Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-01-17
KISSES AND THE LAW.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS THAT WERE
CAUSED BY OSCILLATION.
Considerable Amusement Afforded
Lawyers and Judges, Hut the
kisser Doesn't Always See where
the Laugh Comes INA Lost Heir
Discovered.
I1or;J, rr;,,oe I-njnp

the 1-AuS II Souhes Ah-A host hheAl
Discovered.
Florida Times Union.
The grave and dignified members 0
the legal profession appear to derive
much amusement from the subjec
OF kisses, which comes before then
most frequently in the form of ;
superabundant supply of crosses ir
the letters of lovers, when these art
being read-as they never were in
tended to be-in court, in breach o
promise cases. The learned gentle
man who has at the moment the busi-
ness in hand of reading aloud one o1
these wonderful productions generally
pauses when he comes to the first stop
in the gushing etfusion, where the
enamored swain has found words too
weak to express his sentiments, sup
plying their place with a string OF
symbolic osculations and, with well
feigned lock OF innocence, says there
is here gap in the letter, which the
defendant has filled in with a lot of
KS" regarding the meaning of which
some brother, more learned in these
weighty matters, may perhaps be able
to enlighten him.
This some " brother" never fails to
do, saying that if he is rightly in
formed-he has, OF course, no personal
knowledge of the matter (winks all
around)-these mystic signs signify
kisses in the language OF Cupid.
Thereupon this mighty, time.honored
joke is greeted with the usual chords
OF outlaws, and the interrupted read.
ing proceeds.
But. kisses sometimes make their
appearance in law courts in other
circumstances, though they never fail
to be made the subject of numerous
legal witticisms. The Judge may
have been in a jesting 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
sweetheart for the return of the value
Of certain articles of jewelry which he
had presented to her in the happy
days OF their courtship, whether he
chad ever kissed the young lady?"
"Certainlyl" was the reply, as was to
be expected. Whereupon the Judge
dismissed the action, declaring that
kisses and caresses we're full legal pay
ment for presents given in such cir
cumstances. The obvious moral may
be laid to heart without much diff
Guilty by present-giving young men.
1t happened one day that a pretty
young widow, travelling by train from
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 q tunnel.
He took advantage Of the darkness
to snatch kiss from his wife, as lie
suspected. but unfortunately lie had
made mistake and kissed the young
widow instead. She was highly in.
dignant, and refusing to believe that
it was an accident sued the young
husband for 81 600 as solace to her
wounded feelings and ruffied dignity.
There is given as an example of the
leniency OF New York Judges the case
of man who was arrested for kissing
another mans wife. The sentence
passed upon the culprit was that he
should there and then kiss his own
wife, who was present in the court
room, which, as may be supposed, he
gladly did.
In British law courts it has been
frequently brought home to offenders
that it rather an expensive amusement
to kiss a lady against her will, but in
Holland it appears that rather diff.
ferent view prevails in judicial circles.
A young man who had assaulted a
young lady in this way on the streets
of a village near Utrecht was brought
before the burgomaster, who took the
matter up, demanding that the Of
fender should be fined form, or, in
default, be imprisoned for day. But
tho Utrecht court and finally the ap
peal court at Amsterdam both dis
missed the case, the Judge declaring
"that to kiss q person cannot be an
offense, as it is in the nature of q
warm mark OF sympathy" This is
pretty much like the Yankee Judge
who dismissed similar offender, re-
marking that the plaintiff was &C
temptingly pretty that during The
trial he had to keep himself down ir
his chair with both hands, he felt sc
mnch inclined to get up and kiss hel
himself.
A stolen kiss once brought the cul
prit into possession of fortune. HI
was butcher in Sydney and mac
taken the liberty OF kissing one of hi
customers, a pretty girl, who resented
the affront and had him prosecuted