Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 May 1880 — Corsets in Court. [ARTICLE]

Corsets in Court.

A correspondent of the Louisville Cour-ier-Journal tells a story of a case in regard to a patent on a corset, which recently came up in the United Btates Supreme Court. The judges of this august court are all very grave and dignified gentlemen, and the black silk gowns which they wear add to the solemnity of their bearing. The corset patent was a delicate subject to bring into this august court, but the contending parties had gone to law on the question ss to whether “coutil” was cut on the straight or bias and in regard to the whalebone casings. One patentee claimed that he had improved upon the original design; that the first patentee’s corsets placed whalebone inside the casing, and that it had to be fastened with a needle and thread; that his patent had the advantage of an invention which closed up the top and bottom ofthe opening. The lawyer who was arguing the case brought a lot of the corsets into court ana distributed them to each or the judges that they might examine the invention aa he explained it The novd spectacle was presented of each one of these gentlemen timidly scrutinizing the mysteries ofthe bias and straight and pushing whalebones in and nut of the essinga. The shrinking modesty of Judge Strong was evinced by the blush which ton. .. / :.y. 3452 ' fwt •4 •' •• i f-' d,i■ * ' » e £-■- r -- soldiers are pillaging in Ron