The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-11-06
WEDNESDAY, November 6, 1889.
Two Cases in Law.
BY NJ. QUAD.

There are two men ID tins world
who have taken VOWS as big as bar
rel to down rne at the first convenient
opportunity The term F'to down
means to lay man on his back-walk
on him-make him sorry-strip him
of all his cash-send him to the poor
bouse-make him so miserable that
he will steal a piece Of clothes-line
and go off and hang himself to death.
I know these two men have taken
these vows because I heard them, and
they added on great deal which
would not look we'll in print, even in
Greek.
And there are two other men in this
world who have observed that they
wanted to be on hand when the afore-
said VOWS were ripe and take hand
in the row-on my side. It all came
about through the law, and because
the law stood by me instead OF the
plaintiffs.
One August night couple of years
ago I stopped at certain hotel in
Cincinnati. It was red hot, and as
there were no screens at the windows
and no netting around the bed the
mosquitoes came in by the thousands.
There were also bugs in that bed, and
they were there for business When
I paid the bill it was So. I asked the
clerk to knock off $2.9S for the dis
: comforts, but he refused. Last No
vember I stopped at the same hotel
for g night. The weather was cold
and raw, the room like an ice-boz, and
ordered fire. Next morning the
clerk had me charged fifty cents extra
for the fire, and I pulled back in the
harness. He said I must pay or he'd
hold my trunk. I refused to pay and
he held it accordingly. Then I went
out and got writ Of replevin, made
returnable the same afternoon, and
how do you suppose that justice held
He didn't look bit like a philoso-
pher, and yet, after F had told my sto-
ry, he said:
''The rates at this hotel are adver-
tised at So per day the year round.
Nothing whatever is said about fires
in winter or fly screens in summer.
On very hot nights the plaintiff takes
no steps whatever to do away with
any nuisances, as mosquitoes, gnats,
milers, and other insects. He doesn't
advertise that he will, and guests must
figure accordingly. As an Offset,
however, his guests must not be oblig-
ed to suffer any more from the cold
than from the heat, and it is the duty
OF the plaintiff to furnish fires with
out cost"
But no hotel does il" protested the
plaintiff.
sThat makes no difference. Your
rates are So per day. There are seven
months in the year when you don't
have to furnish heat, and only five
's se-Sasal d., if called for: You are
bound by common t6 Hakee- Haike your
guests as comfortable as possible. The
defendant was recommended to come
here as guest, and was told that the
rates were So per day. He arrived
here to find that such was the case.
An elevator in hotel is to make it
more convenient and comfortable for
guests. Do you charge each one for
riding? Why not? A stationary wash
stand may be considered an extra, but
do you charge for it? You may have
had to pay more for your meats and
vegetables yesterday, but did you
charge the defendant extra on that
account? The coal for his fire was
worth about FIVE cents. The services
OF the man who built it cannot be
charged for, as he works by the month.
You not only attempted to collect an
illegal charge, but you attempted to
extort money. I shall advise him to
prosecute you"
A madder or more astonished land
lord you never saw. He became so
plain spoken that his honor threatened
to fine for him for contempt. For
twenty long years he had kept hotel,
and it had never occurred to him
that the comfort of the guest was in
cluded in the charge. When he got me
out doors and behind a foundry he
said:
snow listen to my remarks! I'll lay
for you and make you sweat for this if
it takes thousand years! I've camped
on your trail I am there to stay until
I have had satisfaction
Igot my trunk and departed, and if
ne means to keep his word he is keep
ing very still about it.
The second case was in town in
Kentucky last fall. I got horse and
buggy to ride ont and view the coun-
try. The. livery man said it would be
81 for three hours. I was gone ten
minutes over the time, and he demand
ed an extra dollar.
''That doesn't seem hardly fair" 7
said. :sIn the one case you give me
ninety minutes for a dollar, and in the
other only ten"
slss.my rule sir," he brusquely re-
piled.
ITS your rule to charge a dollar for
ten minutes, is it?''
'It is"
"WeI, I also have rule. It is my
rule to pay pro rata in such cases. [
owe you about six eights of a cent,
but as I don't want to be small in a
business transaction of this sort I'll
make it cent. Here's your money"
81 demanded a dollar, sir!'
'Well, you won't get it. If our
rules clash we'd better 60 to law about