Sixty-Nine Years Ago.

A season ticket-holder on the Great Eastern Railway, finding his train not ready in consequence of the fireman not keeping up steam, ordered a special, for which he was charged £39/14/-, which he paid, and then brought an action to recover together with £10 for loss of time. The case was tried in the Court of Exchequer, and Mr. Baron Martin said it was nonsense for people when guilty of negligence to say, “Mind, I won't be responsible for it.” He was astonished that the company had not returned the money charged for the special train. The jury gave a verdict for the plaintiff for the amount claimed.–(From “The Graphic” of November 19, 1870, reprinted in “The Railway Gazette,” May 19, 1939).