The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1896-01-11
KISSES AND THE LAW
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS THAT WERE
CAUSED ~ OSCILLATION.

Alvay. See Whore the Laugh Comes In. |
a Lost Heir Discovered.
Tho grave and dignified members Of the |
legal profession appear to derive much |
amusement from the subject Of kisses,
which comes before them most frequently
In the form Of a superintendent supply Of
CROSSES In the letters Of lovers, when these
are being rcad-as they never were intend
ed to be-in court, In breach Of promise
eases The learned gentleman who has at
the moment the business In hand Of read
ing aloud one Of these wonderful produc-
tions generally pauses when he comes to
the first stop in the gushing effusion,
where the enamored swain has found
words too weak to express his sentiments,
supplying their place with a string OF
symbolic oscillations and. with we'll
feigned look of innocence, says there Is
here gap in the letter, which the defend
ant has filed in with q lot Of rs, re
garding the meaning Of which some broth
ar, more learned In these weighty matters,
may perhaps be able to enlighten him.
This some brother" never fails to do,
saying that II he Is rightly informed-he
has, Of course, no personal knowledge of
the matter (winks all ndl-these mystic
signs signify kisses in the language OF Gu
pid Thereupon this mighty, time hon
ord joke Is greeted with the usual chorus
Of outlaws, and the interrupted reading
proceeds.
But kisses sometimes make their ap-
pearance in law courts In other circum-
stances, though they never fail to be made
the subject Of numerous legal witticisms,
The Judge may have been in u testing
humor-and yet who knows but he may
have been laying down, with all due
sOlemnity, some fundamental principle OF
Justice and equity-who once asked the
plaintiff. who was suing his former sweet
heart for the return of the value OF GER
tain articles Of jewelry which he had pre-
sented to her in the happy days of their
| courtship, whether he had ever kissed
| the young ladyr' Certainly" WAS the
| reply, a. was to be expected. Whereupon
| the judge dismissed the action, declaring
| that kisses and caresses were full legal
payment for presents given In such cir
cumstances The obvious moral may be
laid to heart without much difficulty by
| present giving young men.
| 1t happened one DAY that q pretty young
widow, travelling by train fom Louisville
TO Nashville, had taken her seat near a
newly married couple. The bridegroom
left his wife for a moment, and when he
returned the train was passing through a
tunnel He took advantage Of the dark
ness to snatch kiss from his wife, as he
suspected, but unfortunately he had made
Q mistake and kissed the young widow In
stead She was highly indignant, and re'
fusing to believe that it was an accident
sued the young husband for sl,0 900 a.
solatium to her wounded feelings and ruf
fed dignity.
There is given as an example OF the 10
niency Of New York judges the case OF {
man who was arrested for kissing another
mans wife The sentence passed upor
the culprit WAS that he should there ant
then kiss his own wife, who was presen
In the courtroom, which, as may bo sup
posed, he gladly did.
In British law courts 1t has been fire.
quently brought home to offenders that /
Is rather an expensive amusement to ks
q lady against her will, but in Holland /
appears that a rather different view pre-
walls In judicial circles. A young ma
who had assaulted young lady in thi
way on the streets of a village near Utrech
was brought before the burgomaster, VIII
took the matter up, demanding that III
|
fault, be imprisoned for day. But tn
Utrecht court and finally the appeal cour
at Amsterdam both dismissed the cast
the Judge declaring that To kiss perso
cannot be an offense, as 10 Is in the natur
Of a warm mark Of sympathy" This
pretty much like the Yankee judge VIII
dismissed a similar offender, rernarkin
that the plaintiff was so temptingly prett
that during the trial he had to keep hin
self down In his chair with both hands, h
felt 50 much inclined To get up and ks
her himself.
A stolen kiss once brought the culpr
into possession Of fortune. He was
butcher in Sydney and had taken che Ill
erry Of kissing one OF his customers,
|, pretty girl, who resented the affront an
4 had him prosecuted for assault. He wa
!. fined heavily by the local magistrates, an
the case was commented on freely by Il
!, press. The publicity thus given to the n
j fair happened to arrest the notice Of fri
. of solicitors In Sydney, who had been al
+ pointed trustees OF some property whlC
had been left TO the man by distant rel!
2 tive 20 years before. They had failed
:, trace the heir, but when his name appea
ed In the papers In connection with q
case Of assault they communicated wit
. him, and he was able to establish his idel
= tity.
K A certain Senior Talca Of Valparais
Q however, had a very different experien'
r and paid heavily for his momentary frea
4 Of kissing lady on the plaza without h
:, permission. She prosecuted him, and q
magistrates, ~ indignant As the lady, sel
70 fenced him to so days Imprisonment
/. This severe penalty Senior Talca consider
I himself justified in appealing against, b.
l. the higher court, SO far from bestowir
70 any sympathy on the offender, sentence
I him to an additional 30 days impriso
=, ment. The amusing part OF the affair
- that the higher court took 200 days to co
slider the appeal, and during the whole
= that time the senior had to remain In jai
Even this, however, Is outdOne by q
series Of tribulations undergone by m5
who had stolen kiss from pretty gil
/, To begin with, no was brought before
magistrate and fined. Then he was hOrs
whipped by the girls brother and harri
ID into brain fever by his wife. The clerg
D man Of the district referred to the affair
10 q sermon and reviewed the case in prir
n and, finally, the caterp; HAIRS ate up eve
= blade Of the nalefactor's wheat crop.
N Florida Times Union.
10 "a.
\ 81,