The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-10-29
A Case in Point.

A Case In Point.
"The widow and children Of the
late Scott Wilson, through Hon.
Stanyarne Wilson, attorney, have
brought suit against the city council
of Spartanburg for 500, 900 damages on
account of the death Of Scott Wilson
in the station house.
"Scott Wilson was well-known
white man. He was somewhat ad-
dicted to drink aud usually ''got full"
when he came to Spartanburg.
Zone night last March he was pick
ed up on one Of the streets Of the city
in an apparently intoxicated state.
lie was carried to the station house
and locked up in cell, along with
other violators Of the law.
The next morning at police court,
when he was summoned to answer to
the charge Of drunkenness, the officer
who went to the cell to inform hun,
stood aghast to discover that the man
was lying on his bed dead. During
the night, which was very cold one,
he died, and his relatives claim that it
was due to neglect and not receiving
proper attention. ."-Spartanburg Her
aid.
The statement Of facts in the fore
going paragraph is quite interesting
from several points of view; but the
most important point just now is the
responsibility Of the city of Spartan
burg to the widow and childr, Of
Mr.. Wilson-whether the city of
Spartanburg is responsible at all in
the first place, and if responsible at
all, in what amount.
We are told that Mr.. Wilson was
man somewhat addicted to drink"
and that he usually got full when he
went to Sper.enbnrg." Gne night ne
was picked up On one Of the streets in
an apparently intoxicated condition,
and upon being placed in the station
house, with other violators Of the law,
he died during the night.
According to the usual procedure
under such circumstances, when the
case comes for trial, the ple:aeiffs
will say to the defendant: "You
found this husband and father in
drunke,. condition on your streets,
and instead Of leaving him to the pos
sible ministrations of good Samari-
tans, you put him into prison and al
lowed him to die Of neglect. 1t is
true that he may have died in the
streets; but since you undertook TO
look after him, you should have gone
on with your whole duty, heated the
prison room to a proper degree of
comfort, wrapped him in blankets, and
taken such other steps as seemed ne
cessary to save his life. Because of
your failure to do this, you are re-
sponsible to US for his DEATH"
The defense of the city, in the light
of the facts stated, will be that the
man was found helplessly intoxicated;
that there was no reason to think that
his case did not CONF under the COM
mon rule; that there appeared to be
nothing better to do than to take him
to the shelter of the station house
where it was expected that he would
sleep off his drunken stupor and re.
turn to his normal condition. 1t will
be further claimed that, to the sur.
prise of the defendant, subsequent
developments proved that the man 8
constitution had been wrecked by pre-
vious dissipation and debauchery, and
that he really died from too much
whiskey. The defendant will also
hold that if the man had been left on
the street, he would have died any
way, and that instead Of being held
responsible for his death, it was enti.
tied to credit for having tried to save
his life.
To the complaint outlined above,
the ansRer of the defendant, would
seem to entitle it to verdict, and
although it may not change the result,
ths plaintiff might do we'll to begin