The Red Cloud chief., 1881-08-04
Law Relating TO Express Passages.

There was once a jeweler IN Wheel.
inc who sent his eGrand-boy to the ex-
press Office. with a little package To be
carried to New York. 1t contained a
diamond worth Sl25. But there was
nothing on the outside of the parcel to
show that il was so valuable. The err
rand boy carried it 10 the express
office and the agent there took it 10 be
forwarded. But it never reached the
person 10 whom it was sent. 1t:en
there was a lawsuit to determine
whether the jewelcr or the express peo-
pie should bear the loss. The Grand
boy was called as 4 witness. AMI the
LAWYERS asked him what happened
when he carried the parcel to the agent.
He said that he Just handed it to the
agent and paid him the expressage
and came away; that the agent did not
ask him what was in it. or what 1t was
worth, or anything about it, or give
him N receipt. The Court said that
if the boy was not asked he was not
bound to tell that there was a diamond
i'm the parcel. and, therefore, the express
company should pay for it, as they had
lost it.
Dul tHC law ID Nhat "hth " INiS'h
! brings parcels to the express Office the
agent may ask how much they are
worth. And if the ~errand-boy cannot
answer the agent can give a receipt saw
ing that the company will not pay more
than $50 if it is lost. Often an errand.
boz takes a parcel without knowing
what it is worth. The agent asks him
the value; the boy IL don't
know and the agent stamps on his
receipt the words .'Nalue asked not
given" This means that although
| thee should be n gold watch or 4 d:a-
mond bracelet or a thousand dollars in
the parcel. yet il it is lost the company
will paw but 80 The cas is that if
uncommonly valuable things are sent
by express the company wishes OF
course to take unusual care of them.
They cannot do SO unless they know
which are the valuable parcels and
which are the common ones. Ii they
ask, they have a right to be told.
Whenever one carries 4 parcel TO the
express it is important to DC prepared
to answer if one is asked the value; un-
less the person who sends it Is willing
to take the risk. which very often he is.
What makes tbs more difficult is
that the express agent Is not bound to
ask in words What is this parcel
worth?:' The question can he put into
the receipt. 1t is usual to give who
ever sends a parcel by express a receipt
for it. Some jewellers in New York
sent a whole box of watches, worth
about $500. by express 10 Memphis.
The express agent did not ask any
questions. but lie gave the GRAND boy a
receipt in which the question was
printed. The watches never reached
Memphis; the empty box vas found a
year afterward. but the watches were
probably stolen The court said that
asking the question in the receipt WAS
just the same as asking it in words.
Whenever one carries a parcel to the
expressive should take notice what is
in the receipt if one is given him.
If an errand boy should put a very
high value On the parcel the express
would charge extra for carrying it.
There was once a clerk who carried a
manuscript of 4 boos, and the express
man asked what the value was. Tho
clerk did not really know anything
about the value. He knew. however.
that the manuscript was important, and
that the express would only pay $50 if
they lost it, unless he named 4 value,
so he answered. b. guess. Five thou
sand dollars" He did not know that
the agent would charge extra. But
when the parcel was delivered the eN-
pressage was seven dollars, instead OF
one, which would have been about right
if he had answered, al do not know
This is according to law. The express
has a right to charge extra for very val
liable parcels. Christian Union