Show SLEEPING CAR LIABILITY Animportant decision has just been made in the Supreme Court of Massachusetts Massa-chusetts fixing the liability of sleeping car companies in the matte of protecting pro-tecting passengers from thieves William Wil-liam Lewis and W R Wing left Boston for San Francisco on October 20 1884 they had tickets entitling them to berths in a car of the New York Palace Car Company to Chicago During the night both were robbed of money and valuables which were stolen from their clothing while they were asleep They sued the company for the stolen money and the jury returned a verdict for the amount and costs The Palace Car Company appealed and it was argued that no guarantee was made of protection against loss or the ts when the ticRets were sold the defendant merely agrreing to let the the plaintiffs occupy I seats and beds iD the cars and enjoy the other convemonces provided for the guests of the rolling palaces The S1preme Court has just affirmed the judgment of the lower court Chic Justice Morton who wrote the opinion saying The liability must be ascertained br ap plying to the new condition of things the comprehensive and elastic principles of the common law When II person buys the rightotbeusof aberth In a sleeping car it is entirely clear that the ticket which he received is not intended to and does not express aU the terms of the contract into which he enters Such ticket like the or dinary railrosd tiqket is little more than a symbol lt A sleepin ear company holds it world rfggnrrhi self out to the as fornisbins safe and comfortable cars and when it sells a ticket it implicitl stiDull1Uo tn tin J > n rhn 1 0 raiscs the duty nth part of the car corn fet afford protection While it is not liable as a comnion carrier or as an inn holder et it 111 Us clutrth 11e reasonable means to guard the passenger from theft and if through waut of buh dire the per slmal effect of a passenger such as he might reasonably clsrrr with him fire stolen thc company is liable for It Such a role is r qufred by public policy and by the Inter pauy csts of bth the passenger and the com I |