USA > New York > Wyoming County > Gazetteer and business directory of Wyoming County, N.Y., for 1870-71 > Part 7
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permanent home, he can establish his claim and pay for the same at any time before the date of the public sale of lands within the range in which his settlement may fall.
6. All unoffered surveyed lands not ac- quired under pre-emption, homestead, o! otherwise, under express legal sanction. must be offered at public sale under che President's Proclamation, and struck off to the highest bidder, as required by act of April 24, 1820.
J. M. EDMUNDS. Commissioner Geucral Land Ofice.
LAW MAXIMS.
1. A promise of a debtor to give "satis- factory security" for the payment of a por- tion of his debt, is a sufficient considera. tion for a release of the residue by his creditor.
2. Administrators are liable to account for interest on fords in their hands, al- though no profit shall have been made upon them, unless the exiceucies of the estate rendered it prudent that they should hold the funds thus uninvested.
3. Any person who voluntarily becomes an agent for another. and in that capacity obtains information to which as a stranger he could have had no access, is bound in nhsequent dealing with his principal, as purchaser of the property that formed the subject of his agency, to communicate such information.
1. When a house is rendered untenanta- ble in consequence of improvements made on the adjoining lot, the owner of such cannot recover damages. because it is pre- samed that he had knowledge of the ap- proaching danger in time to protect him- self from it.
5. When a merchant ship is abandoned by order of the master. for the purpose of saving life, and a part of the crew ember- quently meet the vessel so abandoned and bring her safe into port, they will be euti- tled to salvage.
6. A person who has been led to sell goods by means of false pretenses, cannot recover them from one who has purchased them in good faith from the fraudulent vendor.
7. An agreement by the holder of a note to give the principal debtor time for pay- ment, without depriving himself of the right to sue, does not discharge the surety.
S. A seller of goods who accepts, at the time of sale, the note of a third party, not endorsed by the buyer, in payment. cau- not in case the note is not paid, hold the buyer responsible for the value of the goods.
9. A. day-book copied from a "blotter" in which charges are first made, will not be received in evidence as a book of origi- nal entries.
10. Common carriers are not liable for extraordinary results of negligence that could not have been foreseen by ordinary skill and foresight.
11. A bidder at a Sheriff's sale may re- tract his bid at any time before the prop- erty is knocked down to him, whatever may be the conditions of the sale.
12. Acknowledgment of debt to a stran- ger does not preclude the operation of the statute.
13. The fruits and grass on the farm or garden of an intestate descend to the heir.
14. Agente are solely lialde to their prin- cipals.
15. A deposit of money in bank by a his- band, in the name of his wife, survives to Ler.
LAW MAXIMS.
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16. Money paid on Sunday contracts may ; be recovered.
17. A debtor may give preference to one creditor over another. unless fraud or special Krislation can be proved.
13. A court cannot give judgment for a larger sum than that specified in the ver- diet.
19. Imbecility on the part of either hisband or wife, invalidates the mar-
90. An action for malicious prosecution will lie. though nothing further was alone than suing out warrants.
21. An agreement not to continue the practice of a profession or business in any .prcibed town, if the party so agreeing bas received a consideration for the same, is valid.
22. When A consigns goods to B to sell on commission, and B delivers them to C. in payment of his own antecedent debts, A can recover their valic.
23. A finder of property is compelled to make diligent inquiry for the owner there- of, and to restore the same. If, on finding such property, he attempts to conceal such fact, he may be prosecuted for Inrceny.
24. A private person may obtain an in- jnuction to prevent a public mischief by which he is affected in common with others.
25. Any person interested may obtain an injunction to restrain the State or a munici- pal corporation from maintaining a nuisance on its lands.
90. A discharge under the insolvent laws of one State will not discharge the insol- vent from a contract made with a citizen of another State.
27. To prosecute a party with any other motive than to bring him to justice, is malicious prosecution, and actionable as such.
98. Ministers of the gospel, residing in any incorporated town, are not exempt from jury, military, or fire service ..
29. When a person contracts to build a Louse, and is prevented by sickness from finishing it, he can recover for the part per- formed. if such part is beneficial to the other party.
30. In a suit for enticing away a man's wife, actual proof of the marriage is not ne- cessary. Cohabitation, reputation, and the admission of marriage by the parties, are suficient.
31. Permanent erections and fixtures. made by a mortgagor after the execution of the mortgage upon land conveyed by it, be- come a part of the mortgaged premises.
52. When a marriage is denied, and plain- tiff' has given sufficient evidence to estab- lish it, the defendant cannot examine the wit. to disprove the marriage.
$3. The amount of an express debt can- not be enlarged by application.
34. Contracts for advertisements in Sun- day newspapers cannot be enforced.
35. A seller of goods. chattels, or other property, commits no fraud, in law, when he neglects to tell the purchaser of any daws, defects, or unsoundness in the same.
36. The opinions of witnesses, as to the value of a dog that has been killed, are not admissible in evidence. The value of the animal is to be decided by the jury.
37. If any person pats a fence on or plows the land of another, he is liable for trespass whether the owner has sustained injury or not.
33. If a person, who is unable from ill- ners to sign his will, has his hand guided in making his mark, the signature is valid.
29. When land trespassed upon is occu- pied by a tenant, he alone can bring the action.
40. To say of a person, " If he does not come and make tering with me, I will make a bankrupt of him and ruin him," or any such threatening language. is actionable, without proof of special damage.
41. In an action for slander, the party making the complaint must prove the words alleged : other words of like meaning will Dot suffice.
42. In a suit of damages for seduction, proof of pregnancy, and the birth of a child. is Lot essential. It is sufficient if the ill- ness of the girl, whereby she was unable to labor, was produced by shame for the seduc- tion; and this is such a loss of service as will sustain the action.
43. Addressing to a wife a letter contain- ing matter defamatory to the character of her husband is a publication, and renders the writer amenable to damages.
41. A parent cannot sustain an action for any wrong done to a child. unless he has in- curred some direct pecuniary injury there- from in consequence of come loss of ser- vice or expenses necessarily consequent thereupon.
45. A master is responsible for an injury resulting from the negligence of his ser- vant, whilst driving his cart or carriage. provided the servant is at the time engaged in his master's business, even though the accident happens in a place to which his master's business does not call him ; but if the journey of a servant be solely for a pur- post of his own. and undertaken without the knowledge and content of his master, the latter is not responsible.
46. An emigrant depot is not a nuisance in law.
47. A railroad track through the streets is not a nuisance in law.
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LAW MAXIMS.
IS. Ir an agreement upon which a party relies be oral only, it must be proved by evidence. But if the contract be reduced to writing, it proves itself; and now no evidence whatever is receivable for the purpose of varying the contract or affecting its obligations. Tho reasons are obvious. The law prefers written to oral evidence. from its greater precision and certainty. and because it is less open to fraud. And wbere parties have closed a negotiation and reduced the result to writing, it is pre- sumed that they have written all they in- tended to agree to, and therefore, that what is omitted was finally rejected by them .- [PARSONS.
49. Delivery of a husband's goods by a wife to her adulterer, he having knowledge that she has taken them without her mits- band's authority. is sufficient to sustain an indictment for larceny against the adul- terer.
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50. The fact that the insurer was not in- formed of the existence of impending liti- gation, affecting the premises insured. at the time the insurance way effected, does pot vitiate the policy.
51. The liability of an innkeeper is not confined to personal baggage, but extends to all the property of the guest that he con- sents to receive.
52. When a minor eveentes a contract. and pays money, or delivers property on the same. he cannot afterwards di-affirm such contract and recover the money, or prop- erty. unless be re-tores to the other party the consideration received from him for such money or property.
53. When a person bas, by legal inquisi- tion been found an habitual diunkard, he cannot. even in his sober intervals, make contracts to bind himself or his property, until the inquisition is removed.
54. Any person dealing with the repre- sentative of a deceased person. is presumed. in law, to be fully apprized of the extent of sach representative's anthority to act in behalf of such e-tate.
35. In an action against a raftroad com- pany, by a passenger, to recover damages for injuries , astained ou the road, it is not compulsory upon the plaintiff to prove ac- that negligence in the defendants; but it is obligatory on the part of the latter to prove that the injury was not owing to any fault or negligence of theirs.
36. A guest is a competent witness, in an action between himself and an inn-keeper, to prove the character and value of lost personal baggage, Money in a trunk. not exceeding the amount reasonably required by the travelor to defray the expenses of the journey which he. bors uudertien. iso part of his manage ; and in case of its low. while at any ino, the pladerif may prove its amount by his own to-timony.
57. The deed of a minor is not absolutely void. The court is authorized to judge. from the instrument, whether it is void or not, according to its termis being favorable or unfavorable to the interests of the minor.
58. A married woman can neither sue nor be sued on any contract made by her dur- ing her marriage, except in an action rela :- ing to her individual property. The action must be commenced either by or arsiu-t her husband. It is only when an action is brought on a contract made by her be- fore her marriage. that she is to be joined as a co-plaintiff, or defendant, with her hus- band.
59. Any contract made with a person ju- dicially declared a lunatic is void.
60. Money paid voluntarily in any trans- action. with & knowledge of the facts. can- not be recovered.
61. In all cases of special contract for For- rices, except in the case of a minor. the plaintiff can recover only the amount stip- ulated in the contract.
(P. A wife is a competent witness with her husband, to prove the contents of a lost truuk, or when a party.
63. A wife cannot be convicted of receiv- ing stolen goods when she received thom of her husband.
64. Tu-urance against fre. by lightning or otherwise. does not cover loss by lightning when there is no combustion.
65. Failure to prove plea of justification, in a case of slander, aggravates the offence.
66. It is the agreement of the parties to seli by simple that constitutes a sale by sample, nor the mero exhibition of a speci- men of the goods.
67. An agent is liable to his principals for loss caused by his misstatements, tho' unintentional.
OS. Makers of promissory notes given in' advance for premiums on policies of insur- ance, thereafter to be taken, are liable there- on.
63. An agreement to pay for procuring an appointment to office is void.
70. An attorney may plead the statute of limitations, when sued by a client for mou- es which he has collected and failed to pay over.
71. Testimony given by a deceased wit- ness on first trial. is not required to be re- peated verbatim on the second.
72. A person entitling himself to a reward offered for lost property, has a lien upon the property for the reward : but only when a definite reward is offered.
73. Confession by a prisoner must be vol- untarily made.to constitute evidence against him.
71. The defendant in a enit must be serv- ed with proce-"; but service of such pro- cess upon his wife, even in his absence from the State, is not. hsthe absence of statuto- ry provisions, sufficient.
51
LAW MAXIMS.
". "The measure of damages in trespass " mattias timber, is its value as & chattel : this land where it was fell d. and not the inarhet price of the lumber manufactured.
A To support an indictment for mali- Hvis mischief in killing an animal, mal- jor towards its owner must be shown. not nuly passion excited against the animal
17. No action can be maintained against ! Neeiff for omitting to account for money whileed upon an execution within a reas- suite time. He has till the return day to render such account.
:. At interest in the profits of an enter- " :- 0. 33 profits, renders the party holdt- t !!! it & partner in the enterprise, end kes him presumptively liable to share any loss ..
ta. Males can marry at fourteen, and fe- Miales at twelve years of age.
Si. All cattle found at large upon any pub- He road, can be driven by any person to the pyblic pound.
AL. Any dog chasing, barking, or other- wi- threatening a passer-by in any street. i.e. roud. or other public thoroughfare, May be lawfully killed for the same.
82. A written promise for the payment of snel amount as may come into the hands of the promisor, is hold to be an instru- meer in writing for the payment of money.
43. The declaration of an agent is not ad- missible to establish the fact of agency .-... He when other proper evidence is given. irMing to establish the fact of agency. it is Lot error to admit the declarations of the Gent, accompanying acts, though tend- ing to show the capacity in which he act- ed. When evidence is competent.in one tespest and incompetent in another, it is the duty of the court to admit it. and con- trof its effects by suitable instructions to the jury.
$4. The court has a general power to re- move or suspend an attorney for such im- naturel conduct as rendered him unworthy of confidence in his oficial capacity.
S. Bankruptcy is pleadable in bar to all a rous aud in all courts, and this bar my h. avoided whenever it is interposed. by showing fraud in the procurement of the di-cuarge, of a violation of any of the pro- visions of the bankrupt act.
16. An instrument in the form of a dead. bont limited to take effect at the termination of the prantor's natural life, is held to be a deal. not a will.
47. A sale will not be set aside as frand- Wrist. simply because the buyer was at the und mankie to muthe the payment agreed ! de. and knew his inability, and did not intend to pay.
>5. No man is undor an obligation to muse known his circumstances when he is buying goods.
89. Contracting parties are bound to dis- close material mots known. to each, but of which either supposes the other to be igno- rant, only when they stand in some special relation of trust and comidence in relation to the subject matter of the contract. But neither will be protected if he does any- thing, however slight, to mislead or deceive the other.
00. A contract negotiated by mail is formed when notice of acceptance of the of- fer is duly deposited in the post-office, pro- perly addressed. This rule applies, although the party making the offer expressly re- quires that if it is accepted, speedy notice of acceptance shall be given him.
91. The date of an instrument is so far a material part of it, that an alteration of the date by the holder after execution, makes the instrument void.
92. A corporation may maintain an action for libel, for words published of them and relating to its trade or business, by which it has incurred special damages.
93. It is unprofessional for a lawyer who has abandoned his case without trying ir, la torin or two before trial, to claim a fee ; conditional upon the success of his client, although his client was successful.
94. Although a party obtaining damages for injuries received through the default of another, was himself guilty of negligence, vet that will not defeat his recovery, unless his negligence contributed to cause the in- jury.
95. A person may contract to labor for an- other during life. in consideration of receiv- ing his support : but his creditors have the right to inquire into the intention with which such arrangement is made, and it will be set aside if entered into to deprive them of his fature earnings.
96. A grantor may by express terins ex- clude the bed of a river, or a highway, mentioned as boundary; but if without inaguage of exclusion & line is described us .alone. or . upon.' or as ' running to the Highway or river, or as ' by,' or ' running to the bank of' the river : these expressions carry the grantee to the center of the high- way or river.
07. The court will take pains to construe the word- ased in a deed in such a way as to effect the intention of the parties, hon- ever unskillfully the instrument may be drawn. But a court of law cannot exchange en intelligible word plainly employed in a deed for another, however evident it may he that the word used was used by mi-the for another.
98. One who has lost his memory and understanding is entitled to legal proceed tion, whether such loss is occasjouet by hi- own misconduct or by an act of Provi- dence.
52
LAW MAXDIS.
99. When a wife leaves her husband vol- 1 111. A man charged with crime before a his own recognizance, is not privileged from arrest on civil process while returning from the magistrate's office. untarily, it must be shown, in order to ; committing magistrate, but discharged on make him liable for necessaries furnished to her, that she could not stay with safety. Personal violence, either threatened or in- nicted, will be sufficient cause for such sep- aration.
100. Necessaries of dress furnished to a discarded wife inust correspond with the pecuniary circumstances of the husband. and be such articles as the wife, if prodent. would expect, and the husband should furnish, if the parties lived harmoniously together.
101. A fugitive from justice from one of the United States to another, may be arrested and detained in order to bis surrender by authority of the latter. without a previous demand for his surrender by the executive of the State whence be fed.
102. A watch will not pass under a be- canst of "wearing apparel" nor of · household furniture and articles for fami- ly use."
103. Money paid for the purpose of set- tling or compounding a prosecution for a supposed felony. cannot be recovered back by a party paying it.
104. An innkeeper is liable for the death of an animal in its possession, but may free himself from Hability by showing that the death was not occasioned by negligence on bis part.
105. Notice to the agent of a company is notice to the company.
106. An employer is not liable to one of his employees for an injury sustained by the latter in consequence of the neglect of oth- ers of his employees engaged in the same general business.
107. Where a purchaser at a Sheriff's sale has bid the full price of property under the erroneous belief that the sale would di- Vest the property of all liens, it is the duty of the court to give relief by setting aside the sale,
108. When notice of protest is properly sent by mail, it may be sent by the mail of the day of the dishonor: if not, it must be mailed for the mail of the next day ; ex .- cept that if there is none, or it closes at an unseasonably early hour, then notice must be mailed in season for the next possible mail.
109. A powder-house located in a populous part of a city, and containing lirge quanti- ties of gunpowder, i- a nuisance.
110. When the seller of goods accepts at the time of the sale, the note of a third per- son, unindorsed by the purchaser. in pay- ment, the presumption is that the pay- ment was intended to be absolute ; and though the note should be dishonored, the purchaser will not be liable for the value of the goods.
112. When one has been induced to sell goode by means of false pretences, he can- pot recover them from one who has bona fide purchased and obtained possession of them from the fraudulent vendor.
113. If the circumstances attendant upon a sale and delivery of personal property are such as usually and naturally accompany such a transaction. it cannot be declared a legal fraud upon creditor ..
114. A stamp impressed upon an instru- mont by way of seal, is good as a seal. if it creates a durable impression in the texture of the paper.
115. If a party bound to make a payment nse due diligence to make a tender, but through the payee's absence from home is mhiable to find him or any agent authorized to take payment for him, no forfeitnre will be incurred through his failure to make a tender.
Government Land Measure.
A township, 36 sections, each a mile square.
A section, 610 acres.
A quarter section, half a mile square, 160 acres.
An eighth section, half a mile long. north and south, and a quarter of a mile wide, 80 acres.
A sixteenth section, a quarter of a mile sonare. 40 acres.
The sections are numbered from one to thirty-six, commencing at the northeast corner, thus:
n win e
6
5
4
3
Bw's e
S
9
10
11
18
17
16
15
14
13
19
20
21
23
21
30
29
28
5
26
25
31
32
33
31
35
36
The sections are all divided in quarters. which are named by the cardinal points. as in section one. The quarters are divi- ded in the same way. The description of 3 40 acre lot would read: The south baif of the west half of the southwest quarter Lof section 1 in township 24, north of range 7 west, or as the case might be ; and some- times will fall short, and sometimes overrun the number of acre@ it is supposed to con- tein
DECIMAL SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
53
1
THE DECIMAL SYSTEM
OF
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
As Authorized by Act of Congress -- Approved July 28, 1866.
STANDARDS.
In every system of Weights and Measures It is necessary to have what are called " Standard" as the pound, yard, gallon, &c., to be divided and multiplied into »maller and larger parte and denominations. The definition and construction of these Standards involve philosophical and scien- tifc principles of a somewhat abstruse character, and are made and procured by the legislative department of the goveru- ment. The nominal Standards in the new system are the METER. the Ane, the LITER. sod the GRAM. The only real Standard, the Que by which all the other standards are measured, and from which the system de- rives ita name of " Metric," is the METER.
THE METER
Is used for all measures of length, distance, breadth, depth, heighth. &c., and was in- tended to be, and is very nearly, one ten- millionth of the distance on the earth's surface irom the equator to the pole. It is abont 30;2 inches, or $ feet, 3 inches and 3 eighths, and is to be substituted for the yard.
THE ARE
Ie a surface whose side is ten Moters, end is equal to 100 square Meters or about 4 square rods.
THE LITER
Is the unit for measuring solids and capa- ity, and is equal to the contents of & cube whose edge is one-tenth of & meter. Itis ; about equal to 1 quart, and is a standard in cubic. dry and liquid measures.
: [37" A cubic Meter (or Kiloliter) is called a stere, and is also used as a standard in cer- tain cubic measures.
THE GRAM
Is the Unit of weight, and is the weight of a cube of pure water, erch edge of the cube being one one-hundredth of a Meter. It is about equal to 15% grains. It is intended as the Standard in all weights, and with it3 divisions and multiples, to supersede the use of what are now called Avoirdupois, Apothecaries and Troy Weights.
Each of the foregoing Standards is divi- ded decimally, and larger units are also formed by multiples of 10, 100, &c. The successive subordinate parts are designa- ted by the prefixes Deci, Centi and Milli; the successive multiples by Deka, Hecto, Kilo aud Myria; each having its own nu- merical signification, as will be more clear- ly reen in the tables hereinafter given.
The terins used may, at first sight, have a formidable appearance, seem difficult to propalice, and to retain in memory, and to be, therefore, objectionable ; but with s lit- tle attention and use, the apprehended dif- fleulty will be found more apparent than real, as has been abundantly proved by ex- perience, The importance, also, of con- formulty in the use of commercial terms, on the part of the United States, with the practice of the many nations in which the system, with ita present nomenclature, has | already been adopted, must greatly over- balance the comparatively slight objection alluded to.
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