Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-01-01
LEGAL PHANTOMS.
Many Statutes That Exist Only
In the Imagination.


and tells him that he is willing to pay
and then offers some trifiing sum on
account, say 81 or even less per week
or month, the creditor is obliged TO
take it, utterly regardless of the fact
that if creditors were obliged to re-
ceive payment in that way it would
put most of them out Of business in a
very short period.
There is no such law
In the minds of very many people.
especially in the country districts,
there is another firmly fixed idea that
if one person strikes another first the
person assaulted may then all but
pound the other to death.
There is no such law.
A person assaulted has the right to
defend himself, but he may not use
any more force than necessary to do
that. To use more than necessary
force completely turns the tables, and
the assaulted becomes the aggresSor
and liable for his excess of zeal in
damages commensurate with the dam
age done. A person has the right TO
order an undesirable person from his
premises and to use sufficient force to
eject him If he does not go when so
ordered, but he has no right to acceler
ate his movements with one or more
well placed kicks.
Many people who owe bills labor I'M
der a strong impression that it is the
duty of their creditors to come to them
for their money.
There is no such law.
There is n proverb which says. THE
borrower is servant to the lender"
The bank will not come to you If you
owe a note which it holds for collec-
ton. Out of courtesy it will send you
a notice that your note is due lit is not
compelled to do that), but you must
so to the bank to make payment.
In the country frequently and in
the city sometimes one is told that,
if a person dies leaving children and
grandchildren. the children of a de-
ceased child, the grandchildren. are not
entitled to the share of the estate
which their parent would have taken,
as the father or mother having died
there is no way whereby the inherit
ance can pass over from the deceased
to the grandchildren-in other words,
the line is broken.
There is no such law
The statutes expressly provide that
the children of deceased heirs take
the share that would have gone to
their parent,
a person owns fruit tree and its
branches overhang the land of bis
ne,ghbor. Many think because of that
the neighbor is entitled to the fruit
on the overhanging branches.
There is no Such law
If the tree sat upon the line be
tween the estates the neighbor would
be entitled to one-half of the fruit,
but being wholly on one side the owner
is entitled to all the fruit ard may go
upon his neighbor's land and gather it
without being guilty of trespass. If
the neighbor does not like this ar
rangement he may take his ak or saw
and cut the limbs off at the line be-
tween the estates, but he must throw
them on his neighbours land, as the
wood of the tree belongs to him. The
owner OF the tree may not like to have
his tree treated thus, but he cannot
help himself.
Two men own adjacent lots of land.
One wishes to have n fence between
them; the other does not M;ny people
think that one may build the fence and
compel the other to pay for half of it.
There is no such law.
In such n case one owner may call
in the fence viewers and have them
ascertain the line and designate which
part of the fence each shall build.
Neither party, however, can compel the
other to build any particular style of
fence The mover in the matter may
want fancy fence, but the other may
build his half of any material salts
factory to himself, and so long as it is
a legal fence he cannot be compelled
to build any other.
Many shopkeepers demand that find
ers of lost money or valuables in their
stores shall deliver them over TO them.
as they own the articles because they
were found on their premises.
There is no such law.
The finder of money or other valu-
abIes on the floor outside the counter
i'm store is the owner of the same
against the whole world except the
loser. but it has been held that III the
owner left the money or goods upon
the counter or on n table in the store
they were practically in the care OF
the skorckeeper and he had the RICH
10 their custody while lie could mo-
make guch u claim to goods whic
were found ON the floor Boston Giobe.N
Young, inespert Fish