The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1866-01-31

An important decision as to the rights
of pedestrians has just been made by Judge
Morell Of the Supreme Court Of New York
city. He decides that the right to travel on
street or highway is common to all. 1t
does not belong exclusively to drivers of
vehicles. Foot passengers have the right
to walk upon them, and, except for the
greater difficulty of guarding and arresting
the progress of vehicles, il is, as matter Of
law, as much the duty Of vehicles to keep
out of the way Of foot passengers, as it is
for the latter to escape being run over by
the former. The use of the streets of cities
aud villages, aud of highways, for railroads,
is allowed only because it is considered not
to be a substantial interference with their
free and unobstructed use as highways for
passage. So long, therefore, as there is no
interference with the public right of pas
sage, railroads are lawful structures. But
if operated upon the theory Of exclusive
right to their track, they become usurpers
and wrongdoers.
A man by the name of O'Niel, a6 years
| Of age. was sent the lookup in Milwaukee
on the 9th ult., for being jolly and disor-
derby. What jolly dog he must have been
at IS!
In London, any person under sixteen
is prohibited from driving any sort Of We
hcle, and any person under fourteen from
having temporary charge of any horse in
the street.
"A letter was found just before Chri IT.
mas in one Of the street post office boxes of
Vienna, addressed to :" The Infant Jesus in
Heaven, to be given to st. Peter" 1t con-
tanned the prayer Of child to have grea!
number of holiday presents
1t is said that there is young man not
yet out of his teens, in Rochester, who has
made about a million Of dollars by specula-
| tions in oil stocks.
| Nineteen persons who were 100 years
old and over. died last year, five Of them in
England. One of the five, John Naylor OF
Higay, was III.
in Manchester, England, the police at
tempted to arrest some menagerie keepers,
but were kept at bay by the elephant, and
finally dispersed.
"A person giving his name as Andrew
Jackson Austin was arrested in Cincinnati
last week for forgery, and during his trial a
woman purporting to be his wife came into
court and swore that she herself committed
the forgeries.
"A distinguished Psychologist says that
the average height of the men in the interior
of Ohio is five feet ten and a half inches,
five inches above that Of the Belgians, two
and half inches above that of the English
recruits, and one and a half inches above
that Of the Scotch Highlanders.
A Norfolk paper amuscs its readers
with a letter, purporting to be written in
sober earnest by man, who has seen and
conversed with J. Wilkes Booth, who, he
declares, is still alive, and was never caught
after President Lincoln's assassination. But
he says his constitution is good deal shat
tered which is doubtless true.
The Cincinnati Commerciol having alone
procured an advance copy of Gov. Cox's in
augural sent man to Columbus, the day it
was delivered, who kept the entire force Of
the telegraph office engaged in sending the
Declaration of independence and other an
tiquarian documents until o'clock in the
morning. In this way no other paper could
get word of the message, while the Com
mercidl published it entire.
The records of Yale College make Sun
day night, the eth inst, the coolest night in
the last eighty si1 gears.
The Louisville correspondent of the
Cincinnati Gazette has just seen n Kentucky
farmer in the cara who had not heard of
MIR. Lincolus death or the emancipation Of
the slaves.