The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-17

| might be wholly insufficient as applied | to very wealthy and opulent defend l ent, and an award of damages which would be only adequate in the case of a
 rich individual, would be unjust and eX- cessive, where the defendant was meagerly supplied with this worlds goods.
 It has been declared that the doctrine of punitive damages is particularly salutary in it's application to corpora tions. There is but one vulnera ble point about these ideal existence cal;ed cor porations," it has been said, and that is, the pocket of the moneyed power that is concealed behind them; if that is reached, they will wince." In an &C., ton against the Pullman Sleeping Car company in the state of Mississippi in
 which punitive damages were sought, it
 was held that the corporation might be
 required to state the amount of its
 paid-up capital stock its assets and
 liabilities, it's surplus over and above all
 liabilities, what dividends had been paid
 to stockholders for period Of five
 years past and how paid. It was, of
 course, strenuously objected on the part
 of the corporation that the information
 desired was it's private business,
 which it should not be required to dis
 close. But the court held such facts
 proper for the consideration of the jury
 to aid them in determining what would
 be proper pecuniary punishment for
 the defendant company
 In we'll known English case a ver-
 dict of $S0000 tG16,000) was held not excessive for injuries to a physician doing an extensive practice, whereby he
 was permanently and almost totally disabled, Tn this country, in New York for permanent and practically total dis ability has rarely exceeded s30,000. This latter amount has, also. been held not excessive by the supreme court of this state for injuries producing progressive concussion of the spine,
 Tn number of instances $25 900 has been recovered for the loss of both legs and several years ago the court of ap- peals ot this state affirmed q judgment for $25,000 for the loss of one leg by a child three years old But probably 900 is more nearly an average recoy- cry for the loss of a single leg. For in juries merely resulting in the perma- nent loss of use of legs, not necessitat- ing amputation, the tendency of the courts is to slightly less amounts. About S, 900 is the limit for the fracture of leg without lasting results. But where the limb has been shortened or its usefulness permanently impaired,a as much as $15,000 has been recovered.
 For injuries resulting in the loss of an arm, judgments for $10,00o have not been sustained, though the same amount has in such cases occa- sionally been held excessive. And as the ar mis chiefly valuable for it's won derful extremity. the hand, juries are in the habit of awarding about as much for hand alone as where the arm has been Topped off near the shoulder. For the loss of four fingers of one hand $7, ,50O has been received; $2,500 for the loss of al title finger and the permanent disablement of the third finger The price of single finger seems to be about $1,500.
 An examination of the cases shows general tendency of the courts to smaller recoveries in the case of women than men.-Archibald Robinson Watson in New York Sun,