Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-29

have taken his earning capacity into con-
sideration, since he was drawing wages
of $175 6. month.
A big toe was officially placed at $500
by a Chicago jury, in a very odd personal
damage suit. A South Side man named
Stanley went to a chiropodist, but the
treatment was fatal to Stanley's big toe.
The jury defied the jokes of the defend
ants counsel and brought in the verdict.
The step from toes to physical wrecks
is a long one, and It is a wide one IN the
amounts of damages that juries have al
lowed. For Instance, in Texas and Mime
sofa, the verdicts have been widely apart.
A Texas jury gave a man in this condition
$1,000, while the northern jury permitted
the victim. almost a helpless cripple, to
collect $4,000. DR.. Shelton, another Texas
plaintiff. was given a verdict of $4,000
against a railroad company that had left
him a helpless cripple.
Loss of services of a minor has an es-
tabllshed value in the minds Of jurymen.
In the case of one minor son who was so
seriously injured that he could not work
for nineteen months the Jury gave the
parent S1.o27. which was less than Sc a
month, although the testimony showed that
| the young man was earning $50 a month.
A man 45 years of age, who was earning $50
20 $50 a onth was so badly hurt that he
was unable 10 earn anything. He obtained
a verdict of SIG, 500 against a Chicago street
I car company.
Pain and suffering has been appraised
at 5000 hy an Iowa court, which awarded
that amount to a child who was injured in
a railway wreck. One Texas jury made a
railway company pay $2,020 for injured
feelings in the case of a woman passenger
who had a row with the conductor over
her ticket. The official did not think the
ticket was properly signed and threatened
10 put the passenger off the train unless
she put up her watch and chain as security
for her fare, Nothing is said in the report
as to what the railway company did to the
conductor.
Pushing a Large Job.
II a man could have all these things
happen to him and keep all the suits that
were necessary going at the same time, he
probably would collect at least a S25O,ooO
but in the natural course Of court grind he
probably would be as old as Methuseleh
before he collected the last of them. and
then ready TO die. Although II may not
be ethical for lawyers TO take these per
sonal damage suits on a contingent fee,
most Of them follow this rule. Many times
lilfS ldht NAN Nv sun alp"'h ~ 80
verdict, and when the verdicts run as hign
as $4,000 and $4,000, 1t does not take long
for a lawyer TO make a large income.
Securing a large verdict in a personal
injury case is not always the chief aim OF
the lawyer. 1t is not a difficult thing tc
work on the sympathies of a jury and gel
heavy damages against a corporation. The
attorney who takes this kind Of case must
keep the higher courts in mind all the
time. The point Of view OF these upper
courts is such that sentiment is lost in the
pure legal reasoning. The attorney mus
guard against errors and watch himself al
every step Of the procedure that the clever
opposing counsel do not find a flaw upor
which to ask for a retrial.
Aside from the interesting histories OF
personal damage cases. the valuations thai
have been placed on different parts Of Z
human beings anatomy are amusing, ever
though the cases are indeed serious to th'
victims and their families. Yet. despite
the wide diversity In the values hat have
been placed on the different members o.
the living victims body, the way In which