Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-01-12
Novelties or the Law.

the street, where he fell In company
with older boys, who coaxed him to
frolic with them on the "swing BRIDGE
over the south branch of the Chicago
river. A swing bridge answers the pur-
pose of drawbridge, but turns on
pivot instead of being hoisted. The
men in charge of this ono had just let q
vessel through and were swinging the
bridge back into place, when the chill
dren began jumping back and forth,
and the little four.year old fell over
the narrow space between the bridge
and the abutment, and his right arm,
which hung down, was crushed. The city
wac sued for damages. The judges
said that they did not consider the fam
lily to blame for the childs being at
play in the street; working people can.
not always keep governesses. But
neither was the city to blame. A city
must keep swing bridge in reason
ably safe condition, and il person
crossing it properly il hurt by defect
OF the bridge he can recover. But per
sons who use swing bridges must be
careful. The city is not bound to keep
gate or watchman for preventing
persons from stepping upon the bridge
at an improper time. Bridges are not
Fairgrounds for children, and IL chill
dren wander from home unattended
and are hart while playing about a
bridge this must be called pure acci-
dent.
A Maryland girl wrote to the presi-
dent Of the Illinois female college APP
plying for n situation as teacher, and
was at length engaged at a salary of
$780, besides "home and washing"
The presidents letters stated that each
teacher would have well-furnishcd
sleeping room, but did not say on which
floor it would be. The teacher wrote,
asking IL she might have a room on the
second floor, and the president answered
at first that il would be on the second
floor. Subsequently he wrote again,
saying that he found that he would have
to assign her . room on the third floor.
She declined this, because her people
were very much opposed to her sleeping
on the third floor" Then the president
engaged another teacher in her place,
and lastly she sued him for her damages
in losing the years employment. The
decision was against her; the court said
that as the letters forming the original
contract did not express or stimulate
for second.Aoor room, the president
was only bound TO award comfortable
room. And he had the right. il needful,
to move teacher from one room TO
another; because he assigned her a
secoBd.foor room at first, it did not fol-
low that she was entitled to keep it the
whole year.
A street-car passenger asked the
driver TO let him off at the Palmer
house, Chicago. which the driver prom.
ised to do; and when the car drew near
the spot the driver beckoned to him and
said: "Here is your place" and slowed
mp the car, as il to stop. The passen-
ger went to the rear platform. and,
when the car vas moving very slowly,
stepped of; but at that instant the
driver, who apparently thought the
passenger had already alighted, whipped
his horse, the car gave jerk, and the
passenger, who had moi yet Jet go the
iron rail, was thrown violently to the
ground, crippling him for life. He re-
covered $1,000 damages from the com
pany, and the court said this was not
too much. As general rule, the driver
is bound to stop the car entirely, and If
passengers jump off while = car Is
moving, they take the risk of being
hurt: but this does not apply where the
driver slows the car enough to render
stepping of apparently safe, and invites
the passenger TO do so, but starts the
car forward without giving him time.
The arrangements OF railroad termi-
nus Ia Austin, Texas, are such that the
train makes q short stop in . freight
depot frat, and then runs onward TO the
passenger depot. One passenger, not
understanding this peculiarity, alighted
from the cars while they we're in the
freight depot, supposing that TO be the
proper place for him 10 get of. There
we're no lamps in or about the freight
depot-none we're probably needed for
the work done there--and the passen.
ger, cropping his way along the platform
rs well as he could, had fall of about
six feet, sustaining serious dislocations
and bruises. The company said he was
not entitled To damages. for = railroad