Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 August 1877 — Paying the Piper at Pittsburgh. [ARTICLE]

Paying the Piper at Pittsburgh.

Already the interesting question as to “whois to pay tho piper?” has been asked in a legal way. Yesterday Maj. A. M. Brown entered proceedings in behalf of Mr. Smith, pawnbroker, against the city for $6,000. Mr. Smith’s establishment was cleaned out by the rioters on Saturday evening, and he wants to bo paid for it. The law in such cases is thus explained by Maj. Brown: The county is liable for all damages resulting from acts of mob violence, and that for all claims for damages awarded by the courts it must come out of the county treasury. The railroad company is generally supposed to be liable for the loss sustained by shippers from the fact that being common carriers they are insurers; but it seems that a provision exists in tho law which says that ‘ ‘ acts of God and the enemies of the State make their liability as insurers void,” and the shippers can come on the county for every dollar’s worth of freight destroyed by the rioters. The railroad companies also can collect from the county every dollar of their loss if they are so disposed, but it remains a question whether they will resort to such measures, as it would in the end inevitably react against them. These damages will be collected just as all other debts against the county. A ninndamus will be issued by tho court on the County Treasurer, and if no funds arc available from which to pay the debt then the County Commissioners will be compelled to levy a special tax, just as was done some years ago in regard to the railroad indebtedness of the county. When the county comes to pay $lO,000,000, the pecuniary value of. a riot will be understood.— . Pittsburgh Commercial.