The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-01-04
SUPREME COURT DECISIONS
Ruling that Will Result in Settling the
Illinois-Iowa Boundary Dispute.
Railroads Cannot Be Punished for Wsnton
and Unauthorized Acts Of Their Agents
The Letter. Carriers' Over. Time Case.

ulON, Oons ShfsS
Supreme Court to-day rendered its decision
in the case brought by the State of Iowa
against tha State of Illinois to settle the
boundary line In the Mississippi river be-
tween the two States. Nine bridges cross
the Mississippi between the two States.
and II was desired by each State that q de-
cislon as to the boundary line of the river
be made in order that each State might tax
only the property within it's borders. The
State of Iowa commended that the boundary
runs to the middle OF the main body of the
river from the banks, without regard to
the steamboat channel. and that the
measurement of the middle distance
should be taken when tie river was at
its normal state. Or behalf of Illinois
1t was claimed that the jurisdiction OF
each State extends to the middle OF the
steamboat channel. wherever that may be.
In an opinion rendered to-day by Justice
Field &e court adopts the Illinois view OF
the matter, holding that the true boundary
line is the middle OF the main channel of
the river. or of the principal channel IT
there be more than one channel of naviga-
ton. As counsel of each State desired that
the boundary line be established at the
places where the brid ges cross the river.
the court ordered that O commission of
three. persons be appointed to ascertain
and designate the line on each bridge and
delineate the same on the maps, the COM
mission to be guided in liking the line by
the opinion OF this court, and TO make re-
turn to it for further action.
Chslmer NJ. Z. Prentice, a physician OF
NOrwalk. o., while travelling on excursion
tickets with his wife and other persons on
the Lake Shore railroad to Chicago. pur-
al .41 %t.a at.~. t-tp tnlnt nt an N m N. ne =
of the passengers. The conductor learned
of this. arrested Prentice just before reach
Ing Chicago. su bjected him to violence and
his wife to insult, and had Prentice locked
mp on q charge OF disorderly conduct.
which charge was dismissed the next day
for lack of appearance on the part of the
conductor. Prentice sued the railroad
company. which admitted that the
however. objected to the charge
of the judge that the damages in the way
of compensation might be awarded for the
humiliations suffered and also exemplary
damages as a punishment for the otfeDse.
Judgment for $1,000 was brought In. but
subsequently Prentice had it reduced to
$1,000. The railroad appealed, notwIth-
standing Prentice's voluntary act, done
probably to avert an appeal. In an
opinion by Justice Gray the Supreme
Court to-day upheld the Judges charge,
except as TO exemplary damages, ruling
that the railroad cannot be punished for
J the wanton and unauthorized act OF its
agent, and therefore remanded the case
for a new trial. not knowing how much
this factor entered into the verdict rem
| dered.
Solicitor-genersl Aldrich. for the govern
ment, made a motion to advance what are
known as the letter-oarrier cases. The
cases arise under an act OF Congress OF
| March "a, 1888, Ito limit the hours that let
ter-carriers in cities shall be employed per
day." and involves the question whether
a carrier is entitled to count all work per-
formed by him, whether on the street or In
delivering or collecting mails. In making
no mail for delivery in the pOstoffice or IN
doing other postal service under the dIrec-
tion of the postmaster whether he ls entl-
tled to extra pay for any time In which he
works In excess OF eight hours In any one
day. even though he may work less than
eight hours on some other day, and other
questions important TO the administration
of the Postoffice Department.. The cases
came TO the Supreme Court on appeals from
the Court of Claims, which decisions were
against the government and IN favor of the
letter-carriers. They affect q very large
throughout the United States. and a large
sum of money IS involved in the decision.
The court. to-day. through Justice Field.
rendered q decision. in effect. that In Ohio
the separate property of q married woman
could not be charged. in equity, by con-
tracts executed previous to the existence
of that property. The case in which the
decision was based was that of Joseph A.
Clara NJ. and Joseph +. Hanna,
and came to the Supreme Court
on appeal from the United States Circnit
Court of the Southern district Of Ohio.
j. +. Clara. NJ. and w. Ii. Harmon ex-
ecuted promiss0ry notes at Xenia. o., which
Mrs. Harmon signed. with the intention. as
stated IN writing In each note. OF making
them a charge upon her separate estate.
both real and personal. Mrs. Harmon pos
sessed u small amount of property at the
time the notes were made and became Dos
sessed of more later. The suit to recover
the amount of the notes sought to en]oin
her after she acquired separate estate. but
the Snpreme Court to-day took the ground
that separate estate could not be held &C
cOuntable.
The sllyer.mine.owners and Others. who
are OF the opinion that silver Is as good as
gold and must be treated as money, have
not yet abandoned their efforts to secure q
decision from the courts that under the
Constitution the proper officers of the gov
eminent must receive silver bullion and
coin it into dollars, without other charge
than the coinage cost. for whatsoever pre-
sents it to them. Ex-Attorney general
Garland has been retained by them. and
States Supreme me''" Court ri 1 to advance in.sse
the case. which Is popularity known
as the silver-brlck case, and off,
clally as case mo. 1o79-The People of the
United States ex rel. George q. Merrick,
Appellant. VS.. Charles Foster, Secretary of
the Treasury. Merrick is a resident of
COLORADO, ana seeks u mandafnuS TO COM
pei the Secretary of the Treasury TO receive
q silver brick and coin 1t into dollars for
his benefit. He brought the action origin
ally into the courts from the District of
Columbia, and when a msndamus was de-
MED took an appeal to the supreme Court,
and to-day had a motion made TO advance
the case in order TO secure a final decision
from the court of last resort.
The Court Of claims ~reconvened to-day.
and a number or opinions were handed
down. Among them was one Diminishing
the case of George f. Kirk. assignee of
Samuel Strong, who sought to recover $685.
coo as royalty on street letter-boxes al
legged to have been invented by Strong.
The opinion holds that Strong was not the
inventor in fact. but that the boxes are the
result of experience of the postotfice OFF,
! Gals, and that Strong simply manufact-
ured them for the United States, carrying
out the ideas of others.
A Drunken Woman Let's n Baby Fall.