The Washington union., 1857-11-21
DEpAaTmENr NEWS,
STATE DErARr,IEsr.


may be of interest at the present time TO call attention to
recent amendment of the act Of vict cap III,
for facilitating the winding up of the affairs OF jontsock
companies unable TO meet their pccunary engagements,
and also the ointstock companies winding up acts OF
1889 -
1t provided by the amendment above mentioned that
with view of making provision for the equal dis
tbuton among creditors well of the assets arising
from the separate estates contributions Of shareholders
in any company OF the joint assets thereof the Judge or
master in all cases in which windingup order shall
have been made, may, by advertisement, call meetings
of creditors appoint representatives Of creditors and in
any when such company shall be declared bankrupt
and windingup be made the assignees may oompro-
mise with the shareholders 80 to bind all creditors
1t furthermore made lawful by this act for represent
atyes of creditors take part in all the pro-
ceedings in the winding up Of such company or in any
compromise which the official manager may propose and
all the creditors fully and eectuay bound thereby
All orders and proceedings before the judge master
subject to appeal and all creditors are at liberty TO at
tend the proceedings submit propositions and to in
spect the books of the company
f5 INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
An Interesting Dsision Suboined is the decision of the
Commissioner Of Patents the application of John Nc
Larty for patent for improved policeman club
It win be found that the application rejected The
head than his heart
USiTED STATES PATENT OFFIcs
November IA, 1851
On appeal to the Commissioner from the decision Of
the examiner rejecting the application of John Mclarty
for letters patent for improved 'policemans club
The model Of the Club file il twelve inches long,
is round and about inch and quarter in diameter.
1t has smooth and polished surface and resembles the
baton generally borne by police and other officers In
practical use it would be heightened, and would
Joubt avia The nven
orally take the form of ordinary walking cane. Its
exterior gives indication of its real character or capa
bities Its barrel is followed and within it is an in
genious mechanism connected with four longitudinal
rows of spurs or lancets which lie concealed in the
tube On touching spring. these lancets leap from their
hiding places and through them by single wrench of
the weapon most fearful mutiation is inflicted on the
hand any adversary that may have grasped it In the
technics Of street renoontres it may then be clubbed
and its lancets made to bury themselves at will in the
head and body Of the victim Its operation must prove
instantaneous it would be Irresistible. The pro-
essed object of the inventor in fshonng this club
to supply what he states has long been adcsideatum
wit weapon not deadly dispensing with the necessity
of resort to pistols which policemen might use effect
lively but which could not be wresed from them by the
rowdies and maefactors with whom their official duties
might bring them into conflict. There file the
depostions of the superintendent and deputy superin
enent of the New York city police fortified by the
cates of fifteen members of the corps, all of whom
cur in stating that this club will accomplish the end
proposed by the inventor. They also declare, most
emphatcally that they regard it an important and
valuable Improvement, and part of them express the
opinion that il is not only harmless but humane These
views have been carefully examined and considered, but
they not seemed the less startling because Of the
sincerity with which they unquestonably entertained
They present strange if not melancholy, illustration
of the power of professional prejudice the higher
convictions and genter impulses of nature The pur
pose sought to be attained by the safety Of
conservatos of the public peace and their triumph In
contests with lawless menis which must command
the appreciation of oil good citizens but this end
may become unhaowed from the employed to at
tain it, The law happily enjoys wider range Of vision
than that which these witnesses to have allowed
themselves and while il would gladly the protec
ton Of ALL it unesitangy recognises the fact that it
has the charge of interests social and political, compared
with which the safety of policemen is but the
dust of the balance.
Justice to the inventor demands the admission that the
mechanism of this miniature internal machine displays
sufficient novelty to support patent The law however,
in it's wisdom, has declared that something beyond
novelty must be established before patent can issue
The invention must not only be new but it must be inn
portant and useful 1t should be distinctly stated at the
Threshold Of the inquiry, that this instrument with
view of mitigating that adherence with which the over
humane might regard it, dsclams all designs upon hui
life, and moderates its ambition in the drama Of
blood to the humble work of mayhem and lacera
ton Thus operating, the testimony file shows that
it would be emnenty useful to policemen Conceding this
assumption it is still obvious that this is too limited
Of utility to satisfy the requirements Of the law
An invention to be patentabe must not he useful to the
few with chance Of being pernicous to the many but it
must clearly appear that, pic Of the interests Of the mhoe
conmy the good resulting from it would decidedly pre-
ponderate the evil the officers of public Justice
and those abiding citizens who love peace and pursue
IT, could be induced to dee themselves with this nsru
ment and could its be restricted to SUCH it might be
comparatively harmless; but when it passes from the
workshop of the mechanic who has fashioned it it is
manifesy beyond the control of the government, and
will find its way into the service of the brawling profit
gate certainly the setto seeks the belt the bravo
Its manufacture and distribution through society under
the expectation that good would result thererom would
be act of folly equaled only by that Of strewing
pathway with thons in the delsive trust that they
would bud and blossom into flowers at approach 1t
is barbarous in its every characteristic and is repug
nant to the genius OF institutions and to the morality Of
that faith in whose shining footprints our legislation
strives to follow is the scalpng knife of the border
savage.
As national is of those scourges to which every
country is exposed it is fully within the scope of
ghened public policy to encourage the manufacture Of
weapons for its efficient prosecution. But private
the rude and sanguinay conflict OF members of the
community with each other-stands upon entirely diff
fcent footing It everywhere denounced under heavy
penalties that the blow only be justified when it
has been stricken in sesence This plainly marked dis
manufacture claim the fostering of the govern
class the one under consideration belongs 1t puts forth
no prctension to rank instrument national warfare
In this higher walk of human carnage it would be as
lame and mpotent would be ordinary squirt in the
presence OF cenfagration Nor is there any mechani-
cal pursuit in which it could possibly be employed,
any household personal want TO which it could poss
oinister intrinsicav inception