The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-09-12

novel Gricusc has boon lua.rt g. q Sri l'i
donavr,, ,,ulc. has recently uc"n d,>ioHl'i
| ot bv me SuDH.u" OUrt g.! ,J, STATE Wh'@a
NAV he nI ~onr ius crest jD he straight s"in.
sccis 4 Nr Fetal who Iiveu "a CAMte>
| town. Mas, hil her leg ayukcn ru Lhe Mo
| dlescy passeueer railway On sunday, S"pt d
| 1868. She brought suit a-aiust The railroad
company for damages, ana had no olihcU''y
! in establishing the fact that he. injuries "c!o
coused by the carelessncSs oi the servants al
the company. But the company set up jAc
defense that the plaintiff was travelling on
Sunday and that as this was n violation Of Il
sunday law passed nearly two H1ndFcH years
ago and still in force, she cCtId recover Il"
damages. TO this plea the llaIailit' AUG!
ney replied that the trip was male i"r l'lc
purpose Of attending divine service, ana On
this point the question hung. II she maue
the trip to attend religious worship II was
admitted she would be entitled to damages,
but if this could not be established she must
fail. Admitting that she was making UP
tor pleasure, business or anything OF t,a'
sort would be fatal TO her cause under the
Sunday law, which prohibited people from
travelling on Sunday, except in gong, ana
coming from public worship. The evidence
showed that the plaintiff was a Spirit
ualst. and Was in the habit OF attending me
regular services Of her sect AZ church IN
Charestown On the GtA Cf September, lsGS,
the church in Charleston was closed ana she
did no. exactly know where to satisfy her
sniriluai 1aut3, But on reading the rclig
ious advertisements in the BaEHef q ht9"1
the organ Of her selt. she learned that 4 camp
meeting would 10 held at Maiden, near
Charlcst0Yn, Oh that day, whittier $ he had
been and Wa on her rct,irn. The religious
exercises were the performances Of MISS
Laura Ellis, who gave physical dcmonstra
tions Of Spiritualism,n admission % cents
Miss Ellis exhibited her powers after this
fashion After her hands were securely tied
to the satisfaction Of the spectators, she was
put into Il large chest, from which strains q
music were soon heard to issue. On opening
the chest, her hands were free and ring
which she had placed IN her finger was found
on the end of her nose. This Of course was
accepted by me audience as manifest proof
Of The truth of Spirtualism. The attorneys
for the railroad company insisted that this
was not public worship, but the mere TRICK
of a mountebank and more calculIted to
disturb the convictions Of religious persons
than n edlfy them. The jury, however, nc
ceptel the evidence as one OF the forms OF re-
liwious worship and gave verdict in favor
of the plairtif for $1,000 damages. The case
was however, taken to the Supreme Court
and after IN exhaustive argument OF the
question, as to where religious worship
ceases, and jugglery and humbuggc'y begins,
the court concluded not to disturb the YER
dict. The court evidently rendered judg-
ment according to the justice of the case, but
we think if the puritan fathers OF Massachu'
sets had tried the case, they would have sen
fenced Mrs. Fetal TO twelve hours IN the
stocks, and sent Laura Ellis OF to be burned
a. witch. However, under this late decision
would not finger ring game and two-bits
admission play the deuce with most my kind
Of sunday law