Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-10-01

were regarded with Indifference by
every one who knew him. In the
fall of 1879 Wagner caused much
amusement by going before an OBJ
scure country magistrate and en-
tering several hundred suits for
damages against leading citizens,
chosen at random in all parts OF
the county, who had never seen
nor had any dealings with him.
The amount OF damages sued for
in each case was between 500 and
500, 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 coon forgotten, but
were several times recalled to
memory by notices of hundreds of
other suits being brought by Wag-
ner, who freq uently entered as
high as one hundred claims against
one person.
Early In 1880 Wagner disappear
ed from public notice, but in the
fall of that year the entire COM
munity was thrown into a Juror of
excitement when it was learned
that Wagner had commenced pro-
ceedipgs to enforce judgments in
1850 of the suits. Is was then
learned for the first time that the
persons sued, having failed to ap-
pear before the magistrate to an
swer, judgments had been entered
in each case for the amount named
in the complaint. Wagner made
no effort to collect the Judgments
until u year had expired, when by
law the power of appeal had Iapsed.
In November last, therefore, he
was possessed Of 1900 Judgments,
averaging SIS each, against about
300 county residents and corpora
tions. Each judgment was en-
dorsed, "By default" and mo ap.
peal taken,n and of course they
amounted TO lien on any proper
ty owned by the defendants.
During Wagner's absence sever
al persons against whom he had
obtained judgments died, aud his
first move was to file the judgments
in the Orphans Court as claims
against the estates. Martin Shank,
one of his victims, had died and
left an estate valued at $500 to his
wife and three small children.
Wagner filed judgments against
the estate amounting to So 200 and
the Orphans Court was compelled
to postpone the hearing OF the
claims several times in order to
avoid the necessity of admitting
their validity. AT length several
citizens employed counsel for Mrs
Shank, who filed an application
for an arrest of judgment on the
ground of fraud. nhe same policy
was pursued by all the other VIC
Tins, and since that time the cases
have been dragging along in the
courts, the indications pointing to
Wagner being eventually success.
full in enforcing all of them. The
courts ruled that the failure of the
victims to contest the suits was in
law virtua! ackno wledgment of
the justice of the claims, while the
further failure to take an appeal
from the MAGISTRATE within the
time prescribed by law placed them
beyond remedy.
After he had begun To enforce
the judgments Wagner found the
country too hot to hold him and
went to New York city, where he
now is. The proceedings against
his victims have been carried on
by counsel here, aud the settle.
ment made in nearly all the cases
yesterday, it is thought, will net
him nearly $4,000. He does not
pretend that he ever had any legal
claim for damages in any Of the
cases, yet he has succeeded in OBJ
tanning considerable portions of
the estates of several deceased res.
idents of the county, besides
nulcting hundreds of farmers of
hsrd-earned money.