The herald., 1895-01-14

Now how about this?" said the Cargo. 3
he cane up the Hotel Ramona steps and shook
hands with Mr. Mallory.
The latter laid down his small white bundle
of the weed and focused his eyes till they bore
directly on the Gargoyle's wrinkles. Then he
looked inquiringly. but said Misunderstanding
the Gargoyle to do the rest.
And the Gargoyle did it.
al see by one of the eastern newspapers" he
said, that the Belgian legal luminaries are
fighting holly over the ownership OF a human
leg. All Brussels is holding its breath till the
courts shall have decided the question. Now
it's knotty point, Pill swear"
mot in here l hope" said Mr. Mallory
But, really, 1 don't see anything knotty or
puzzling about the question. The es no doubt
i'll my mind about the proprietorship of that
limb" and saying which Mr.. Mallory placed
one foot on chair and one elbow on the
raised knee
"Aha, but this is very different case" said
the Gargovle. 'It's handsome young lady
who claims ownership OF the disputed LEI
limb, did you call it2'
"W-what?" Mr.. Mallory was astonished-
and something more.
The Gargoyle fastened to reassure him.
"Just wait moment" he said. "Of course as
long as the limb is in place it is scarcely nee
essary to remark that the ownership cannot be
disputed. Possession, in this case, is even
more than nine points of the law. But when
the surgeons knife and saw have done their
work--when the surgeon has finished his task
does the proprietor, the original occupant,
preserve his rights in all their integrity? Or
does the artist who has amputated the men,
Der and transformed it into manufactured
product, acquire by his labor the right to dis
pose freely OF the detached piece? Now, it's
that kind OF a problem that is upsetting all
Brussels at present. and it's been bothering me
all evening.
"You see the case is like this: Last March
young Belgian bride of rs summers, injured
herself so severely by fall that it was neces-
sary to amputate her right l. bag pardon,
mean limb.
1.-THE operation was a remarkably successful
one, it appears and the surgeon who per-
formed 1t was so proud of his work that with
out letting anyone know, he carried the ampu-
tated limb to his office and exhibited 1T as
trophy In the corner OF his waiting room he
placed an enormous jar, in which the limb of
his client was preserved in alcohol. This was
duly placarded in large letters with the name,
address and age OF the former owner. together
with the circumstances under which the am
putation had been performed
"Without doubt the surgeon calculated that
the spectacle would be good thing for his
reputation. 1t would edify the public in a Pc
culiarly suggestive manner regarding his
wisdom, his ability and his steadiness OF hand.
All this, OF course entirely apart from the
pleasure that it might give from purely
aesthetic point of view.
"But the ingenious surgeon struck snag
that he ought to have forseen. mean the
husband, OF course. That gentleman had no
sooner learned OF the disrespectful use that
had baaD Of mai nj 10 Xph
and master he had the happiness of being,
than he took prompt legal action.
''The surgeon was notified in good and due
form that he must not only put stop at once
TO the untimely publicity of his exhibition, but
must restore the lei mean limb-without de-
lay to its rightful owners. The practitioner
rejoined that the limb in dispute having be-
come, thanks to him, simple anatomical ex-
hibit and bearing the marks OF his handiwork,
was in some sort a newly manufactured arti-
Gle, the fruit of his labor, of which he had the
absolute right to dispose as he saw fit, and that
the husband who had married a wife with two
living limbs had no right to claim ownership
OF dead one, And there you are. Unless
Dutch Solomon arises to settle the dispute.
there's no knowing where it may end. Now
what's your idea about it?"
But Mr. Mallorys countenance was suffused
with bushes Beholding which the Gargoyle
RETAINED from pressing the question. With
modest mein and gentle tread he passed quietly
down the stairs and into the outer world.
On Spring street he "met man." and when
they came out they fell to discussing the Salt
Lake railroad scheme, "A friend of mine who
has just come down from San Francisco tells
me he met ex-Mayor r. c. Cushing OF Omaha
at the Palace hotel" said the Gargoyle conf
dentielly.
Now 1 happen to know that Cushings err
rand to the coast is to spy out the lay of the
land for Salt Lake rail DAD with a northern
terminus in this state. He has had a lot of ex-
perlence in railroad building. He constructed
a good part of the Union Pacific and 1000
miles OF the Burlington & Missouri. He also
helped build the Cincinnati Southern and
other roads.
"Cushing said he was surprised to find that
San Francisco was not heart and soul in the
enterprise to build the line from that city to
Salt Lake. San Francisco could easily do it all,
he said, and such line would give her an
immense advantage. why said he, when the
Cincinnati Southern was built Cincinnati is
sued $2O,o00,000 in bonds and they were all
taken at once. Now, Cincinnati was not near
as big as San Francisco and oakland. and this
road that is proposed from here to Salt Lake
would not cost anything like so much money.
A liberal estimate would be from $4,000 900
to SIS, OOo,0 600 The Cincinnati Southern paid
enormously and the southern trade was re-
gained
'My friend asked Cushing what he thought
OF the road from Salt Lake to Los Angeles
which was being put forward by Colonel Trum-
b. and General GARRISON
''Weli, ali there is OF it, he said, IF the peo-
pie here don't go to work the Los Angeles road
will be built, and then that trade will be cut
off. This is by far the larger city and better
situated, and should get it, but it takes a little
enterprise sometimes and that's what this
city must have if it wants competing road.
This is good way to get it by building over
to Salt Lake."