Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-10-08
A Novel and Successful Legal Spccula-
ton,

A letter from Frederick, Md, TO the
New York san, says:
Yesterday about 1000 of the suits in
stituted by DR.. Harrison Wagner, the
professional litigant, against citizens OF
this county, were settled, the defendants
being compelled to pay various, sums
ranging from $50 to $50 in each case.
The operations of Wagner are without
pafanelin the United States. About
two years ago he was generally consid-
cred to be harmlessly insane. His ac-
tons 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 60
ing. before an obscure country magis'
trate, and entering several hundred suits
for damages against leading citizens,
chosen ut 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 be-
tween $40 and 500, the limit for which
suitscan be brought before magistrates
in this State. No attention was paid to
the supposed lunatic's suits, and the
cases were soon forgotten, but were sew
eral 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 Juror of excitement when it was
learned that Wagner. had commenced
proceedings to enforce judgments In
1900 of the suits. 1t was then learned
for the first time that the persons sued
having failed to appear before the mag
istrate to answer, judgments had beer
entered in each case for the amount
named in the complaint. Wagner made
no effortto collect the judgments unit
a. year had expired, when by law thu
power of appeal had lapsed. In No
vember last, therefore, he was possessed
of 1900 judgments, averaging SO each
against about 800 county residents ant
corporations. Each judgment was in
dorsed, "By default" and "No appea
taken, y and of course they amounted t
lien on any property owned by the dc
PENDANTS.
During Wagner's absence severa
persons against whom he had obSalne
judgments died, and his first move wa
to file the judgments in the Orphans
Court as claims against the estate
Martin Shank, one of his victims, ha
died and left an estate valued at $500
to his wife and three small children
Wagner filed judgments against tn
estate amounting to $4,000, ana I'll
Orphans Court was compelled to pos
pone the hearing of the claims sewers
times in order to avoid the necessity
admitting their validity. At lengl
several citizens employed counsel fl
Mrs. Shank, who filed an applicable
for arrest of judgment on the ground
fraud. The same policy was pursue
by all the other victims, and since tn
time the cases have been draggir
along in the courts, the indication
pointing to Wagner being eventual
successful in enforcing all of ther
NJ; co"rto ,nlnd that the failure of \ \
victims to contest the suits was IN law
virtual acknowledgment ol Ine JusIi
of the claims, while the further failu
to take an appeal from the magistra
within the period prescribed by Ii
placed them beyond remedy.
After he had begun to enforce t
judgments Wagner found the cour
too hot to hold him, and went to M
York City, where he now is. The pl
ceedings against his victims have be
carried on by counsel here, and
settlement made in nearly all the ca
yesterday, it is thought, will net h
nearly $4,000. He does not prete
that he ever had any legal claim
damages in any of the cases, yet he
succeeded in obtaining considera
portions of the estates Of seve
deceased residents of the comfy,
$dss mulcting hundreds of farmers
hard-earned money.