New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-29
ON TIE VERGE or BARRATRK
ALIFE DEVOTED TO LAWSUITS.
TIE VARYING FORTUNES OF A CONFIRMED Penn
sYLVANIA IIIIGANT

sYLvANIA IITIGANT.
HARRIsBURG, Penn, Oct. 2S.-Twenty-e eight
years ago Peter AL Quick Of shocapee Pike County this
State brought suit in the LuzeTne County courts 10
eject the wyoming Coal Company from valuable coal
property which he claimed under hereditary title. The
property had been purchased in 1882 by John b. Quick
the father of the plaintiff who subsequently transferred
the right 20 the coal that discovered ON 10 the wy
omlng Coal Company the consideration being royalty
on all coal mined. For the royalty was not
paid and Quick attempted for long time TO regain
possession of the land. His agents were finally elected
by force and house which he had erected on the prop
erty was burned down. He then gave up the struggle
and returned penness TO his farm in Pike County. lie
never ceased to that he the rShtfu owner OF
the property and after hs death his son Peter was the
only one of the large family left behind that shared his
fathers belief
Peter purchased the interests Of his brothers and SIS
ters in the property for nominal sum, and in 1897,
having accumulated $500 by the sale OF poles rail-
road ties and the product Of primitive bac&woods saw
MILL walked sixty miles through the woods to Scranton
and laid his case before prominent Luzerne County
lawyer The lawyer became Interested in the case, and
began proceedings against the company al once Qucks
inability 10 raise than few hundred dollars year
to prosecute his claim placed him at the mercy OF MS
lawyer and the company and during the years oi litigation
he maintained he four times sold out by his counsel
In 1867 TO the surprise OF his friends, who had little
a
his favor The company took the case TO the Supreme
Court nnd the decision reversed Quick claimed
that this resulted through the treachery O' bis lawyers
The reversal Of the result Of the ten years litigation did
not discourage him, however, and lie began the fight
anew The company offered him $4,000 in cash 10 COM
promise the suit He refused. He fought five years
longer and then being unable TO raise more funds he
was compelled 10 accept offer OF $4,000 made him to
settle He had no sooner received IN t o money tan d
by his lawyers fees and was placed under attach
ment by them. He succeeded hnhy IN bringing dnOut
COMPROMISE and he found himself ater thcsc years OF
litigation, I'm possession Of $4,000.
The settlement with the luzerne county lawyers was
brought about by the shTewdncss OF D. NJ Van Auken,
of Milford Pike County, lawyer whom Quick employed
for the purpose Van Aukcn bad been elected 10 Con
grcss In Sf and the expense OF his campaign had Grip
ped him financially In 1915, when Quick employed him.
his creditors were pushing him. Van Aukcn had fine
stable of Hambletonan borses, among them being
stallion which sired by old Iambctonlan himself
FTner udgcs OF horsccah placed the value OF this horse
at goo 900 Van Aukcn had refused two offers for him
One Of $4,000 in cash, and one Of twenty boodcd
brood mares and twenty bOOdcd ycarlng colts At the
was earning him $1,000 year IN central Ncw-lork'
After Quick recovered his money ne lent various Sums 10
Van Aukcn taking for security for one loan chaltc
mortgage the stallion. Another creditor OF van
Auken's had also chattc mortgage on tho horse In
1879 Van Aukcn CHANGED to learn that Quick had gone
10 NcW-NOTk state and advertised The morse Tor si'
under his mortgage; Van Aukcn ana ne holder oi me
other mortgage arrived the In time 10 stop the
proceedings. The three then signed an agreement that
the horse should not DE sold at any time without the con
Ouick returned quietly 10 NcwNOIk State and sold the
horse for 200. Van Aukcn brought suit against Quick
The case was carried 10 the Supreme Court, where
decision sustaining the verdict Of the lower court has just
been reached. go
Is laid that litigation has become second nature with
Oujck He insists that he better yerscd In the law
pike County since 1879 that has not had from one 10
fGnr Of his cases the calendar nearly every one Of
which has been decided against him. In this way he has
spent nearly all OF LIS fortune