Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-05-17
QUEER LAM PRACTICE,
HOW LAW SHARKS FOLLOW UP AND
WORK ACCIDENT CASES.
Witnesses Who Win Swear to Anything
tor Piece of Coin-Advertising
for Witnesses.
From the New York World. !

SdueS was CEOWueu Oh 1nlru-aNeHuS
street car.
He wants to conduct the case for 9con-
tingent fee of one-third of the amount re-
covered, and offers to pay all current ex-
penses out of his own pocket.
The small of my back has been officially
inspected by the Medical Examiner of the
Third Avenue Railway Company, who
finds that my spinal column has received a
severe shock, and 1 am urged to visit the
President and negotiate settlement.
shall do nothing of the kind 1t not
the Third Avenue Railway Company am
after, but the lawyers who foment litiga-
ton and the professional false witnesses
who enable them to thrive. My plan was
this:
To go up town; get crowded Off a street
car; fall, appear to get hurt, advertise for
witnesses and see what happened.
Accordingly, in the World of Thursday.
March 9th, appeared an advertisement
asking for the names and addresses of
passengers on a Third-avenGe car on the
preceding evening who saw gentleman
crowded off the rear platform at Fifty
third street and badly injured.
There is nothing pleasant about being
crowded off the platform of rapidly
moving street car. | was not at all sorry.
therefore, that, for the sake of appearances,
1t was necessary for me to receive my Wis
itors in bed. 1t was, in fact, no hardship
for re TO remain in bed nearly all of the
three days that my advertisement bore
print,
OF course, the first callers were news
paper men. There were three of them;
The statement published by one of them
somewhat exaggerated, evidently be-
cause of the writer's sympathy for me
was as follows:
The injured man said: 81 went down to
Twenty-third street on Wednesday afternoon on
some business, and about O'Clock took a
Thlrd-avenue car to return home ! stood on
the rear platform, which filed up until got
crowded TO the edge toward the middle of the
street. ON nearing Forty-third street, l saw
large van coming toward the car on the middle
track, and seeing that it was so near the car
that it would knock me off in passing called
to the conductor 20 stop the car for me to get
off. He rang the bell, but the driver paid no
attention to the signal. l was then obliged to
jump of, and in doing so fell on my head |
was completely stunned and was picked up
and brought home in hack / recovered con
told that had miraculous escape from being
run over by the furniture van while lying in
sensible in the street This is the second acct
dent have sustained from over-crowded street
cars, and as my doctor states that the extent OF
my Injuries cannot yet be determined, intend
to sue the railroad company for damages"
One of the other two newspaper men
who visited me did not think | had very
strong case. For instance, | had not
waited for the car to stop, but had jumped
off, contrary to the rules of the company.
while the car was in motion.
at is all very WE'LL" l retorted, ''for the
company to insist on passenger hanging
on till the ears stop, but declined to obey
such rules and got my back broken for my
pains. OF course, / shall have to prove
that the car had ample time to stop"
The remainder of the day | nursed nv
injury in solitude, but Friday morning
brought fair specimen of the fish was
trying to catch. His appearance at once
suggested the inquiry, Have you brought
your sandbag with you?'
However, | refrained from uttering the
words, and begged my tattered, soiled, I'M
shaver and Extensively odorous visitor to be
seated.
''You were, l presume" said l, "a wit
ness of the accident from the effects of
which | am now suffering ?"
The visitor crossed his legs, looked stead
tasty at the ceiling, and answered in two
words
ivy cert"
Were you on the rear platform of the
carr"
"W'y cert"
Sand you heard me ask the conductor to
stop?7
''Now yer talkin'"
"And heard the conductor ring the
bell? ?"
That's what"
"And you saw me jump off while the car
was in motion, and saw me slip and fall
and lie stunned until some one picked me
up"
IVY sure"
Now" said livery confdentially, "there
is one thing that | want to know. How
did escape being run over by the furni-
ture movers van?"
quick glance then resumed his inspection
of the ceiling. Presently he replied, delib-
erately:
"W'en you jumped de HOSES hitched to
de van SHE'D, see An that switched the
van outer de track, see p
"Ah, thank you. You'll do. What is
your namew
"Bill Sparrier."
Your full name, so that my lawyer can
write to you when to appear in Court, and
your address,"
Nv. g. Sparrier, general delivery"
understood; my witness rose and fumb-
led with his hat
"Much obliged" said, ''look out for a
letter from my lawyer"
Still Mr.. Sparrier fingered, inspecting
the ceiling and fumbling his hat. tossed
him quarter,
Tanks" he said, and | was rid of him.
am reluctantly obliged to confess that
Mr.. Sparrier is my only witness. | had
hopes toward evening that his testimony
would receive much needed support from
an excessively polite, shabby-genteel old
gentleman, who called in his dual capacity
Of philanthropist and general reformer.
He had not been an eve witness of my in
jury, it was true, but he had been present
on other similar occasions and had made
it his business to gather statistics regard
ing the over-crowding Of street cars in this
and other cities He read me few pages
of these, borrowed half dollar and bowed
himself out.
Saturday morning my mind was much
disturbed with anticipations of a visit
which / felt was past due, namely, that Of
an agent of the Third Avenue Railway
Company. had not long to wait. He
proved to be young and courteous, and ne
wore spectaeles. He gave me his card
and noticed that preceding his name was
that significant title of CDR" / won't
give his name. Anyone can learn it by
calling at the general offices of the Third
Avenue Railway Company.
Step by step / went over the story of the
accident. The agent did not think had
much of case.
However," he said, syou had better
cali and see the President about il. L is