Imperial Valley press., 1913-10-20
Supreme Court
Has Queer Cases
CBy United Press Association


Washington, Oct 20.-Some of the
most extraordinarily unique cases in
history today are awaiting decision
of the supreme court Of the United
States. Approximately 700 mooted
questions are before the highest iu-
dicial body on the eve Of it's October
term.
Whether negroes may call upon
their constitutional prerogatives to
force the right to bury members Of
their race in cemeteries reserved for
whites; whether the U. S. army must
pay for business damage through fear
of shrieking shells from its big guns
determining the rightful mother of
an incubator baby; and to determine
the constitutionality Of the grand
father clauses" of Oklahoma and
Maryland, designed against voting
privileges of negroes whose grand
fathers were not voters are but few
of the singular questions the court IS
called to pass upon.
Though decided against the plain
tiff in the Illinois supreme court and
a lower court, the supreme court must
decide whether the Forest Home Gem
etery company of Chicago shall be
required to sell burial lot to John
B. Gaskill, a negro. The body Of
Gaskills wife, who died in March,
1912, still reposes in temporary re-
ceiving vault. The place of perma-
nent burial depends upon the courts
decision. -Four deceased children 3f
the negro are buried in the Forest
Home cemetery. Before his wife
died, however, ruling against ne
groes was made by the management
on the basis of business reasons.
A deserted summer resort near
United States fort in the vicinity of
Portsmouth, Maine, spells difficult
question for the court. Before the
fort was established summer hotels
flourished. Later the big guns Of
Uncle Sans coast defense sent a.
inch shells shrieking over the sum-
mer hotels which happened to be di-
rectly on the line of target practice
fire. Rather than sacrifice safety 10
summer resorting on that particular
section of the Maine coast, the sum-
mer boarders went elsewhere. Wheth-
er the hotel owners can recover dam
ages for their defunct business is the
question involved and the court must
decide.
A wee two-pound bit of humanity
during the Louisiana Purchase EA-
position at st. Louis in "baby incu-
bator" but who now is a robust child
of nine years is involved in another
question before the court. Mrs. Lot
tie Bleakey of Topeka, Kansas, claims
to be the mother. Mr. and Mrs. Bar
clay of Douglas county, ILL.,, claim the
child as an adopted daughter. Bar
clay was guard at the world fair.
He watched the baby grow in it's lit
tie glass cage and later took it home.
Mrs. Bleakley has fought the claim
that her own baby died a few days
after it was born through Illinois and
Kansas courts. The foster parents
declare that she is mistaken.
Enfranchisement of the negro in
Oklahoma and Maryland depends up-
on the courts ruling regarding the
validity of the famous grandfather
clause" This clause, which is effect
i've in other southern states, bars the
negro from the voting booths because
his grandfather was not a voter
WHeChef tne court Will take INTO con-
sideration that most negroes grand
fathers were slaves is a question.
Singular also is the existence of
many cases before the highest Judi
cial body involving claims for dam
ages in amounts of $1,000 and less.
The cost of carrying case to the
supreme court of the United States
rarely figures under several thousand
dollars.