Dripread - Book

stolen
property,

The exemption of females from arrest applies only in civil, not in
criminal matters.

Every man is bound to obey the call of a sheriff for assistance in
making an arrest.

The rule "Every man's house is his castle" does not hold good when a man
is accused of crime.

Embezzlement can be charged only against a clerk or servant, or the
officer or agent of a corporation.

Bigamy cannot be proven in law if one party to a marriage has been
absent and not heard from for five years.

Grand larceny is when the value of property stolen exceeds $25.00--When
less than that, the offence is petit larceny.

Arson to be in the first degree must have been committed at night and
the buildings fired must have been inhabited.

Drunkenness is not a legal excuse for crime, but delirium tremens is
considered by the law as a species of insanity.

In a case of assault it is only necessary to prove an "offer or attempt
at assault."

Battery presumes physical violence.

Mayhem, although popularly supposed to refer to injury to the face, lip,
tongue, eye, or ear, applies to any injury done a limb.

A felony is a crime punishable by imprisonment in a State prison; an
"infamous" crime is one punishable with death or State prison.

A police officer is not authorized to make an arrest without a warrant
unless he has personal knowledge of the offense for which the arrest is
made.

An accident is not a crime, unless criminal carelessness can be proven.
A man shooting at a burglar and killing a member of his family is not a
murderer.

Burglary in the first degree can be committed only in the night time.
Twilight, if dark enough to prevent distinguishing a man's face, is the
same as "night" in law.

Murder to be in the first degree must be willful, premeditated and
malicious, or committed while the murderer is engaged in a felonious
act. The killing of a man in a duel is murder, and it is a misdemeanor
to accept or give a challenge.

False swearing is perjury in law only when willfully done, and when the
oath has been legally administered. Such qualifying expressions as "to
the best of my belief," "as I am informed," may save an averment from
being perjured. The law is that the false statement sworn to must be
absolute. Subornation of perjury is a felony.

TO TELL PURE WATER.

The color, odor, taste and purity of water can be ascertained as
follows: Fill a large bottle made of colorless glass with water; look
through the water at some black object. Pour out some of the water and
leave the bottle half full; cork the bottle and place it for a few hours
in a warm place; shake up the water, remove the cork, and critically
smell the air contained in the bottle. If it has any smell, particularly
if the odor is repulsive, the water should not be used for domestic
purposes. By heating the water an odor is evolved that would not
otherwise appear. Water fresh from the well is usually tasteless, even
if it contains a large amount of putrescible organic matter. All water
for domestic purposes should be perfectly tasteless, and remain so even
after it has been warmed, since warming often develops a taste in water
which is tasteless when cold.

HAND GRENADES.

Take chloride of calcium, crude, 20 parts; common salt, 5 parts; and
water, 75 parts. Mix and put in thin bottles. In case of fire, a bottle
so thrown that it will break in or very near the fire will put it out.
This mixture is better and cheaper than many of the high-priced
grenades sold for the purpose of fire protection.

HOW TO GET RID OF RATS.

Get a piece of lead pipe and use it as a funnel to introduce about 1-1/2
ounces of sulphite of potassium into any outside holes tenanted by rats.
Not to be used in dwellings. To get rid of mice use tartar emetic
mingled with any favorite food; they will eat, sicken and take their
leave.

FRIENDLY ADVICE ON MANY SUBJECTS.

Tomato in Bright's Disease.

When Thomas Jefferson brought the tomato from France to America,
thinking that if it could be induced to grow bountifully it might make
good feed for hogs, he little dreamed of the benefit he was conferring
upon posterity. A constant diet of raw tomatoes and skim-milk is said to
be a certain cure for Bright's disease. Gen. Schenck, who, when Minister
to England, became a victim to that complaint, was restored to

The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing / A Manual of Ready Reference