A copy of District Judge Crease's Instructions to the Jury in the case of Fickert v. Ude arrives in the mail. Jurors are told their duty to sift through evidence and conflicting testimony for facts, unclouded by prejudice or sentiment. It is a civil suit, involving only monetary damages. No one challenges the minor child Wayne Fickert has been swept away by the Pee Dee River during the service of baptism performed by Rev. Elton Ude. The jurors are to disregard all emotional outbursts by spectators, particularly that of the defendant's son. The medical reports verify drowning as the proximate cause of death; the jurors must decide if there are any intervening causes within the defendant's control, which would make him liable for the death. Negligence means risk to others.....
