Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-07-11
D0DGING TIE DEPUTIES.
AN OFFICER TALKsoF THE TROUBLES
OF SERVING PAPERS.

lhere are many notices that In the
course Of legal proceedings must be
served personally Particularly in a bic
city like this, where there are many ten,
ants in most houses where there ara
many servants, where there Is a good
deal OF moving, and many letters %
atray, 1t Is necessary to serve notices
personally upon persons who are anxious
not to he served, who do all that thew
can to avoid service, and who get con-
1ederates to help them deceive the IN
fortunate officials who are trying to
serve them with papers.
For man to deny his own identity
and to have it denied by all his family Is
common For him to depart by back
door or an alley or the roof is equally
common In divorce cases where the
defendant does not appear it is impossi-
bi' to get judgment by default without
the most perfect evidence that the proper
party has been served This has grown
out OF the experiences Of many cases
where the officer serving the summons
has either been imposed upon or has
willfully permitted some person inter
ested to personate the defendant 1t is
good deal more difficult now than ever il
was to get divorce without letting your
husband or wife know of it.
THREE OF NAME.
A lady in Brooklyn used to get her hus-
band off jury duty in this way: Her
fatherin law, aged over rs; her husband.
aged As, and her son, aged H. had all
the same name When the man came
along with his bundle of jury notices he
would say:
is Mr. So and So inY'
Eyes. Which do you wish, the old
man or the young onef"
If the man Of notices wanted the old
man he got one too old for Jury duty
If he wanted the young one he got the
boy 1t never occurred to him that there
was golden mean
There are lots OF people" said dep
uty sheriff, who never have their names
in the City Directory and who move fire.
quently for the purpose of avoiding jury
duty and military duty and personal
taxes. They think it easier to move than
to perform the duties of citizens. They
surround themselves with safeguards
They have their letters sent to out of the
way places They tell servants and land
ladies not to let strangers come near
them. They will play deaf, dumb and
blind to escape notice. They get SO in
trenched that they viii walk by deputy
sheriff and chucke
"Of course, when this sort of thing is
resorted to there is a way Of service by
publication, but this is only after great
deal of time, money and patience has
been expended to make it apparent that
service is avoided The difficulty of
serving notices personally is SO well rec
nized in the courts that there are many
provisions for service by publication 1t
is true that in many cases there is only a
pretense of serving notice and default
is taken against party for non-appear-
ance when that party has not been served.
In some cases parties have served notices
by publication in obscure newspapers.
But the courts are fully up to that sort
of thing and in all cases where personal
service is required the fullest and most
convincing proof is demanded. either
that due notice has been served or that 1t
is impossible to serve it.
yet there are many cases where per-
sonal service is Indispensable. 1t is these
that bring the long and weary nights of
watching, the frequent calls, the wild
goose chases, the long hunts, the patient
vigils that make the lot Of the deputy
sheriff miserable You must find out
where man lives, what are his haunts,
what clubs or societies he belongs to,
what is his church, and you must get a
description of him that will enable you
to recognize him when you see him.
Many case has been thrown out OF court
for incomplete evidence of the service OF
a paper. If you have to serve a paper on
John Smith you have got to be sure not
only that you serve paper on John
Smith, but that the John Smith whom
YOU served was the identical and actual
John Smith intended. To be able to do
this it is often necessary to take along
with you the party who knows the one
YOU are after. This again exposes you to
risk of being observed and avoided. You
Get to be known by the neighbors. They
seem to take a natural dislike to you.
They will not give you any information.
HE WAITED FOR THE HUSBAND
81 once went to serve a paper on
man who was not at home. His wife IN
nocently told me he would be at home
during the evening and invited me t.
wait. | waited The lady was very
pleasant and entertaining. The evening
passed very pleasantly, / was not IN
yited to go, 50 remained. 1t got yer!
late, Then when the husband did com
home he got into a towering passion a
seeing a stranger sitting up late with HI
wife. But served the paper, and LEI
the lady to fix it up with her husband a
best she could.
81 have stood in the rain watching to
men until thought my papers woui
oct wet through. | have had my cal
r and toes frozen. | have had wome
chase me out of the house with brool
sticks | have seen beautiful youn
women cry and heard bad men swear as
pushed papers into their hands that sun
: moned them to court And yet wouI
t prefer any or all of these experiences
= The trouble of running after people WI
e are keeping out of the way. 1t IS mo
q unsatisfactory business. The man WI
+ wants the paper served accuses you
b not doing your duty, and you get hit
d pay and no thanks. ~ r..,, nh;
II lies now and then to get at my man