The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-01-05
NOVELTIES OF THE LAW.
A COLLECTION OF CURIOUS INCIDENTS
IN AMERICAN JURISPRUDENCE.

his days work, and whose mother was
sick abed, slipped out of the houee and
wandered along the street. where he fell
in company with older boys, who coax
ed him to frolic with them on the ''swing
bridge" over the south branch of the
Chicago River. a swing bridge answers
the purpose of a drawbridge, but turns
on pivot instead of being hoisted. The
men in charge of this one had just let
vessel through and were swinging the
bridge back into place, when the child
rem began jumping back and forth, and
the little 4-yeer-old fell over the narrow
space between the bridge and the abut-
ment, and his right arm, which hung
down, was crushed. The city was sued
for damages. The judges said that they
did not consider the family to blame for
the child's being at play in the street;
working people cannot always keep gov
| ernesses. Bat neither was the city to
blame. A city must keep swing bridge
in a reasonably safe condition, and If a
person crossing it properly is hurt by
defect OF the bridge, he can recover. But
persons who use swing bridges must be
careful. The city is not bound to keep
| a gate or watchman for preventing per
sons from stepping upon the bridge at
improper time. Bridges are not play
grounds for children, and if children
wander from home unattended and are
hurt while playing about bridge, this
must be called pure accident.
A Maryland girl wrote to the President
of Illinois Female College. applying for
d situation as teacher, and was finally
engaged at salary of $500, besides
''home and washing" The Presidents
letter stated that each teacher would
have well furnished sleeping room, but
did not say on what floor it would be.
The teacher wrote, asking that she
might have a room on the second floor,
and the President answered at first that
il would be on the second floor. Sub
sequentiy he wrote again, saying that he
found that lie would have to assign her
to room on the third floor. She de-
clined this, s'beoause her parents were
very much opposed to her rooming on
the third floor" Then the president
engaged another teacher in her place,
aud lastly she sued him ror her damages
In loosing her years employment. The
decision was against her; the court said
that as the letters forming the original
contract did not express or stipulate for
q second floor room, the President was
only bound to award comfortable room,
and he had the right, if needful, to move
teacher from one room to another; be-
cause he assigned her a second floor
room at first, it did not follow that she
was entitled to keep it the whole year.
The constitution of Illinois authorizes
free schools in which all children s'may
receive a good common scnool educa-
tion," and the Legislature has directed
that the instruction shall be in reading
English, in English grammar, md such
other branches as the directors shall pre-
scribe. The Board of Education of one
school district introduced German, to
which some economically disposed tax
payers objected. saying that this was
spending public money outside OF com
| mon-school education. The court said
that instruction in the common schools
must be given in English, but it is law
ful to introduce the study of a modern
language, if English text books and En-
glish speaking people are employed.
A street-ear passenger asked the driv-
er to let him off at the Palmer House,
which the driver promised to do; and
when the car drew near the spot the
driver beokoned to him and said, "Here
is your place" and slowed up the car,
as if to stop. The passenger went to the
rear platform, and, when the car was
moving very slowly. stepped off, 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 not
yet let go the iron rail, was thrown TO
the ground, cripphng him for life. lie re-
covered $4,000 damages from the COM
pany, and the court said this was not too
much. As q general rule, the driver is
bound to stop the car entirely, and if
passengers jump off while the 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 pas
senger to DO so, but starts the car for
ward without giving him tine.
4 man in st. Louis sat watching stone
nanscns laying cellar wall, when be sud
denly arose, approached one of them,
aimed pistol at him, and shot him dead.
Pointing his pistol at the other workmen,
be said: "If you do hot stand still I Will
shoot yop, too." He then walked leisure
Il away, and was arrested few blocks
distant. The defense was insanity. There
was no proof of hereditary insanity, nor
muca of previous mental disease. but the
lawyer Tor the accused argued that the
lack OF any motive for the shooting, the
defiant publicity OF the act. and the total
heedlessness Of consequences shown, also
the fact that the accused gave various
contradictory and absurd accounts of his
reasons for the deed, showed insanity.
But the court held that these are not
suficiant grounds The law presumes
every person to be sane; if any one is not
50, this must be proved. 1t cannot be