New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-08
THE LAW OF SELF.PRESERT4TION

THE Law OF ELEPRESERT4IION
"Thc instinct of self-preservation' it Is
sometimes called. Another way OF STATING IL
ia " Sef-preservation is the first law OF nature"
Whether obedience to this instinct or first
law" has any limitations is an interesting
unsettled question. Some twenty years ago
man by the name Of Packer, who was travelling
in Colorado with five companions. being in
danger of starvation, had the presence OF mind
to slay the other five and Subsist upon thcir
remains until he found his way ont OF the
country. He was apprchended, tried and con-
yicted on five counts. and was sentenced 10
eight ycals imprs Jnment on each From this
il would appear that in Colorado the law OF
sef-preservation does have limitations. In
sentencing Packer. however. the Judge lald
special stress upon the sparsity OF population
in the locality as Cc' tainy aggravating tac
enornity and possibly constituting the grava-
men Of the crime. Can you tell me- sara nc
addressing the Prisoner with certain descriptive
epithcts denoted by dashcs in the report, WI!
| ought not t. pronounce sentence oil death On
YOU when there were only eight people Ia
IInchdale County in 1872 and lpu ate live OF
thcm?, Colorado was at that time >tfainlns
every nerve to get sufficient pcpu'a'ion to quail
ify the Territory for Statehood and could NJ.
afford I, offer any encouragement; = a man
who goraed his fearful appetite on iivc-"ighth'
Ct the population of whole county. i.vcA
under the law of self-prescrva:icn that sort OF
thing could not be tolerated. IL can haidl! b'
claimed. then. that the Colorado case fixed
definite limits to the operation OF the law o'
self-preservation.
The case OF Mr. Russell Sage is different. Tn
the winter OF 1891. it will be RENE mbered, Mr.
Sage was waited upon by person from Boston
who desired a permanent Ian OF Sl,2oo'oo
With rather more abrupiness than i usual Win
boston persons he remarked to Mr. sage that
il he did not hand that sum almost i'm
med.ately he should drop bag OF dynamite
which he he'd in his hand and blot Ar. Sage
entirely out. At this moment MIR. LaldIaw'
clerk OF firm doing business with Mr.. sage.
entered on the scene. Mr.. sage has large
endowment If presence Of mind. and con.id-
erabls faith in Providence. lie rec snlzed
Laidlaw as man sent by Providence. lie
seized the hand Of the man sent by Prov
idence and placed him in his proper geo-
graphical relation between New-lork and
Boston Did It with effnsivcnc>s. ~ much
corlay surprised Laidaw. lie inyomntarly
wnked mt one Of Mr.. Sage's clerks. Had he
known what was going on behind him he would
not have winkCd. Just then tie Boston man
dropped the bag, and the next that Mr. Laid
law knew he was lying On Mr. Sages stomach
amid the ruins surrounded by fragments Of
the man from Boston.
II is Mr.. Laidlaw'> opinion that by acting
as q buffer for Mr.. Sage he saved that gentle
mans life. And rs b., doing il he became
permanently disabled hm'ei, he thinks Mr.
Sage ought to pay him SO 900 for it, More
over, from the manner # hi testimony il i
fair inferenc, that he doe n. think Mr. Sagcs
cordially wax entirely sincere. for he says that
notwithstanding his demonstration Of alice
Tomato interest in him, and the later intimacy
when he lay on Mr.. Sag's stomach, that gentle
man has never spoken 10 him since Mr. Laid
law accordingly brought suit f1r $4,000 This
sum. as we understand il. did E0l - much ex-
press the value Of Mr.. Laid!aw's servi,c rs the
amount Of damage he sustained personally in
the pai Torrance. The question accordingly
was MT whether it was worth $4,000 to Mr.
Sage to have his life saved. but whether Mr..
Sage had, under the law Of self preservation,
right to seize LaidIaw is an instrument sent
by Providence AMI intclp0s him between him
self and the dynamtcr without compensation
or reward. The complaint was dismissed by
the Court on uoslay for lack of proof Of me
Of the essential allegations, but without an,
decision of the main question as t, the limita
ii ~ of the law CT .elf-pre.crvati III.
This case. as will be readily seen. differs frcm
the one decided in Colorado where obedience
TO the law of self-prcservaton led to the de-
populati n almost Of an entire county Al time
when folks could be i'll spared. Here in New
York there are mere folks. and few would
not be 80 much missed. 1t is unfortunate Of
course, that the case was not decided Oh its
merits and the actual limits of the law
Ct self-preservati accura ely defined. TIER,
has been a disposition manifested in some
quarters to crticsc Mr.. Sage for refusing
to compensate Mr.. Laidlaw in some measure
for the damages he sustained. They say that
he could well afford to pay the young man
$50, 900, or even more, for standing between
him and destruction. But those who indulge in
this line of criticism forget the importance of
! reaching a judicial decision Of the interesting
and important questions fnvolvcd II is
worth q great deal to man OF wealth like
Mr.. Sage to have these questions settled. il
| cannot lie doubted that Mr.. Sage is grateful I,
Mr.. Laidlaw, though being a very active and
busy man he has not had the opportunity to
| tell him so. But there IL nothing even now
| to prevent Mr. Sage from exhibiting his APP
probation OF the service by presenting Mr.
Laidlaw with $4,000, or perhaps more. And