The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-06
QUEER DAMAGE SUITS.
Victims Place Various Estimates on
Life, Limbs and Hearts.
New York HeraldD

Damage suits Of the croD of 1907
throw an interesting light on the per
sonal estimates of the victims Of mis-
chance.
In some cases, guided probably by
precedent. those who sue for balm for
specific injury have hit upon the same
sum.
1t is rather "A difficult thing to arrive
at a fair average in the estima ting of
the value of life and limb. for by some
life is held cheaper than by others and
by the diversified Caliings of mankind
particular portions of one persons
body may have a greater productive
value than the same portions of bis
neighbor's body. The mother Of the
tenements, for example, might not hest
tate long at a decision if she were Of
fered a good number of thousands of
dollars for the consent to anOther's
custody of her child.
On the other hand, here is Mrs MeT-
rill Beecher Mills refusing her nus
bands offer of 81 900 900 if she would
surrender to his care their young
daughter Cynthia.
Perhaps all that this proves is that
dollars mean more to the woman of the
tenements than they do to the matroH
of the castle. for the simple reason
Oddly enough, the highest individual
sum asked for by one aggrieved was
not for the death of a relative but foT
the burial of that relative after death
DR.. Chalmers Prentice of Chicago. on
hearing of the death of his>Wife at sea
and her burial over the side of the
ship, announced. his intention of suing
the company for $3.50. 600. Her daugh-
ter demanded that the body be brought
to New York City for embalming, but
the ships physician ruled otherwise.
Just as the highest claim for the first
half of 1907 has not been for death. 50
the highest allowance by a court has
not been for a fatality.
Edward Kleist of New Rochelle had
asked 5000, 900 for injuries sustained in
a collision between railroad trains in
this city. His hip was broken, he be-
came paralyzed on the right side lost
the power of speech and had six bones
broken in different parts Of the body.
The settlement, one of the largest ever
made by a railroad company in a suit
for personal injuries. was for $4,000.
Fifty thousand dollars is the highest
sum asked for, this year, for sudden
death.
Petitioners place loss of affection.
the running of st'ge career. compulso-
ry army service. breach of promise to
marry. railroad wreck injury and
steamship annOyances ahead of actual
death. ~ -~~-
Heading the list of these causes is
the suit of William II. BramsOn, pro-
prietOr of a hotel at Catskill. y. Y. He
hes asked for s200,OOO from two others
he charges with alternating the affec-
tions of his wife.
Just half that sum, or 100000. is the
money value fixed by Charles Leeyrer,
New York resident, on the affections
of mis- wife, and it is his former chum
who is asked to pay the tidy fortune
Three women have asked the courts
to award them 100000 apiece as some
sort of sOlace for the departed love of
| their spouses. One OF these. Mrs How
ard Trimpi of Bradley Beach. y. j.,
wants her father-in-law to settle. for
he it was, according to the plaintiff,
who drew the young husband from her
side.
Of the other two, Mrs. Mary Norris
Of New York City, has named a fair
Albanian as the person from whom the
| 100000 would be most acceptable.