The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-10-23
funny POINTS IN LAW
Odd Problems With Which Courts
Have Had to WrestIe.
A QUEER QUESTION OF TIME.
Curious Provision In an Eccentric
Mans Will Upon Which Hangs the
Settlement Of an Estste--Are Duck
Eggs Eggs, and Is skimmilk Milk?


, Settlement Of an Estste--Are Duck
Eggs Eggs, and Is skimmiIk Milk7
One Of the strangest problems ever
submitted to the decision of the law
was that growing out of the disposi.
tion of the property of an Englishman,
the father Of twin sons. II appears
that this eccentric owned extensive
tracts of land In Australia, the great
part of which he stipulated in his will
should 60 TO the first of the two sons
10 attain the age of twenty.one years.
The younger of the sons had emi.
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
90 come.
Another hard nut for the lawyers to
crack was presented by a case tried in
Indiana some years ago. The question
was In substance, Are eggs eggs, or are
only hens eggs cggsf Ludicrous as
hn tYN
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 lie 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-
fled 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.
It 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 order as the one in ques.
lion tacitly implied hens eggs, 1t be-
ing pointed out that II any other con-
teution was allowed any kind of eggs
t.,lt Ia ug nj .0n N in
rles' or even snakes eggs. That set
tied It,
In case In southern court this in.
teresting question once came up: Are
the grandchildren of n man also his
children? In the legal sense this ques.
tion IL not so funny as 1t seems, mas.
much as II has been seriously con.
tended not only in the United states
hut In Great Britain as well, what they
are
Is SKINNED milk milk? This poini
grew ont OF d case tried In Arkansas
not very long ago. A man had asked
at dairy for glass of milk to drink
and was given skinned milk, fo-
which at the customers complaint,
court, however. this decision was re-
versed, It being contended that skim
med milk was really much more milk
than milk that was not skinned, for
The reason that the latter contained
something that was not milk at all
viz, cream.
Some of the oldest points at law are
nf ha nn =
sion. A judge In a western court was
once called on to determine the hour
at which evening courtship should
cease. The circumstances were these:
A merchant had become much con-
cerned at the late hour at which bis
daughters lover fingered with her at
the parental abode and so sought the
aid of the law to expedite the young
mans time of departure.
In delivering his decree the learned
Judge declared that IL o'clock p. m
was the latest hour at which any
young man, fance or not, should be
tolerated In the young woman's home
and that after such hour the parents
would he entirely justified In forclbly
eJectlng him.
A queer case once turned up in 0
New England town. A young man had
embraced his sweetheart so vigorously
that he seriously injured her ribs. II
he suffered any mental anguish as tho
result OF this contretemps, so likewise
did he suffer In pocket, for as the re
suit Of an action brought against hin
by the young woman the youth wat
fined In tile sum of $500 damages fo'
the injury done the girls ribs.
New England also affords this anus
lug case: A young Lothario OF Main'
during the course Of his courtship wal
each evening Hospitality entertained a
supper by his sweetheart. Some TIM
afterward, his ardor cooling, the youni
man sought other fields TO conquer
Then what should the young woman
do but sue the young man who ha'
been SO bountifully entertained for oh
tanning the suppers on false pretenses
And, what Is more. she succeeded II
getting IA Judgment. Tarriss'
ia New York Tribune.
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