The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-20 00:00:00

RAILWAY COMPENSATION CASES.

A leg is worth more than £4so—a husband is worth £2,500.
Such is the rough result of the two verdicts delivered on
Tuesday in the Court of Queen's Bench and the Court of
Common Pleas ; but, in fact, the values are even less widely
unequal. Mrs. M'lntesh arrived at Aber, a station on the
Chester and Holyhead line ; the train was too long for the
platform, to which her carriage was not brought up; and she
refused to get out because she was afraid. The train was moved
further on to another station, but still the carriage was not
brought up to the platform, and then, yielding to the urgency of
the station toaster, who refused to back the train, and said there
was no danger, Mrs. l'il'lntosh allowed him to try to help her out
The height of the carriage step was great ; the station master
good on sloping ground ; the lady's weight was considerable ;
le failed to hold her up, she fell, and her leg was breken,
Mrs. Mclntosh will probably recover in about six months,
Fur this injury the jury gave a verdict of £450 damages.
Mrs. Hicks brings an action against the Newport, Aber-
gavenny, and Hereford Railway, to recover compensation in
damages for the loss sustained by her husband's death. A
passenger train went off the line at Pontypool, and a mineral
train dashed into it, Mr. Hicks, a passenger, being killed
instantaneously. There was no dispute about the facts of the
accident, but only about the amount of compensation. Mr.
Hicks was a commercial traveller, clearing, for the support
and education of his family, about £350 a year ; the expecta.
'tlon of his life at that rate being worth a little snore than
£5,000. He had insured his life with a railway accident
company for £],ooo, and there were other policies on his life
trd the amount of £999. Mrs. Hick's counsel admitted that
the railway insurance must be deducted front the damages,
though on what principle we cannot understand. The deduction
hands over to the company, through whose neglect the man's
death happened, the benefit of his provident csre. However.
Lord Chief Justice Campbell confirmed Sir Frederick's
presumption, and the jury assessed the damages at £2,500.
Globe.

EXTRAORDINARY HOAX AND SWINDLE AT HUDDERS-
FIELD.—During the past week bills have been plentifully
posted about Huddersfield, announcing that the far famed
Henry Russell would give his entertainment, " Tne Far
West and Sketches of Negro Life," at the theatre, on Tues-
day evening, but no time was announced for the performance
to commence. At seven o'clock, the man who gave the order
for the printing, and bad engaged the theatre, stationed
himself at the door of the theatre, and commenced taking,
the money of those anxious to witness the entertainment"'
In the course of the succeeding hour, the place became
quite full, and the man must have taken at least £3O.
from
people began to get very impatient, having expected, ro
the time the doors were opened, that the performance would
commence at half past seven o'clock. About two minutes
before eight. the man decamped with the money, leaving
the check taker, usually engaged at the theatre on all occa-
sions, to take the money. The scene not rising at eight
o'cleck—no piano nor any other sign of preparaion for a
commencement being visible—the people became outrageous,
stamped, and called ; but this being unavailing, a party
rushed upon the stoge, and commenced pulling down the
sceneo, tearing and doing much damage to some of them.
Others in the boxes commenced throwing the cushions into
the pit below; and one man, determined to have something
for the money he had paid, picked up a stool, with which
he was walking away, when he was prevented by the police.
The lights were turned out, and the uproar became tre-
mendous. A large number of police soon arrived, and
cleared the place. Meanwhile, the author of all this dis-
turbance bad taken a cob in Queen street, and told the
oabman to drive to Elland. When the cabman arrived there
and got down to open the door, his passenger had escaped,
and poor cabby was minus his fair. [We have no doubt
that the trick above recorded was perpetrated by the same
roundrel who succeeded in swindling the Chesterfield people
;a a similar manner on Monday evening.]