Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-12-18
SUITS AGAINST ACITY
PEOPLE WHO GO TO LAW FOR DAM
 AGES RECEIVED FROM FALLS.

Tho City of New.YorIS Defends Hundreds
 of These Personal Claims Every Year.
 Few of Them Are Successful and Then
 Only For Small Sums.
 The city appears in the courts at least twice a week as defendant in damage suits brought by its citizens. Time was when the city paid out in such damages many thousands annually. The corpo- ration counsel systematized the work of the office a few years ago and placed such damage suits in the care of q single assistant. Since that time the special knowledge in the corporation counsers office has been considerable and increas- ing, so that the office has a minute ac- quaintance with the methods of those lawyers that bring damage suits against the city.
 One result of specializing the work of the corporation coursels office has been a marked decrease in the annual judg- ments against the city as the outcome of suits for damages. Tho whole amount of damages paid by the city in the past four years has been less than $23.OO0. There have been many hundred suits brought in that time, and the aggregate of dam ages claimed has reached $3.OOO. .O0O Only a small percentage of these suits are successful, and in few or none do the plaintiffs recover the amount claimed The city fights nearly every case that is brought and seldom compromises q suit unless the justice of the plaintiff case is of the plaineSt character.
 There are many lawyers who mako it 
 meet with accidents and urge them to bring suits for damages. IL is believed in the corporation counSel's office that there has not yet developed q class of lawyers who mako q speciality of such suits against the city, though such spc- cialization is q tendency of the present time. When an accident of sufficient importance to get into the newspapers occurs, the victim or victims received almost immediately communications somewhat in this fashion:
 We have learned of the painful and serious accident that bcfcll you ycster- day, and we write to assure you of our sympathy in your affliction and to say that we are ready to do all in our power to aid you in recovering damages from the responsible parties for the wrong you have undoubtedly suffered
 The signature is that of lawyer or q firm of lawyers making a speciality of accident cases. Surprisingly respectable names are attached tn such letters, and ill many instances the victim of the aCcl dent seeks the advice of some one of the lawyers that send such communications. By way of making all things sure. some lawyers have ill their pay nurses and other attendants in hospitals to which persons suffering from the results of ac- cidents are usually taken.
 In recent case % or 10 agents of Gc- cident lawyers applied to see a patient at a hospital on the day following his mishap Many hundreds of such suits are brought against the city every year, and perhaps half of those instituted come to trial. The city seldom loses on first l trial. and when it does usually appeals ! the case The office of the corporation 1 counsel is extremely skeptical as to the | justice of such claims. and there is d strong suspicion that litigation uf the kind Is melted by lawyers who hope to profit by it. and that many case are brought with full knowledge on the part of claimant and counsel that the claim is groundlcss The counsel in many in- stances discontinued the cases when 1 claimants are unable or unwilling 10 ad- vance money 10 meet preliminary rx- ! penseS. Nearly all such eases are under taken upon contingent fees, and the l share of the lawyer Is commonly half of the amount recovered.
 Many cases arise every winter from injuries received by persons who fall upon icy pavements. The Brooklyn bridge was long the fruitful source of damage suits against tine two cities, until the legislature passed last ycar q law making the bridge trustees responsible for such damages. The most Con>T1iCu- ous case of late years was that of Mar gharita Mclneke, who asked S-}O OOO dam ages for injuries received on the bridge. She received q verdict for the full amount, but on appeal this verdict was reversed. One Page received a verdict of SIP ,OOO for injuries in an accident to d bridge train This was cut down to Sl0.OOO on appeal, and the city finally paid him something less.
 \ common ground uf action k acci- dents caused by inequality in the flag ging or paycments. The climate uf New York makes such inequalities unavUid-
 
 dently expects q considerable number ut such suits every year. Many other eases grow out of broken Iavcmcnts and cross walks It is not unusual for suits to hc instituted by persons who slip upon la mana peels and the like. The effort ul the counsel in such eases k to prove that the pavement at the scyEe of the acci- dent was defective. Tho corporation counsel's office. however. usually man ages 10 find some one who WIS prs. ni at the scene of the accident and k aLlC to show th.t there WAS no defect in tho pavement. The office keeps q watch up on such accidents as are likely to result in damage suits, and as soon as a suit + begun the office sends out an agent l. look up th, facts i'll the case and especial lvto examine the scene of tho acciden; The assistant who is to represent ti.. corporation counsel at the trial usually visits the scene If the accident and makes himself thoroughly acquainted with the conditions then prevailing New York Sun.
 Drummcrs In King Henry's Time
 King Henry Y had a band which dis
 courScd sweet music during his cxpseii
 tion to Harficur. each member bcinz
 recoulpensel for his services with tn,
 sum of l2 pence. per diem When th,