Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-08-31

Everyday Occurrences Cashiers
Dead Bodies.-Sunday Contracts.
1t is an American prediction to be-
lieve the outre and freakish stories that
are based solely on hearsay testimony
and to reject often the commonplace
matter of fact. A list of the cheerful
lies that are commonly believed would
Till Il volume. Only few of them are
given below.
How often have YOU been inflicted
with the story of the man who was
overpaid when cashing a check at the
bank and the cashier telling him that
no mistakes would be corrected after
the customer left the window? Ac
down the mandate before the cashier
knew the mistake was in his favor. 1t
makes an excellent yarn, but diligent
search discloses that it never had any
foundation in fact. Banks have no
such rule II a customer is underpaid
or oyerpaid the mistake will appear
when the balance is struck at the end
of the days business, and the error
will be cheerfully rectitied. But the
majority OF the public believe the ficti-
tious story of how the fellow got the
best of the bank simply because it is
d good story and they like to believe ii.
Probably the most common error on
i no art Of ba 10, Al hali Of tl.it
when Il dead body Is found no one has
right to touch or move the remains
until the coroner comes" There never
was any such law, is not now ana
probably never will be. The citizen
who is of an inquirng turn of mind
has perfect right to examine the dead
bodies he runs across in the course of
his travels, to move the remains and
even search the pockets of the de
ceased, provided of course, that his
motives are honest That is all that is
necessary.
There Is also q prevalent belief that
a note signed or contract entered into
can plead the fact of the sacred day to
get out of bad bargain. This is not
true. II man enters into Il contract
or signs note on Sunday he is legally
bound and can have no defense that he
would not have If the transaction had
occurred IN the middle of the Week
II had my back against my own
house when l struck this man." says
the defendant in police court He be-
!ieves that his proximity to his castle
gives him more rights than he would
have If he We're in the street. This be
lief has been the cause of much can
tankerous litigation, and it has ever
resulted in the ruling that man has
a right to defend himself in a reason
able manner if he is attacked, what
ever may be his geographical position,
and the incidental contigutty- of his
home cuts no ice" In the case
The public has great confidence in
the magic number three, and without
any reasonable, basis for the belief 1t
is commonly believed that if a drown
ing person sinks for the third time he
is gone for good and all. The facts
contradict this. Many persons die in
the first sinking, and if one has the
strength and vitality to rise to the sur
| face of the water twice it furnishes an
| excellent presumption that he will be
| able to do so again In an eddy or
! rapidly moving waters people have
| sunk from sight a half dozen times
and lived to tell the experience to their
| grandchildren.
| Then there is the third congestive
| chill, commonly believed to be fatal
| Most people who die from this cause
succumb to the first Or second attack
| If man succeeds in weathering two
Of them the odds are in favor of his
coming out victor in the third. Almost
every community possesses citizen
] who boasts the fact that he has a sill
yer plate in his skull. Surgeons say that
very few attempts We're ever made al
i such an operation, and all of them
4 We're failures There does not exist 8
man who has silver plate in his
skull, although many men honestly be
lieve that they are carrying this species
Of paraphernala in their craniums
The bone of the skull cannot live and
be healthy in the presence Of a foreign
body. 1t is said by surgeons to be {
physical !mpossibility, but this serves
in no way to overcome the common
i and erroneous belief
The medical fraternity has another
false belief to combat in cases Of ''shin
4 gles." This disease consists of Skin
eruption, always following affected
nerves and commonly appearing OF
the body. 1t is a very common belize
that if the shingles completely sur
round the body and strike meeting
point the patient will die instantly
The belief is untrue. Git!
Journal.
Elephant Sngactty-
A remarkable instance of the sagac
lily of female elephant which had los
her young one in a pit trap has re