived £l2O a year ae citrate of Cradley, that he had
only 1.2.5 per sonata from private property, that he
hod done no duty since the accident, and bad incurred
upwards of 1.70 in expenses connected therewith, and
that he had a family of seven ch kliten, whom, with
the exception of one boy, be educated at home.
The jury found tor the plaindff Damages,
£226 61,

Et LENCE.—Time, night ; Luna ..nd several stara laud.
ding the blue vault. Youth and maiden leaning over a irate.
and looking at the heavenly ern.. Maiden, filled with en-
timmlasm, points • taper finger toward the zenith, and ex-
claim., "Oh, Henry, let on study botany