The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1881-10-27
DEIP SCHEME.
A Maryland Man Enriches III mself ut
the EXPENSE OF His NeiuhhorS

Yesterday about two thousand of the
suits instituted by Or. Harrison Wag.
ner, the professional litigant, against
citizens of Frederick county, Mary.
land, were settled, the defendants be.
ing compelled to pay various sums,
ranging from $50 to $75 in each case
The operations Of Wagner are without
a parallel in the United States. About
two years ago he was generally consid.
cred to be harmlessly insane. His
8" tions were calculated to confirm this
theory, and his eccentricities were re-
garded with Indifference by every one
who knew him. In the fall of 1879
Wagner caused much amusement by
going before an obscure country magis,
trate and entering several hundred suits
for damages against leading citizens
chosen at random in all parts of the
county, who had never seen or had
any dealings with him. The amount
of damages sued for in each case was
between 800 and 800, the limit for
which suits can be brought before
magistrates in this state. No attention
was paid to the supposed lunatic's
suits, and the cases were soon forgot
ton, but were several times recalled to
memory by notices of hundreds of
other suits being brought by Wagner,
who frequently entered as high as one
hundred claims against one person.
Early in 1880 Wagner disappeared
from public notice, but in the fall of
that year the entire community was
thrown into a furore of excitement
when it was learnd that Wagner had
commenced proceedings to enforce
Judgments infr1 $50 of the suits. It
was then learned for the first time that
the persons sued, having failed to ap-
pear before the magistrate to answer,
Judgments had been entered in each
case for the amount named in the COM
plant. Wagner made no effort to
collect the judgm ents until the year
had expired, when by law the power of
appeal had lapsed. In November last,
therefore,, he was possessed of l 800 judg,
ments, averaging $75 each, against
about 800 county residents and corpo-
rations. Each judgment was endorsed
by default" and 'No appeal taken,"
and of course they amounted to lien
on any property owned by the defend
ants.
During Wagner's absence several
persons against whom he had obtained
Judgment died, and his first move was
to file the judgments in the Orphans
court as claimed against the estate.
Martin Shank, one Of his victims, had
lied, and left an estate valued at 5000
% his wife and three little children.
Wagner filed judgment against the e.
ate amounting to sc, 200, and the Or
phan's court was compelled to post
oone the hearing of the claims several
lines in order to avoid the necessity of
their validity. At length
several citizen employed counsel for
Mrs. Shank, who filed all application
or an arrest ofjudgment on the ground
If fraud. The same policy was pur-
'ued by all the other victims, and since
hat time the cases have been dragging
'long in the courts, the indications
pointing to Wagner being eventually
'uccessful in enforcing all of them.
The courts ruled that the failure of the
'ictims to contest the suits was in law
virtual acknowledgment of the JUS
ice of the claims, while the further
allure to take an appeal from the
within the period prescribed
" law places them beyond remedy.
After he had begun to enforce the
judgments Wagner found the county
90 hot to hold him, and went to New
York city, where he now is. The pro-
'eedings against his victims have been
arried on by counsel here, and the
ettlement made in nearly all the cases
'esterday, it is thought, will net him
!early $4,000. He does not pretend
hat he ever had any legal claim for
amages in any of the cases, vet he
as succeeded in obtaining considera-
lie portions of the estates of several
eceased residents of the county, be-
ldes mulcting hundreds of farmers of
ard earned money.-Bahin,ore Neus.
Timothy X. Earle, prohibitory can
idate for lieutenant governor of Mas
achusetts, and with one exception the !