The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-29
CASES OF INTEREST

UASES UT lNICnEOI
 Pronunciation of will by Administra- Cor or Devisee--On January l, 1slo' one Tabitha Harding died testate leaving her husband $500. On Jan Iary 3, 1910, her husband died, be- ing at the time of his death. and also when his wife died. confined In one of the insane asyluns Of the state. days thereafter. the administrator or the husband filed a deed of renuncla- tion, and elected to take in behal1 oI the decedent the distributable portion of the estate of the wife, which would have descended to him if she had dled fntestate. The question presented for decision is: Did the administrator of the husband have the right to re- nounce the provisions made for the husband in the will. This case en- Harding's Executor was decided by the Court of Appeals of Kentucky, and is reported in 130 Southwestern Reporter. 10SS. The administrator relied upon section 2O67 of the Ken lucky Statutes, which permits de- visee to disclaim by deed with year after notice of probate, and argued that since the husband, if living, could have renounced the provision made Tor him. but died before the will was
 
 have opportunity to exercise the cleo rion allowed him by law, his person. al representative, acting for the best interests of the estate, ought to be permitted to make the election. The court holds that the right to renounce the provisions of will cannot be eX- ercised until after the will be admit ted to probate, so that the dlsa bllity of a devisee, by insanity or otherwise to disclaim before that time, is inn r->a rori0I his right fO dlScla1fn thereafter. Also the right of a der visee to disclaim is personal, so that the administrator could not renounce the will. and elect to take under the law of descent: and that the devisee was insane at his death, before pro- bate. was immaterial, he not having a right to elect was inmaterial, he not having a right to elect before probate
 A Two-Legged sCritter'' That Pass es as a Man.-Is man man wheth- CT proven so or not? The Supreme Court of Washington decides it in State vs. Risaburo, 112 Pacific Repor- ter, s5. Appellant was convicted of the crime of living with and accepting xhe earnings of a common prostitute and urges as error on appeal that the record does not show that he is a male person. The Washington Su- preme Court says: "Conceding that it was incumbent on the state to prove that the appellant was male per- son. and that there is no direct evil dence in the record to that effect, the fact remains that the appellant ap- peared before the jury, and respond ed repeatedly to masculine pronouns addressed to him during the trial, without objection or protest. Any bystander might have testified that the appellant was a male person from his appearance only, and the jury might properly draw the same infer ence. The sex of the appellant was not made an issue during the trial, but was accepted by all parties con cerned as conceded fact, and under such circumstances the question will not receive serious consideration here" So man is man for t'a' o that" God made him, therefore let him pass for a man. The con viction was affirmed.
 Murder No Bar to Inheritance.-i The case of Inre Gollnik's Estate, 12S Northwestern Reporter, 292. presents nix was convicted of the crime of murder in the second degree for kill ing her husband. Notwithstanding this. the probate court made an order setting aside to her, as the widow the homestead and certain personal whether the widow is barred from her statutory inheritance in her hus- bands property because his death was caused by her criminal act The Supreme Court of Minnesota holds that to deny her the inheritance would add an exception to a clear and un- ambiguous statute, and would estab- fish a rule of construction the lirni- tation of which no one can foresee. Further, that, since respondent was convicted of murder in the second de- gree. this excludes the idea of delib- eration or reconciliation, so that the motive for the crime could not have been the acquisition of her husbands the property to the wife was there fore affirmed
 Corrupt Politics.-A recent case en- titled Ford vs. Hopkins. 132 South western Reporter. 542, brings to light almost every imaginable device known to the corrupt politician to attain the desired election result. One ground for contest is that the Republican managers induced one Brown to run as a Democratic candidate, and to adopt as his emblem the usual em- blem of the Democratic party.a game cock; this being done to mislead illit- crate Democratic voters, who, being in the habit of voting under the em- blem of their party, would do so In this case when they saw the rooster, and. as . result, their votes would be diverted from the Fusion ticket, to the I1anlIeSI aufdnIdSe or the R6puDI1Can candidates Fraud and bribery rul- ed the day. and were as openly car ried on by all parties and with as lit- tie apparent desire for concealment as religious services are conducted in churches. One party was as guilty as the other, though the Republican party. which was victorious, had the largest corruption fund. The Ken lucky Court of Appeals says: There is no room in this case for the phil osophy of the political casuist, who
 having accepted money from both sides for his vote, justifies his finally voting for the one who paid the small Ter sum by saying that he desired to uphold the party which was least cor rupt. There is no more dangerous enemy to government by the people than the crime of bribery. The cor rupt use of money not only saps the moral integrity of the weak and va cillating, but 1t discourages the up- right and strong. A good citizen cannot we'll be blamed if he ceases to be interested in al election where his vote can count for nothing, or be offset by the vote of the purchased chattel of the political corruption 1st-" The judgment of the trial court setting aside the election as in valid was affirmed.
 Spearmint Gum.-We still have 1t with us-.Spearmint'' gum, A case entitled William Wrigley, Jr., vs. Grove C., 1s3 Federal Reporter. 39, decides that the word ssGpaarp,i