, 1872-11-24
Tie Fight Of a n1an With a Railroad
IAN Inspired Lobbyist.
fh Life off, Jeffcrson.--Marco PoIo's
Travels---The Library Of
Congress.
Rtman Catholic View Of the Spirit
of Protestantism---Juye
nile Literature.

q others, spirit of accommodation, politeness
md general fair-dea1ipE are essential to success
But, when the same people who practice thil
commercial code OF ciyility engage in the trans
Iortation Of passengers and merchandise upo1
xailroads, they frequently become arrogant die
tators, and indulge in brutality and oppression
which would ruin any other business dependen,
upon public patronage.
Several years ago, the New York l. New Haver
Railroad elected 3 1lr. John a. Coleman, o1
P1oEldence, R. l., from it's cars for refusing te
pay fare on the ground that an unused coupon
ticket which he presented entitled him to ride
This the conductor refused to accept, and or.
dered half-a-dozen OF the employees Of the road
to e1pe1 Mr. Coleman, which they did with such
violence as to MAIN him for life. In an article
entitled :,
TIE f1GHT OF NAN WITH 4 RAILROAD"
III. Coleman describes his election, and his sub
sequsnt persistent attempts to secure damages,
Inc spirit which actuated tho road is shown by
the following declaration OF one Of their ofioers.
which Ar. Coleman puts at the head Of his
article:
Inc Road hae no personal aninosity Against Won,
NJ: coleman but you represent the public and the
an aetSrm1aed e to make it 50 terrible the pub
ne are not going to be attacked in this way
III. Coleman, who travels almost incessantly,
had On has hands railway coupon ticket from
ne" Hasen to New York. He took the train one
day from New York to New Haven, and. although
he had another ticket which was good, claimed
the right to ride On the coupon. 11r, Coleman
says:
/, - the conductor approached ms il takng up his
ee1I Inets r. said Mr. Conductor there is no use for
plain business matter, an affair Of doara and cents
on.y; Ine case stands like this: I an travelling
% yfr9t a. me fre ns md being frequently compelled
starring an left with unused coupons. These co11s
Rons @ a cost me money; and BY the end Of the year
ond pna to such extent that they
1he eondnetor replied, That coupon Is rood from
ReT H,,sn q q New York but it is not good from New
eare aEo not to take such tickets, md ahan lot do
IT, then said, "A1y position is this have pai9 I'D
aI1a resd certain amount Of money for certain
4ouni OF Service whether my face ia turned east or
1ess. fou eay this ticket is good from New
4AFen 70 New York, which Is seventy-four miles
Haven, which is also eeeenty-four miles ana cannnt
understand the distinction which you maLe.n rrn.
fF1n x9o 9s sat before e remarked at this oen
mere Is any meaEness which has ever been discov.
reo upon railroad, it is to found upou this
5ae, 5oc It - me mesnest railroad laid outff
an exception ny case, ss ali require are ths CON-
mon eoarteses Of the road and IN Equivalent for nv
inle toehep ne fonauS5or to 9.S ssid see you are al
21onv = -" ~A4o4sa Aoo ue went
The train had stopped In the meantime at Stamford
nenced reading. Very soon sorne one shouted aThev
coming for you" The conductor came +, ~ ~
d aeda sa o. hTs or 1 rough hE9Esen and baggasen
out, and put him out on the p1atformn They seized
ny coat and tried to roll out Of the seat NV cost
70 1ose, md and they t dd:no move me. This seess
Ike SO r1hny tigers. Two Ut them eexed ma
ey NE lsg snd as many as could get in back Of The
gasped The arms Of the sea and they took The cush
sna baa R me me- Whea thsy got
heary blows with the cnched dst we're atuSk uno1
me ad paeE o. mE head Every individual in the car
were struck The Indies screamed. and sona ~ +hs
gentlemen rushed to stop the conductor and his
foogas tzon m stirling me. Fearing for my LIE,
blow square in the face Of another va had hard
struggle until they o7e1powered me. They carried
e. aa th IT. esohsa tho
struck another away from me- and be Eent over b.
tween m the the cass. They dercey grasped me sgain,
hs down s'adSFas apon 'fS1 tSs e .5R2m platform e
dc, as ny xhols length + Ills sTassis they tore e.
OF !e Ihe passengers swarmed out Of the cars, and
:aTe ne their addresses. The Superintendent cane
81, and see il could not teach hin sonetb;ne ~ ~
aid he would give me all the Law wanted Il wish
q 70 tesl 1ae case then ran and jumped On the
is son and smother after and seized ne around
ne body stripped me Of the car and held me by main
trengh until the train clear Of the depot. soon
ther released me, drew ny through t;cfat fnnn,
y pocket, and asfed them why they held me- The !
upeIntendent started as though had struck hin,
Z r. said, Because 1t is not customary to rhow
ekets getting on at waystatons, and you did not eye
LEN you would have shown that tcfetn Trensd ka MI
y jndge He said You ted en to steai 5of 5of
III give yon all the Law you want and Te show ynu we
'At the laws3n Connecticut are different from where
ou came from. ~~ |
NJ. Coleman at once began legal proceedings.
I the spirit OF the declaration Of their oficer:
noted above, the Company fought the matter
neveIy ypossiblelegal ground.
On the first trial
The Judge charged directIr apsnsf r.sren1a,a 1,o,
cry point He ruled that the ticket was contract.
lat the road had right to make any rule II pIeased
ifs own government; and, II passenger broke q |
le ne Was Eespasser; and, being trespasser the
e Of the jurymen had I'd eject man from 1,is nri
te house Il he did not want him there. The OILY
eshon for ne Try to consider whethez IN ex-
aance Of right The jury, after being out ONLY one
ur, awarded me s. 800 damages. The Judge, It tie
guest Of the road after several weeks deay set the
rd1ct aside On the exclusive ground that the amount
s excessive.
The Company, in order to make it terrible to {
ht them, right or wrong, pushed the matter | J
rough four trials. Their last plaa was:
ChAt, i the plaintiff had tendency to hernia, or
physical disability that liable to be increased
violence, the plaintiff ought to have so informed tho
ployea of the road; and failing In that be, and q
the road, Was responsible for the CONSEQUENCES !
sording to the railroad theory, therefore, gem
nan Is attacked by scoundrel, unless the victim
es q complete diagnosis Of his condition to T
ruflsn he, and not the villain who | I
ocf him. is responsible for consequences when his
Ii Is broken. To obtain the opinion Of the Supreme
LIT Of upon this important point hsa
en- twelve months more, but happy to be able
tate that at Last one point IL established by the b
Courts In favor Of the rights Of railroad
sengere, namely that is not necessary for man
MORN ruItanly oggressor what his grandmother It
Of, nor to describe his hereditary symptoms even
ugh It Is The enploye Of railroad corporation who
fr. Coleman finally Won his case, and the ?
lroad Company were forced to psy the dam 9.
: they declared they would never give. b
With regard to the legal points of the case, q
Coleman argues that common railroad
zet is not contract in the sense in which the ! q
holds it to be: a
traveller apples, for example, at the ticket Office te
passage between New York and New Haven. He "
yes his money to the hcket-maater; recent for C
money as returned to him. printed all over With &c
les =: "Good for this day only" Forfeited Il
'ched, "Company not Responsible for bsecaoe.n &C
aasengers shan carry nothing for bareaTa buIt | =
ring y apparel IN; and, II they desired, they v,