The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1892-08-31
SUMMONS SERVERS.
They Must Be Possessed of En-
ergy, Ingenuity and Cheek"
A Business That Requires q Man to Al.
most Go Through Fire and Water to
Attain suceess-The Clever Ruse ef
Genius In His Line.


II there Is q man In the world whi
needs to be energetic, ingenious, quick
witted, patient, long-suffering, deter
mined and, above all, Cheeky" say
the New York Times, that man Is thl
unfortunate server of summonses
Serving summonses is a good deal lik,
driving a skittish horse-anybody car
do IL until something happens, and ther
when something does happen, unless
the driver or the server can do some
thing more than hold on TO the reins OF
hold out his summons, he is done for.
The tricks that are taken to get the
best Of the summons-server are legion
Defendants In suits, even II they have
scruples against lying at other times
feel that to lie to q summons-server Is
perfectly legitimate, and, as it were
only making one of his own moves
against him. For the server himself
never hesitates TO lie. IL Is one of his
most useful tricks. He is any thing
while trying to get near enough TO Mr..
Blank to serve him with the summons
he is paid for serving. He is particu-
lar friend Just come TO the city from
Hoboken or the West, and has not seen
Mr.. Blank in years, or he is the real
estate agent who was talking with Mr..
Blank last week about those valuable
lots in Harlem, or he is a special mes
senger from a business friend of Mr..
Blank who wants to see him at once on
the most important business and can
not possibly come to his Office. Amy
and all and maSy more such personages
Is the summons-server at different times
Of his arduous career, until it Is a
wonder that he doesn't himself forget
what he is, and when he catches his
victim fail to recollect to hold out the
little official piece of paper and say;
''Mr. Blank, here Is a summons In q
suit brought by" But the summons
server never forgets.
AS a general rule the summons-server
carries on HIS disagreeable business
quietly, but of course a well-equipped
server never hesitates to make a stir"
IL it is necessary. II his victim jumped
into the water, very likely he would
jump IN after him II there wasn't boat
handy. and serve his summons before
attempting TO save his man from drown
ing. In fact, a summons-server with
out a large bump of determination
would be of little good, while the one
who is determined and at the same time
quick-witted enough to make his deter
mination valuable is never out Of Job.
He gets up a reputation as a relisble
man, one who always nails the defend
ant he Is set on, and a lawyer who
knows the man he wants to serve win
be difficult to catch, doesn't put his sum-
mons in the hands of his Office boy, but
sends for the server with the reputa-
tion.
1t sometimes happens that piece of
ingenious summons-serving Is done in
public, and sometimes so neatly that
those who see 1t done are so taken up
with the admiration for the ingenious
server that they quite forget to sympa-
thize with the victim, which ordinarily
they would do, knowing that the chances
are in favor Of their at some time being
Ia his place, rather than Of their ever
having to try TO serve summonses them
selves.
Such q case occurred In East Fifty
ninth street the other night, and was
witnessed by twenty or thirty passen-
gers on q Belt Line street-car and half
dozen pedestrians. The car was bowl
ing along rapidly. Suddenly two men
dashed out from one of the avenues
crossing Fifty-ninth street, one Of them
abouttwenty feet in advance of the other,
who was shouting at the top of his
voice: ''Stop thief Stop thief" One or
two pedestrians joined in the pursuit,
and the policeman at the corner got his
unwieldly frame into motion. But the
supposed thief was faster runner than
any Of the others, and jumping on
10 the front platform of the car he
gasped TO the driver: II am no thief.
Whip up your horses, and here's a DOL
lar" Then he went inside and sat
down, and all the other passengers
looked ct him askance.
The conductor evidently thought II
was his place TO get his car through on
time, and not 10 stop TO let man after
whom ''stop. thief" was being called
be captured. But when he saw the po-
liceman in the crowd of pursucrs he
pulled the bell-strap and the car came
TO stop. The man who had first APP
peared in pursuit leaped on board and
rushed up to the man whom he had
called thief. The other passengers
looked to see him take the man by the
collar, and the policeman was just at
the rear platform ready TO put him un-
der arrest. Pulling q paper from his
pocket the pursuer held IL out to the
pursued and said: 'Mr. -, here Is the
summons in that suit of -"
And then the policeman swore be-
cause he had to run block to help q
and the car went on its
way. The man who had been served
looked detected, but he remarked to
his next neighbor: Its just as well,
suppose. 1t was bound to come some
time. knew at the start that that fell
low would serve his summons some
way. He's been after me for week
and has played all sorts of sharp games
10 get at me. That last one was bright
trick, though. wasn't Il? He was wait
Ing for me outside my house but saw
him just in time to get good start. But
think ought 10 sue him for defama-
Eion of character for calling after me:
Stop, thiefr'