Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-03-12
A VERDICT REACHED.
lnE LONG IssuKANuE UAsI ENpEp.
The jury Bring In q yerdiot on se,5I0p5
Tor the Ilaintins --tSnsod on tho
Award pf ,bo AdIusters.

The jury Bring In u yerdiot on sa,5I0p5
TOR the fia,nuns -Basca on tho
Award of tho AdJusters.
Tho celebrated suit of uottsohalk 81
Ledcrmau against the North British and
Mercantile Insurance company, that has
been on trial In the court of common pleas
since Feb. 90, camo to an end this morn
ing. When tho court bell rang Mt o q. m,
announcing that n verdict was At hand,
squads OF two aud three might have boeu
seen hurryiug to tho court house to hear
the result. The court room was crowded
with curious throng, drawn thither by
the general interest that has been felt
since tho start in the outcome Of this now
famous case.
A hush of silence came over tho crowd
when deputy prothouotary Kreider TO
oeived tho verdict from the judge, and
reading 1t to the jury asked them II they
80 agreed, receiving an affirmative 10
sponse. The verdict awards tho plaintiffs
se 3Oi 30 and interest from Aug. 30, 1882.
s212,40, making the total award s2,5lO.-
05. This Is about one half of tho amount
claimed against the insurance company.
Five other suits yet remaing to DO tried
against tho Lancashire, City of London,
London Assurance, Williamsburg and
| PhUnix, Of Hartford, respectively, the
| total amount claimed from oil tho oom.
panies being about $25 900. IL is thought
that the result of this trial virtually sot
| ties tho suits against the other companies,
aud an effort will bo made TO compromise
them without further legal intervention.
| The costs OF the suit which fall upon tho
defense by the jury's verdict will reach
| high figure. Tho witness fees aud other
legal costs will probably aggregate 80 900.
without counting the sl.50 per day said
| IN. hat tuA -. Lao cal lY.
tho defense during the l6 days of tho trial.
how tho conclusion was Reached.
The jury was charged briefly but clearly
by Judge Patterson, all questions Of fact
being left to their dctermin inatiOn they
retired about 8 y. m. yesterday and agreed
upon their verdict, sealed it and separated
within 40 hour after the case was given to
| them. Mr. Geo. X. Reed was made fore.
man OF the jury. There is no good reason
to believe that, as has been reported, any
of the jury held out Tor verdict for
defense or that any favored an award for
the full amount claimed. II had been
shown in the evidence that the adjusters
agreed upon by the plaintiffs and tho
insurance company had found. after tho
fire, that the original value of the stock, 50
far as they could discover traces of it, was
sl4, ,S12 II, and that what remained of it
was worth s3,Sl0 "a, showing n loss of
ell, ,06l SO This amount with interest
formed the basis OF tho jury's award, and
tho amount of the verdict was the proper
tionate share OF defend iuL's interest In the
entire insurance.
The plaintiffs seemed to bo gratiled with
the result of the trial the delo dants are
disappointed; the public generally ap.
pear to be satisfied. The theory OF incen-
diarism was not supported by Tho verdict
no. was the defendants estimate of their
total stock, but their exaggeration OF itF
value does not seem TO have been consider.
ed fraudulent by tho jury, as the judge
ohaged that wilful fraud and deliberate
misrepresentation by the insured would
DO good cause to find for the defense.