The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-10-11
Protect the Girls.

There Is a case coming up before
a Chicago Court that Will be of great
interest to thousands of people who
have long desired adecisi0n on some
of the points that will be developed.
IL seems that 4 young man. a mem-
der of one Of the Chicago Clubs. a
gentleman of wealth and refinement.
is to be sued by the father ola young
woman for $4,000 damages for IN
Iiuries that his daughter received
while in his society. The young
people had been keeping company
for some years, and the carriage of
the young man was often seen in
front OF the Michigan avenue resi-
deEce of the lady. Last December
he ceased visiting her, and since
that time she mas been an invalid.
and has been treated for a spinal
difficulty, and the father will 90 into
the Courts, it is said against bis
daughter wish, to have the matter
OF responsibility settled 1t seems
that the young man is bow-legged,
so much so that it has always been
considered dangerous for any one to
sit in his lap, for fear they would
TALL through on the floor and break
some bones. 1t is said that that
young man knows his failing, and
that he usually holds any person
who may be in his lap with his
arms, so that there is no danger of
falling through, but that in this case
he forgot the danger and let the girl
slip. The father claims that the
young man, knowing how fearfully
and wonderfully be Is made should
have adopted precautions, andin his
complaint he will swear that on
several occasions he has warned the
young man that he should place a
board across his lap, or some day
his parenthesis legs would let some
body through. In answer to the
complaint the young man will say
that his legs are Just as nature made
them, and that anybody who sits in
his lap takes his chances. He ADDS
that If the girl had used all the pre-
caution that one in so dangerous a
position should use, and thrown her
arms around his neck, as others
have done, there need have been no
danger. And while he sympathizes
deeply with her and her family,
owing to the alleged injury, he can
not consider himself responsible.
OF course there are two sides to every
question, and both sides will have
sympathizers.
While we DO not wish to take sides
on the question, there are some
things connected with itthat it seems
a duty of the press to agitate> The
country is full of bow-legged young
men. going about seeking whom they
may hold in their laps, and the won
der is that more such accidents do
not occur. There should be some
law to protect girls from bOw-legged
men. We throw safeguards around
our trapeze performers by cOmpeil-
ing the managers to place nets under
them, and why should we not pro-
vide by law that the bow-legged
youngman should stringa hammock
under his boomerang legs to catch
those who may lose their spring bal
ance. turn a somersault, and fall IN
the winter of their discomfort IL
would not be pleasant 10 the bow
legged young men to be compelled
to carry a hammock when he went
to see his girl. but it would be safer
for the girl. We have known care
full young man, who was bOw-legged,
to lay press board, or chess board.
or a sewing-machine leaf across his
lap before he would let girl sit
down among him, but where one
young man is this careful there are
hundreds who never think Of the
other hearts that are liable to ache.
Inventors have studied in vain on
a device for protecting people from
the danger of bow-legs, and doctors
who straighten cross-eyes have tried
to straighten bow-legs, but nothing
seems to avail. Hundreds Of girls
and women as they read this will
shudder at the narrow escapes they
have had from falling through man
traps, and they will unite with Us in
the hope that the law will protect
them. Oh. of course, there are some
who would never fail through, though
the legs were bowed twice as much
as they are, but many are so careless
they are never safe.-Hqckeje.