The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1909-03-16
FUNNY POINTS IN LAW
Odd Problems With Which Courts
Have Had to WreStle.
A QUEER QUESTION OF TIME.


Curious Provision In an Eccentric
Mans Will Upon Which Hangs the
Settlement of an Estate-Are Duck
Eggs Eggs, and Is SkimmiII Mllk7
One of the strangest problems ever
submitted to the decision Of the law
was that growing out of the DISPOSE
ton of the property of an Englishman,
the father of twin sons. 1t appears
that this eccentric owned extensive
tracts of land in Australia, the great
part of which he stipulated in his will
should go to the first Of the two sons
to attain the age Of twenty-one years.
The younger of the sons had emf
grated to Australia, while his brother
remained in England, it so happening
that they were in opposite quarters Of
the globe when they came of age. The
fine point involved in the case was
this: Australian time is some hours in
advance Of Greenwich, and therefore
the claim was made that the young
man in Australia reached his majority
before his brother at home had done
likewise Which of the two brothers
was legally entitled to the property
The question is yet unsettled and bids
fair to afford employment for the ex-
ercise of lawyers wits for many years
to come.
Another hard nut for the lawyers to
crack was presented by case tried in
Indiana some years ago. The question
was in substance, Are eggs eggs, or are
only hens eggs eggs? Ludicrous as
this may seem, the point involved
some nice shades of meaning in these
words, sufficient indeed to carry the
case through several courts.
A man had ordered Of his grocer one
dozen eggs. He sent ducks eggs. These
were returned as not being what the
customer had asked for, but the grocer
refused to take them back. The GUS
toner, in turn, declined to receive the
eggs, and they were sent back and
| forth so frequently for several days,
during which they became bad, that
finally the grocer deemed himself justi-
fed in entering suit against the Gus
toner for the value Of the goods.
The magistrate before whom the
| case was first tried ordered the GUS
toner to pay, declaring, ridiculous as
1t may seem, that ducks eggs were as
much eggs as any others. The man
| appealed from this, and the next court
| reversed the decision on the ground
that such an Arder as the one in ques-
| ton tacitly implic7 hens eggs, 1t be-
| ing pointed out that If any other con
| tention was allowed any kind of eggs
might be sent, such as pigeons cana
ries' or even snakes eggs. That set
tied it,
In a case in a southern court this IN
teresting question once came up: Are
the grandchildren Of a man also his
children? In the legal sense this ques
ton is not so funny as 1t seems, mas
much as It has been seriously con
tended rot only in the United States
but in Great Britain as well, what they
are
Is SKINNED milk milk? This point
grew out of case tried in Arkansas
not very long ago A man had ASKED
at a dairy for glass of milk to drink
and was given SKINNED milk, fol
which at the customers complaint
the dairyman was fined. In higher
court. however, this decision was re
yersed. 1t being contended that skim
med milk was really much more mill
than milk that was not skinned, fol
the reason that the latter contained
something that was not milk at all
viz, cream.
Some of the oldest points at law arr
those growing out of the tender pas
sion. A judge in a western court wa
I once called On TO determine the hou
at which evening courtship SHOULD
cease. The circumstances, were these;
A merchant had become much con
cerned at the late hour at which BIZ
dauchter's lover fingered with her a
the parental abode and so sought thu
aid of the law to expedite the youns
mans time Of departure.
In delivering his decree the Learned
Judge declared that II o'clock p. NJ
was the latest hour at which an.
Young man. fance or not, should b.
tolerated in the young woman's hom
ard that after such hour the parents
would be entirely justified in forcibl.
ejecting him.
A queer case once turned up in
New England town. A young man hat
embraced his sweetheart so vigorousl.
that he seriously injured her ribs. |
he suffered any mental anguish as tn
result of this contretemps, so likewls
did he suffer in pocket, for as the re
suit CT an action brought against hin
by the young woman the youth wa
fined in the sum Of $500 damages TO
the injury done the girls ribs.
New England also affords this anus
ING case: A youne. Lothario of Main
during tile course f his courtship wa
each evening Hospitality entertained a
supper by his sweetheart. Some tim
afterward. his ardcr cooling, the youn
man sought other fields to conquer
Then what should the young woma
do but sue the young man who ha
been so bountifully entertained for OF
tanning the suppers on false pretenses
And. what is more she succeeded /
getting judgment.-Edwin Tarriss