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Show . THE READER'S COURTROOM , Mean Dog Cows Timid Coed By Will Bernard, LLB 1 May You Collect Damages If a Dog Scares You But Doesn't Bite You? A coed lived next door to a man who owned a vicious dog. Several times the dog attacked people in the neighborhood but the man refused re-fused to get rid of the animal. One day, while the girl was passing the neighbor's house, the dog rushed toward her. His teeth were bared and he was growling ominously. Does the Law Say: "Once a Drunkard, Always a Drunkard?" A bookkeeper got into the habit of taking a few drinks every night before dinner. Gradually the habit became worse and worse, until his wife found it difficult to live with him. One day, after a particularly bad binge, the man solemnly vowed "never to take another drink." For six long months he kept his oath to the letter. But his wife lived in constant fear that he would backslide. back-slide. Finally she filed suit for divorce di-vorce charging her husband with "habitual intoxication." She said: "Once a drunkard, always a drunkard!" drunk-ard!" However, the court disagreed with this theory and refused to grant a divorce decree. The judge said that, since the man was making mak-ing a sincere effort to overcome his weakness, his wife should stay and help him in his struggle. Does Whiskey Tend To Make a Man a Liar? A man was arrested on a charge of murdering his landlord, and readily confessed to the crime. However, at the trial he repudiated this confession. He explained that he had made the statement after having had a few drinks and was therefore "inclined to exaggerate." The girl took one look, and promptly prompt-ly swooned! Luckily the dog didn't touch her but she was so unnerved by the incident that she sued the neighbor for damages. He protested that the dog "didn't even lay a paw on her" and blamed the girl for being so timid. But the judge said that, considering the dog's reputation reputa-tion and approach, the girl's reaction re-action was only natural and so he granted her claim. An eccentric bachelor kept a monkey in a large cage in his backyard. One morning, the monkey monk-ey squirmed out of the cage and scampered across the street. There the animal leaped upon a pedestrian pedes-trian and gave him a nasty mauling. maul-ing. Later the victim sued for damages. dam-ages. The owner protested that he "didn't think the monkey would hurt anybody," but the court held him liable anyhow. The judge said that, when a person keeps a wild beast on his premises he must take extr precautions- But the court disagreed and ruled that the confession was perfectly all right. The judge figured that a little whiskey, far from making a man a liar, often helps to bring out the truth! He quoted the Latin proverb: "In vino Veritas" which means: "In drink there it truth." |