AN OCULIST'S TEST.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1564, 21 May 1887, Page 2

AN OCULIST'S TEST.

In a large factory m whloh were em ployed several hundred persons, one of the workmen, In wielding his hammer, carelessly allowed It to slip from his hand. It flew half way aoross the room, acd struck a fellow-workman m the left eye t The man averred that his' eye was blinded by the blow, although a careful examine* tion failed to reveal any Injury, there being not a soratoh visible. He bought a suit ln the courts for compensation for ' the loss of half of his eyesight, and refused all offers to compromise. Under the law the owner of the faotory was responsible for an Id jury resulting from an aosident of this kind, and although he belleyed that the map was shamming, and that the whole ease was an attetnpt at swindling, he had about made up hia mind that he would be compelled to pay the olatm. The day of trial arrived, ana m open oourt an eminent oculist retained by the defence examined the alleged Injured member, and gave it as his opinion that it was as good as the right eye. Upon the plaintiffs loud protest of hia inability to see with his left eye, the oculist proved him a perjurer, and satisfied the oourt and jury df the faljjlty of his claim. And how do yon suppose he did it? Why, simply by knowing that the oolours green and red combined made blaok. He prepared a blaok oard on whloh a few words were written with green ink. Then the plaintiff was ordered to pot on a pair of spectacles with two different glasses, the one for the right eye being red and the one for tha left eye constating of ordinary glut, Then tho oard was branded him and h,e was ordered to read the writing on It. This he did without hesitation, and the cheat was at onoe exposed. The sound right eye, fitted with tbe red glass, waa unable to distlnguls'a the green writing on the oard, while the left eye whloh he pretended was sightless was the one with whioh the reading had to be done,--* Pottery Qastetfa,