The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-09-09
4 CAME WHERE THE WINNER
LOST

| Itmakes the man who would rather
go to law than go on a good old time
hay ride mad enough TO lose suit, but
| when he brings suit, wins his case, gets
damages and then finds that he is out
| of pocket fine round sum, he can give
the ordinary man points and dis
count him besides at the Diogenes
game of hating the world. One New
! Yorker got taste of legal dose the
other day which is likely to make him
hesitate about using the same pre-
scripton again.
He wanted damages from q man who
he declared had injured his property.
He wanted all the damages he could
get too. He was earnest enough to
insist that the damages ought to run
up in the thousands. Now if he had
been contented to take his case into a
district court this story would proba
bly, never have been written. But as
he estimated his wrong not by single,
plain, everyday Cart Wheel dollars,
but in blocks of 1000 each, he was
forced to take his suit into the court
of common pleas. Everything went
swimmingly for his side His lawyer
proved beyond IL doubt that the de
PENDANT hal caused damages to the
plaintiffs property. The judge be-
| lieved it, the jury believed it, in fact
the defendant himself and the defen-
! dant's counsel believed it.
| If ever there was n clear case of
damages it was right there in the com
mon pleas court. And SO the plaintiff
got verdict for forty nine dollars
| But it is one thing to get a verdict and
another thing to take what goes with
it. 1t happened in this case that if
| the plaintiff received Il verdict for
less than fifty dollars he was liable for
costs. He did not know much about
law, and, though he was disappoint-
| ed at the amount of the damages, he
! looked triumphantly ut the other side.
! He was disgusted to see the calm smile
/ on the face OF the defendants lawyer.
! But ii moment later there was gnash-
ing of teeth when his counsel told him
about the costs.
Il have to pay the costs, do p he
snapped.
| Yes
"After | have won my case ! have to
pay costs for the other side -
THAT is the law"
well it's u mighty nice law that
makes the winner lose, amt it!
What do you think went to law for?
! Do you think | wanted to spend money
| for fun? Do you think after that fe;
low has spoiled my property want
| TO pay him for doing it? What do
| you think | am anyway-a muddy
| Drained, cross-eyed haif-hearted luna
tic how much are the costs?"
"Three hundred and sixty dollars.
"Threc hundred and sixty dollars
| win the case and get damages and
lose 1911, do l.? lean subtract the
amount of the dam lgt from the costs
! and make out check for the balance,
| can /? Well, | suppose can so long
as have to- But want you TO under
stand that the next time | go to law it
! will be because / am Il candidate for a
| lunatic asylum. The next time have
you for a lawyer it will be when Pm
! the defendant ina case like this and
want to lose.
"Do YOU hear?'' he screamed
"When l want to lose I'll have you, |
| say, so that | can come out ahead of
| the game And the next time a man
damages my property I'll invite him
| to come i'm and knock the roof off the
! house. I'll have him use my piano
for a toboggan on the hall stairs. I'll
invite him to play game of tenpins
in my dining room and will use my
great grandmother's tea service for
pins. and if he wants to jump through
our 5000 Japanese screen like a circus
rider he can do it.
"Then maybe he will want me to
sue him, so that | can get stuck for
costs again. And I'll sue him; oh,
yes, I'll sue him ~ and he snorted SO
loudly that the court usher's after
noon napwas disturbed.