The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-15 00:00:00

Ziltrb libttion
SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock.

EXCHEQUER CHAMBER.
(FLITS DAY.)
(Sittings at Nisi Prius, before Mr. Baron MARTIN and a
Common Jury.)
LONGMEID AND WIFE V. HALLIDAY.

This action was brought
.to recover compensation in
damages for injuries sustained by the wife of the plain-
tiff in consequence of the imperfect manufacture of one
of the defendant's lamps, whereby she was seriously
burnt.

Mr. Miller and Mr. Miller, jun., appeared for the
plaintiffs, and Mr. Watson and Mr. Webster conducted
the defendant's case.

The plaintiff is a journeyman tailor, working at
Messrs. Stuha's, and his wife kept a coffee-shop in Fox-
court, Gray's Inn•lane. The d, fondant, who carries on
an ex,ensive business at Manchester, Huddersfield, Shef-
field, and Bradford, and also keeps a shop on Hol-
born-hill, it appears sold to the plaintiffs one of
his patent self-geteratirg Limps for the consump-
tion of mineral spirit-, nap! ha for instance, which
produce a very brilliant light, sup-rior even to gas it-
self. On the 17th of March, some time after the pur-
chase, while his wife was in the act of suspending the
las,p, the solder of the mein tube gave way, and the
lighted spirit conteined within it ran down her arm,
and ignited her clothes. Her arms and other parts of
her body were se severely burnt that it was deemed ad-
visable to take her to the hospital, and some days
elapsed before she was considered entirely out of
danger. On the part of the plaintiff it was alleged that
the unfortunate occurrence did not arise from any ne-
glect or want of proper attention on the part of his
wife, but took place owing to the improper and careless
manner is which the article was manufactured. On
these points the Learned Counsel for the plaintiffs sub-
mitted that the defendant was clearly responsible for the
accident, and that the jury ought to award damages
commensurate to the injury inflicted.
Mr. Joseph Baynes, the medical man who attended
Mrs. Longmeid after the accident, said he found the
whole arm burnt, and also the breast, but not so se-
ver-ly. The inflammation:extended very rapidly, and she
suffered excruciating pain. She was in considerable
danger for many days. The muscle of her arm was now
contracted, and she had not the free use of her fingers.
Mr.:Niaaan, surgeon at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, de-
posed that Mrs. Longmeid was an inmate of that esta-
blishment for six weeks, and remained an out-patient for
some months afterwards. Her life was in danger for
several days after admission. The fingers and muscles
of the arm were permanently contracted.
Several other witnesses were called to prove the pur-
chase at the defendant's shop of the lamp. and that it had
been imperfectly made.
Mr. WATSON submitted, on the part of the defendant,
that when the lamp was purehased no warranty, either
expresaly or impliedly, was given that it was-free from
danger. - It appeared that the defendant was in the
habit of issuing bills to customers and to the public, in-
timating that the lamp was unattended with danger, but
it had not been proved that one of these had been given
to Mrs. Lougmeid. Even if it had, he contended that
the bill would not constitute a good contract as to the
safety of the lamp. The Learned Counsel also took
another objec'ion of rather novel character. The action
was brought jointly by the plaintiff and his wife, and
he contended that, as the wife was not one of thecon-
tracting parties, if there was any contract at all at the
purchase she could not join her husband in an action to
recover damages for grievances sustained by her.
Mr. Baron MARTIN said he would allow Mr. Watson
to move the Court above for leave to enter a nonsuit.

Mr. WATSON having addressed the jury,
Mr. Baron MARTIN told tho jury, in the course of an
admirable summing up, that he was of opinion the plain-
tiff, were entiLled to a verdict it they thought the lamp
was of a defective construction.

The jury found for the plaintiffs—Damages, 201.
The trial occupied the whole day.

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