Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-06-08
THE COST OF A LIFE.
Queer Legal Appraisals From 81 up to
s22,500.

| In trenton on July is, 1898, Justice
Gummere set aside verdict of $4,000
in the case of Abraham L. Graham VS..
the Jersey City Traction company for
the loss of his five-year-old child.
Justice Gummere allowed Graham
nominal damages to the extent of 81.
The justice, in explanation, said l.:
children are an expense, as a rule,
and not a pecuniary benefit to their
parents
Antonio Petrillo was killed in an
accident on the Naugatuck division of
the New York, New Haven and Hart
ford railroad. The company was
sued by the sister of the dead man for
$4,000. The case was concluded in the
New Haven courts on May II before
Justice Silas A. Robinson, who di-
rected that $40 was a sufficient recon-
pense to the sister for the life of her
brother. AS opposed to these remark
able judgments have been many cases
where large awards have been given
for death or injury due to accident
The first case tried in New York after
the repeal Of the law fixing $4,000 as
the maximum damage recoverable for
death by accident was that of Mary
B. O'Reilly for the death of her hus-
band, Terence c., against the Utah,
Nevada and California Stage company.
Justice Patterson, in the supreme
court, Jan. 1, 1895, awarded the sister
of the dead man $4,000.
| 1,
human life in the case of Griffin VS..
Manice, concluded in the supreme
court, this city, May -, 1899. On
Dec. 6, 1898, W. H. Griffin met with
fatal accident in the elevator of the
Manice building, No. So William street.
Suit was brought by Mrs Griffin
Justice Chase awarded Mrs Griffin
$22,5O0 damages and an additional
$500. In England, in 1896, in the
case of Duckmerst VS.. Johnson, the
father was awarded 91O0 damages for
the death of his fourteen-year-old son.
! The boy met with an accident in the
mill where he was earning shillings
a week. In the case of Congdon VS.
Southern Railroad company, tried in
Dublin, a widow was awarded ESQ for
the death of her son, though he had
never contributed to her support. In
Palestine, Tex, Dec. 10, 1889, Noe]
Chapman, sixteen-year-old boy, was
awarded 100000 from the Great North
ern railroad for the loss of a leg
Burnham L. Elberson and wife against
the New York Central railroad were
awarded $500 damages. Probably
one Of the largest awards on record
grew out of the suit of Mrs. Homer
Baldwin against the New York Cen
trail railroad. She received frightfu1
injuries in the Hastings disaster OF
Christmas eve, 1891 She sued fol-
of court by the payment, it is said, Of
about $4,000.
How can judge or jury fix
damages equitably?" Here is Edward
| Lauterbach's answer to that query
Previous to 1895 we had the maxi.
accident $1,000. I was a member OF
the committee that went to Albany in
1894 to aid the repeal of that act II
was the unanimous opinion of the
committee that this limit act should
be erased from the statutes. I know
of cases of personal injuries where
awards of $4,000 and $4,000 were
not considered excessive. When &
life has been lost as result of acci.
dent damages are recoverable by heirs
or next to kin. To decide what should
be paid many things must be con.
sidered-station in life, age, ability as
bread-winner, all go to determine
the loss. Hence the law after such
considerations provide an equivalen
for the loss of the family or next o.
kin. New York World.