GLIMPSES AT THE LAW

Some laws didn’t make any sense back in the day either.
If a husband and wife jointly perpetrate a theft, or a burglary, or forgery, or arson, the wife cannot be indicted or punished.

If A. shoots at a flock of wild geese and takes them, and in doing it accidentally kills B, the murder is excusable, and he is not liable to punishment.  But if he shoot a flock of tame geese, the property of another, take them, and accidentally kill B, he is then guilty of murder or manslaughter,

If A shoots B, and B dies within a year and a day, it is murder, but if B dies not until a year and two days, it is only an assault and battery.

If I hire a pair of horses at a stable and the stable furnishes a driver, I am not answerable for the driver’s running down another coach, but the owner of the stable is. If the driver runs into the coach maliciously, he alone is liable.

August 3, 1875: Dr. Hiram Leake of Holliston heard of his horses outside the stable on Friday night, and found that some thief had broken into the barn with the intention of taking away the horse, but the animal refused to go.

March 10, 1876: Thursday afternoon “Fatty” Taft hired a team at J. D. Shippee’s stable, which was not agreeable to the proprietors, and before “Fatty” had been long away with it they went in pursuit and forced him to return with the team.

July 14, 1876 – Henry Hatch was, on Wednesday, sentenced to forty days’ imprisonment for his share of the fun in tipping over Whiting’s chimney recently.

October 12, 1877 – Monday night, Billy Ward stepped out with a new suit of clothes that he had borrowed of Charles Groomes, to go to a dance with, but all the dance there was, he danced out of town and had not been seen.  Besides this, he got two or three days board out of his friend.

Ye constable hath those poll-tax bills; but what’s the use of cursing him for what you alone are to blame.

The Holliston Transcript, August 25, 1876