The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-06-01
The Winner Loses.

1t makes the man who would rather
go to law than 90 on a good old time
hay ride mad enough to lose a 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 discount 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 prescription again.
He wanted damages from 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 be run up in
the thousands. Now if he had been con-
tented to take his case into a district
court this story would probably never
have been written. But as he estimated
his wrongs not by single, plain, every
day "cart wheel dollars, but in blocks
of 900 each, he was forced to take his
suit into the court of common pleas.
Everything went swimmingly for his
side. His lawyer proved beyond doubt
that the defendant had caused damages
to the plaintiffs property. The judge be-
lieved it, the jury believed it, in Act the
defendant himself and the defendants
counsel believed it.
If ever there was 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
defendant received a verdict for less
than fifty dollars he was liable for COSTS
He did not know much about law, and,
though he was disappointed at the
amount of the damages, he looked tri-
umphantly at the other side. He was
disguised to see the calm smile ON the
face of the defendants lawyer. But a
moment later there was crashing of
teeth when his counsel told him about
the costs.
81 have to pay the costs, do II" he
snapped.
Eyes"
after have won my case have to
pay costs for the other slider"
"That is the law"
"Well, it's a 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 fellow has
spoiled my property want to pay him
for doing it? What do you think am,
anyway muddy Drained, cross eyed,
half hearted lunatic? How much are
the costs?
"Three hundred and sixty dollars"
"Three hundred and sixty dollars! I
win case and get damages and lose
$311, do l? can substract the amount
of the damage from the cost and make
out check for the balance, can /?
Well, suppose can so long as have
to. But want you to understand that
the next time go to law it will be be-
cause | am a candidate for a lunatic
asylum. The next time have you for
a lawyer it will be when I'm the de-
PENDANT in case like this and want to
lose
"Do you hear?" he screamed. "When
want to lose I'll have you, say, so
that can come out ahead of the game.
And the next time man damages my
property III invite him to come in 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 a
game of tenpins in my dining room and
will use my great-grandmothers 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'll 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 afternoon nap was dis
turbed. -NeW York Tribune.