Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-03-21
LITIGANTWAGNER.
HIS SUITS AGAINST THE ADAMS Ex-
PRESS COMPANY.
Something In Regard to His Career
Where He Has Fig
ured.

In connection with what has been pub
| lished in the Dispatch regarding the. suits
| of DIR. Harrison Wagner against the Adams
Express Company the following will prove
interesting:
AN ANNUAL SUIT
A Boston special saws:
In reference TO the dispatch about
Houston wagner's suit against the
Adams Express Company; MIR. waldo
Adams said to-day The arrest is
made TO see If we cannot prevent the con-
slant ANNOYANCE and trouble Of these bo-
gus suits. This man Wagner is O harmless
lunatic. whose lunacy takes the form OF
bringing an annual suit against the com,
pany. He has no clam whatever and
never presents any; but we have to answer
to the suits Just the same aud are put 10
expense and trouble on account OF 1t. -.
"The suit is brought every year in dr.
ferent State and compound interest IS add
ed to the claim"
RECORD IN MARYLAND.
a Baltimore special SAYS, DIR. Harrison
Wagner, who is implicated.in the alleged
fraud and forgery schemG Mt Fredericks-
burg. Va. as detailed by she Herald this
morning, is well known in this State. where
he figured years ago in schemes of similar
character. He then operated IN Frederick
county, and brought suits against num-
Der of people for sums ranging between
$50 and 800. No summons was ever is
sued, aud Magistrates John A. VIII and
John II. Locke respectively issued between
them POI judgments IN default OF appear
ance. The defendant nevsr knew OF the
existence OF DR.. Wagner un,il attachments
were issued against their pl,)perty. A SEN
sation followed the exposure OF Wagner's
scheme, but the Doctor, whom many sup
posed TO be crazy, chung to his judgments
and insisted that he had fairly won the
suits.
The property-owners aEpealed to the
courts for protection ana from thence the
case eventually came to tie Court of APP
peals, which on February 4 1893, rendered
decision which knocked CsIt the Doctors
claims.
In passing Judgment the;Court refers to
the case as one without parallel in Judicial
history. The Court charged the justices
with gross negligence in granting ludg-
nents without summoning the defendants,
and in plain language pronounced the
whole business a stupendous fraud. After
this DR.. Wagner remained quiet and soon
after left Frederick.
FROM ST. AUGUsJ,tSE.
The following is from 8, 81. Augustine
special: John Hoey. of theta dams Express
Company. who is here. says;that DR.. Harri-
son Wagner Is Virginia prank, mono
maniac who has annoyed iAdams Express
and other corporations foS years by COM
mencing suits against them in North Caro-
lima. Virginia. and elsewhere for imaginary
damages, such as losing mcaey and iewelry
in express packages. dc. Adams Express
never went to the expense ot answering the
complaints. as the processes were not
served upon an agent of the company, so
Wagner obtained bis judgments by default
bv service upon fictitious agent. He got
holder. until he was finally arrested about
five years ago in Maryland as a fraud. He
Jumped his bail bond and h@s been living in
Washington since then, out of reach Of o
Maryland writ.
Lately he has commenced his old tricks
and the Adams Company decided to prose-
cute. At first Mr.. HOey gave orders 10 de-
tectives TO entice Wagner into Mary and,
where he could have been sentenced for
eighteen months on the old charge. but his
reckless forgery of the late ". u. Dins-
more's name caused his immediate arrest
in Washington. "Of course said Mr..
Hoey. "Dusmore never gave any bond
whatever 10 Wagner. The man IS insane.
This matter is now in the hands of our Bal
tmore division, and | understand that
Wagner Will be arrested. lie will probably
be put in a lunatic asylum, for that Is
where he ought to be-"
The sheriff Goes for Him.
rSpecial telegram to tho Dispach.l