Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-10-26

that he thinks man is best off at his
own fireside, after all, on winter nights
and that Mrs. Pepperton finds is rath
er lonely when be is out
Nobody knows what brought him
into this becoming fortune of mind ex
cepting Timothy Lane and his friend
Barnaby.
They have kept their promise faith
fully, but when Timothy sees the white
COW, he gives Barnaby a sly poke in
the ribs, and saws:
The first Mrs. Pepperton, eh, Tom !?
And they have good laugh all to
themselves, as young men will.
An EXTRAORDINARY SWIM
DE-
A correspondent of the New York
Sun writing from Frederick, Maryland,
says: Yesterday about 1000 of the
suits instituted by DR.. Harrison Wag-
ner, the professional litigant, against
citizens of this county, were settled,
the defendants being compelled to pay
various sums ranging from fifty dol
lars to seventy-ffve dollars in each
case The operations of Wagner are
without parallel in the United States.
About two years ago he was oonsid-
cred to be harmlessly insane. His ac-
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 county magis-
trate and entering several hundred
suits for damages against leading citi-
gems 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 ninety and one hundred dol
lars, the limit for which suits can be
brought before magistrates in this
State No attention was paid to the
supposed Iunatic's suits, and the cases
were soon recalled to memory by no.
tices 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 learned that Wagner had
commenced proceedings to enforce
judgment in 1900 of the. suits. 1t
was then learned for the first time that
the persons sued, having failed to ap-
pear before the magistrate to answer,
judgement had been entered in each
case for the amount named in the CON-
plant. Wagner made no effort to col
lect the judgments until year had ex-
pired, when by law the power of ap-
peal had passed. In November last,
therefore, he was possessed of 1900
judgments, averaging $75 each, against
about 800 county residents and cor
porations Each judgment was en-
default and mo appeal
taken, and, of course, they amounted
to lien on any property owned by the
defendants.
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 claims against the estate.
Martin Shank, one of the victims, had
died and left an estate valued at $500
to his wife and three small children.
Wagner filed judgment against the es-
tate amounting to 5000, and the Or
phans' Court was compelled to post
pone 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. The same policy was pur-
sued by all other victims, and since
that time the cases have been dragged
along into the courts, the indications
pointing to Wagner being eventually
successful in enforcing all of them.
The courts ruled that the failure of the
victims to contest the suit was in law
virtual acknowledgment of the JUS
tice of the claims, while the further
failure to take an appeal from the mag
istrate within the period prescribed by
law placed them beyond remedy.
After be 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 pro-
ceediDgs against his victims have been
carried on by counsel here and his set
clement made in nearly all the cases a
few days ago, 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, but he has
succeeded in obtaining considerable por-
tions of the estates of several deceased
residents of the county, besides mulct-
ing hundreds of farmers of hard earned
money.
An Effective Sermon.
Last Saturday night some sinner
stole chickens from the coop of Rev.
Aminadab Bledso, of the Galveston
Blue light Tabernacle, and the next
day the Reverend gentleman preached
powerful sermon against the sin of
stealing chickens, and promised ever
lasting punishment to the man who
stole his two chickens.
Early Monday morning Jim Web
ster called at the parsons door with
scared face and some poultry. He
said:
'Parson Bledso, dat ar sermon most
scared me to death. / couldn't sleep
wink, so 1 fotched your chickens back.
Il don't keer for the fowls, Jeems,
but in pleases me nightly to know dat
| am an humble instrument in de hands
of de Almighty to bring sinners to re-
pentance and to cause dem to lead a
new life. But, look here Jeems, desc
chickens amt de same ones yer stole
from me-