Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-01-05
Left Leg NOT Guilty,

street, Bombay, and it is claimed by the
members of the present firm that their
ancestors have carried on the same bust
ness, with a few notifications to meet
the necessities OF the European trade, for
more centuries than the United States
has been known to the map of the world.
The firm is made up of four partners,
and their counting room and one of their
warehouses are in this building. This
particular storeroom contains only silks
and other precious stuffs.
One day there strayed into the count
ing house a pretty white kitten. Little
attention was paid to pussy until she bad
made the round of the room, rubbed her
fur against the leg Of each member of
the firm and finally walked demurely
over to the strong box. which stood in
one corner. The animal seemed quite
satisfied with the construction of the
safe, and when she had again reached
the door side she made a playful leap,
raped the bunch of keys with her vel
vetlike paws, stretched herself comfort
ably beside the door and began to pur
little catlike song.
brothers" exclaimed one OF the party.
this is surely good omen. Unbidden
this pretty little creature comes into our
Dlutt VI DuSlltSSs Nllloul NtItllOhg hllt
introduces herself to each member Of the
firm. Next she examines our property to
see if we are solvent and in good stand
ing with the world of trade. Let us
adopt the little stranger and give it a
home in the great house Of Manockjee,
Poonjeajec Il Co. What say you, my
good brothers,
"Well," said another member OF the
house, II am quite willing to admit that
we really have no right to turn it away.
Suppose we take the little thing. And in
order that the good or i'll fortune it may
bring be equally divided we will consider
| it one of he assets of the firm. Now,
how shall we divide the ownership of the
animalT'
"Oh. we'll" exclaimed the others, eve
will follow the regular precedent of our
! people. You, Manockjee, may claim the
! fore leg; | will take the right and so on
! till the eat is equally divided. Is this
arrangement satisfactory to alp
There being no. objection to this mode
! of distribution it was so agreed. The
bookkeeper was called into the counting
house and the ownership of the cat was
duly entered on the books Of the firm as
one OF the assets, each quarter OF the
animal being designated as the property
!
All went well with the house of Ma
nockjee, Poonjeajee * Co. for a year Of
so and pussy became "a great favorit,
with the whole household. Never fol
centuries had the great house been So
prosperous. Yes, there could be no mis-
take, the kitten had been harbinger o.
good luck.
Some time during the month of Decem
Der, 1897, while puss was playing in thu
street in front of the store, its attention
was distracted by some little moving oh
ject. and it did not notice n bullock car
coming from an opposite direction. In
moment poor kit was under the heav!
wheels. and before it could extricated it
self one white paw was crushed ant
broken.
The left fore leg of the cat belonged L
Manockjee, so it was the duty of ma
nockjee to send for the physician ant
foot the bill. The leg was wrapped il
bandages soaked in turpeutine linimen
and regularly each day the doctor mad
his professional call at the great house I
hasten the recovery of the mascot.
In the early part of January, 1898, tn
cat was walking about over the table
and desks of the counting room when $
overturned a lighted lamp. The fam
from the lamp ignited the turpentiL
with which the bandages were soake
and pussy fed in terror through tn
counting room into the warehouse.
Before help could be summoned tn
great warehouse, with its valuable cor
tents. was in flames and three hours AFT
er only the big iron safe marked the spC
where once stood the old old house q
Manockjee, Poonjeajee X Co.
The partners took their loss with a
the stoical forbcarance of the conirme
fatalist. All things was ordained in tn
beginning. This was merely a decree e
fate.
But now comes the important questio
of settling for loss. Who was at fault
A business meeting of the firm was hel'
and it was soon decided by the otht
three partners that the whole damag
was caused by the burning bandaEe
That left fore leg was the individual an
separate property of ManockJee, whic
made decision an easy matter or cour'
! Manockjee was responsible for the d
, struction of the warehouse.
! Although Manockjee did not dispu
this assertion outright, still he asked Il
; time to reflect before assuming the entil
responsibility. At last he asked his par
ners if they would object to a friend
? | suit IN the courts 10 ueclue lot CERTAIN
I ty just where the blame should be lodge
. The case was presented fairly an
: without prejudice. Manockjee had r
; tanned one OF the brightest pleaders
fore the Indian bar, and through h
shrewd efforts the judge handed dow
y the following remarkable decision:
= "A cat being owned in severalty
$ four men, each being proprietor Of a de
e ignated section of the animal, overtime
t a lamp and set fire to a bandage on Il
left fore leg. The cat in fright ran in
q the warehouse and communicated Il
: fire to the goods stored therein.
= "Held that the owner of the section
the cat which included the bandaged l.
is not responsible for the damage caus
Il by the fire, because the three other ow
J. ers, proprietors of the three other leg
y were guilty of contributory negligence
e that it was by the assistance of the lie
n owned by them that the cat was enabl
O to run into the warehouse and spre
4 the flames. Judgment for defendant"
Cincinnati Enquirer.
The sweet Girls Influence.
L. 4 .eel ~.