The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-12-14
WOMAN'S LEGAL VALUATION.
According to Law, Life is Less Profitable
Than Limb.

According to Law, Life is Less Profitable
Than q Limb.
A woman's life under the law in
many states of America is worth the
same as man'S-five thousand dollars.
But that seems an absurdly low figure
when one considers the figure she has
been appraised at when taken section
by section. Her head, apparently, is
not of much value. Of course, it can
not be considered separately, as this
article deals entirely with the value of
live woman, but, considered as part
of the whole, damage to it is not as.
sessed very high.
An Illinois court has decided that
fifteen hundred dollars is too much for
hitting woman on the head with
Ratchet without force enough to cause
death, and from that decision the esti-
mate will have to be made A fair and
impartial valuation under the circum.
stances would put the figure at
about one thousand dollars. A
due consideration OF this ought to
make a man hesitate when he loses his
would think twice before he would try
10 smash a thousand dollar vase or
piece of bric-a-brac. Shoulders have
not been valued quite SO high The
case of Mrs Dudley, of England will
have to be taken as a criterion. She
tried to pass under an archway nine
feet nine inches high while sitting on
top of coach eight feet nine inches
high, and the result was disastrous to
her shoulders. Of course, she didn't
lose them entirely, but she came as
Saar 1T as possible, and the five hun
ted dollars awarded by the jury NAV
Re taken as its est mate of their value.
woman's hand is pretty valua BILE.
Many man has given up all he pos
sessed to get one, but that was senti.
ment, not law. An Illinois woman re-
covered four thousand seven hundred
dollars for the loss of a hand. This is
somewhat more than a woman's
wrists are valued at. A Mrs.
Jones, nurse of Chicago, was paid for
one fractured wrist at the rate of two
thousand dollars a pair. The arm of
the woman of to-day is worth moro
than Il whole woman-and a beautiful
one at that-was worth in days gone
by. Miss Sweely, of Ottawa, Ill, was
was given two Thousand six hundred
dollars for one, but that was small
figure, ami only goes to show that the
Illinois arm has not the legal value of
the Massachusetts arm. A Mrs. Shaw.
nj the latter state. was awarded twenty
thousand five hundred dollars.
The heart, with the possibility OF
blighted affections, unrequited love
aud ''all that pertains thereto" as
lawyer would say-well, that is the
most uncertain. variable thing that
court was ever asked to assess damages
on. Quotations for hearts have varied
all the way from a shilling to fifteen
thousand dollars in recent wears.
The latter figure may be an ex-
oeptional case where the heart was
particularly valuable, but it is only
fair to assume that an ordinary every
day heart that belongs TO a progresses
ing woman and is in fair standing in
the community is worth one hundred
thousand dollars. Courts have valued
them at that figure in a number of in
stances.
This is bringing the value of a wom-
an QUOTED only at five thousand dol
lars if killed in d railroad wreck ND
pretty high, but it doesn't complete
the valua ion by any means. Her spine
is worth quite sum. Damages due
from falls, etc, have been assessed at
various sums. A Canadian court placed
the value of one womanS spine at one
thousand dollars. 4 Miss Herr. of
Illinois, recovered seven thousand
five hundred dollars for damages to
one, and Miss Parks was given eight
Thousand, seven hundred and fifty dol
lars. AS the closest figuring seems 10
have been done in the last case, where
it is brought down 10 odd dollars. that
should probably stand As the current
quotation. More has undou btedly been
paid for them but the records at hand
do not show it.-Chicago Tribune.
The Proper Gait.
If the nervous restlessuess and the