The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-03

follow the commercial value, but many
persons are of the opinion that, until
the commercial value has been more
closely defined than it is now, the
courts should get together and fix
upon some standard of legal value, so
that man in the future may have some
idea of the proposition he faces when
allured by the rosebud lips of maiden.
The necessity for the fixing of such
a standard is shown by the increasing
number of suits that are being brought
to recover for kisses delivered and by
the wide divergence of the decisions of
the courts of various states as to their
value.
In this state for instance, says the
New York Press, the value of a kiss
has Just been fixed by the courts at the
extremely low rate of $2.S7, while in
Illinois the rate is $25 and in California
SIPS. Granting that some kisses are
sweeter than others, the fact remains
which few will dispute, that there can
be no such real difference between
them as is implied by the range be-
tween the legal valuations of $2.S7 and
$125.
Many may think that the California
rate of SIPS is too high, but it certainly
is likely to make one blush for the
Empire State that it's courts should
have such a mean opinion of the sac
| charine qualities of the lips of it's girls
as to decide that their kisses are worth
| only $2.37. This rate was fixed this
month by the Appellate Division of the
| Supreme Court, sitting in Albany.
The case was that of Miss Frances
Petit against John Tittemore, the viii
| lage blacksmith of Galway, Saratoga
county and the Appellate division
confirmed the decision of the lower
court, in which a jury had awarded to
Miss Petit verdict of $4,000. The fair
| plaintiff testified at the trial that in
| the last fourteen years Tittemore had
kissed her 1926 times. In support of
| this statement she produced her diary,
| in which she had entered every night
| the number of kisses Tittemore had
| taken from her during his call. She
valued her kisses at $40 each, which
with costs, brought the total amount
she asked for up to $4,000. But the
| jury assessed the value of her kisses
at $2.37 each, and added costs, which
brought the total up to $4,000.
The Illinois rate was fixed by a Chi
cago justice when he fined a youth $25
for stealing a kiss from a pretty girl.
1t is a relief to turn from these sor-
| did decisions to the liberality of the
| California courts.
When Miss Marian Green of San
Francisco sold kiss for $125 the courts
| promptly backed up her contention
| that it was worth every bit of the
money. The sale was made at a San
| Francisco party of which Miss Green
was the belle. While the merriment
was at it's hight it was proposed to
hold a kissing auction. Among the
i men present were P. T. Doolan and
DR.. A. c. Hicks. Doolan was in a
generous mood and he astonished those
| present by announcing his Willingness
| to pay $40 for a kiss from Miss Green.
She promptly delivered the goods and
accepted his note for the amount.
Then DIR. Hicks, who did not have
any money, but who considered that
! his note was as good as Mr.. Doolans
offered $125 for the same commodity
once. Those present say that the doc
| tors signature was so illegible that
Miss Green made him write it again
| In due time the note found it's way
| into the hands of d. A. Curtin, who
the facts he solemnly decided that the
note was binding, and he entered
| judgment accordingly.
| OF course, when the courts had per.
| mitted a girl to recover $125 for a kiss
Miss Katherine Smith of Pasadena
found no difficulty in forcing Thomas
James to pay SIT to her when She
| pldceQ the mOQeSC VdlQdLlOn on mel
kisses at 81 apiece.
| 1t appears that bazar was held ir
a small town near Pasadena, the pro-
ceeds of which were to go towards this
building of a school house. There are
many women in the district and il
was suggested by some of the plair
ones that it would be a good way tC
increase the financial condition OF
things by putting up a few choice
| kisses for auction.
| The sale was an immense success
and things went off to the satisfaction
of everyone, with the exception of two
elderly women, whose kisses were put
up at 5 cents dozen and then with.
drawn owing to there being no bidders
! Every gentleman honorably paid cash
| down, excepting Mr.. James, who, after
| having seventeen kisses from the
pretty lips of Miss Smith, announced
he had come away without his purse
but that if a dollar would cancel the
debt he would be pleased to hand it
over to the treasurer of the bazaar
Miss Smith brought suit and recovered
payment in full.