Evening journal., 1892-03-15
COOK GETS A VERDICT.
The Jury Finds the Electric
Company Guilty of Neglect.
IT GIVES THR PLAINTIFF se,5OO

s.xs shs Company Is smirched with
carelessness-Judke oullen's Impartial
Charge.
A large crowd assembled in the court
room yesterday afternoon to hear Levi
@. Bird argue the case Of Johr r Cook
vs. the Wilmington City Electric Com
Dany. IL was generally conceded that
there would be some fun, and there was.
Mr. Birds voic- was In bad shape, but IL
suficed for al practical purposes, and his
exfemporansCu Witty utterances con
'vulsed even the court at times be
spoke for over three hours During the
entire time the room was filled with free
and easy electricity and talk OF Cook
boing full Of the XXX brand Of Jersey
lightning.
Mr. Birds peculiar. surchsrged elo.
4aeuce was suited TO the occasion De
banded lho wriggling, live. electric wire
without pity. and President Trump with
out gloves BE was In his element. He
was as much at home With the storm as
he was with wriggling, live wire on his
tongues end
III there is a Talmade at the bar Of
New Castle county Mr. Bird Is the ma .
Al cne minute he rushes at the jurors as
n he was going to pull them from the
box At the next be Is leaning over the
table. aud the lion aud the lamb lie down
together in a bel OF honeyed words ca
foliug utterances and glittering sophis-
tries Sometimes they are ut cred la
tones Of thunder At others Ia q stage
whisper. that would do credit TO Booth
in Macbeth A rain he stands Jove
like. hurliug the thuuderbolts Of Heaven
AZ the offending corporation. while Presi
dent Trump aud his friends set With
blanched faces. wondering u the Whoa
Bob" inventor would remember that the
quality Of mercy Is not strained
BE frst addressed the court Asked II
20 charge the juy on negligence, and,
turning 10 the Jury, said;
COOK As A STORAGE BATTERY.
Il have reviewed the legal bearings Of
the case Now we come to the most
serious part Of this case where my re-
spousi oility Is TO be handed over 10
You II you say there Is no case, turn
shis man out Of court. II YOU say there
Is A case, give him the damage you would
expect your son to get II he
stepped on the wire aud was sent flying
into the air, only to fall back uncon=
.scious
THE WIRE LIKE A SNAKE.
''Try the company as you would an
individual 1he day never was. and
never win be- when l shall appeal to any
prejudice against a corporation. In my
dealing with this corporation l must
treat them as fnd them. wish this
case had never been brought here.
asked Mr. Trump TO settle this case he
did not see it, For over year Cool
has been lighting 70 get his case befor,
the jury. Here he is
''lnere Is great deal In this case
First-NVas be negligent The learned
counsel says hs saw the wire with the
Ere coming out OF Il. he inslnuates that
be went and picked it up. Think Of 1
con ention OF This kind. he mi ght have
added another remark and said be did 4
90 get she $40 600 Did you ever hesi
such a contention3 What are the facts
Rldiugs picked up the wire The loarnes
.cennsel on tbs other side would try q
lekt you to the supposltion that he car
ried 10 aoout { vo miles outside Of the city
limits He did nothing OF the kind. a.,
was q hurry De had to catch his trair
whi,h was from a half mile to mil,
away He was uuder no obligation to re
move the wire After he laid IL down.
like any live wire, it sought its level, 1
was uneasy, like snake. His plea I
chat be went there and picked It up.
Cook had been at his work every hou
Of those vigils In that rain storm, work
ing for his wife. With his kettle on hi
arln and bis hand In his pocket he wa
found lengthwise, wriggling In his agony
''Now We come to the other side
never mean to be harsh don't think
lawyer ever gains anything by bsin
harsh II BY anxiety for my client
net follow out my line Of belief | do Ro
mean anything BY Il. say now to yoJ
Sba II that company runs its business o
che a. ne conditions and with the sam
deg rec Of care. and your son Is klllel
they can bs Indicted and tried for man
slaughter. You can't have that death lin
running along, likely 70 break. aud hav
no recovery
TER DBArH OF LITTLE NELL
suppose your little child, 4-years ol,
an unconscious little child. Is playing O
your own pavement In frOnt OF yot
door That wire snaps aud that lit
body 10 carried In a corpse. Oh ca
ft BE- that es you stand there looking
fha uttie body, aud asking where q
lhlame is 70 lie, the answer is to be l
nabiifyf No, sir for all the science tn
human ingenuity has been able 70 Dl
about his death line; for all the lnve
tions that Mr Ellison has been able
get out for All its uses, there is u
enough 20 pay You for the loss Of th
child. Il Wont do Il would be h
.unough II that wire parted outside
che highway, but whom II parts In {
high way. where IVA nave q right
Walk-the peoples only highway {
tax PAYERS highway. the travellers hie
way, the ouly highway they shut th
eyes and say, We don't know how
happened Think Of itl A copcern
that kind. with six engines Of IA
horse power ana twelve dynamos Thi
Of iti And only one man watch
them, 20 see that every part Of the .
.ehinery is in order and doing its buslne
That msn sending out from those dyi
mos SIX maias Of death and destruct
en- the public highway. aud have no n
TO lay his hand on and say: 60.
Gods sake That main is down.
alone simply with . boy whose dusy Il
TO OIL the machinery and watch the II
Gators. suppose the plug had blown o
Who were they going to send. Could
stop the enginef Mo- noi Who's to
The boyi Who's 10 watch the ind'cal
and aid the engineer. There never
in the court such q case Of negligel
Why, men any man, woman or chill
the 60 600 people ln this city nigh b
been killed that night. and nothin
stop il Every Gre house In this 4
has beds. snd fremen sleep there e'
ufqbt Horses who on the tan Of