The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-04-03

diem, and that of the sheriff, are all charge
able to the county, embraced in the next
annual levy for court expenses, and paid by
the tax payers of the county.
If the defendant is to be Unidentified for
his costs, why should not the county also
be Unidentified when the plaintiff is a non
resident?
Now there are two main lines of railroad
crossing Cecil county. These two lines
traverse number of States. As the court
practice now exists, citizen of Ohio, West
Virginia, Pennsylvania or any other State
traversed by these lines, can elect to bring
his suit in Cecil county, Maryland, by
indemnfying the defendant for his COSTS
while the county is not UNIDENTIFIED for its
costs, but pays the court charges, amount
ing to large sums.
Why should not these nonresident
plaintiffs, be compelled to bring their
actions in some court in the State in which
the cause of action originally arose, or if
good reasons exist why they desire to try
these actions be brought in the United
States Courts, which have special jurisdic-
ton in actions arising between citizens of
different States?
At the present March term, several days
have already been occupied by the trial of
a civil damage suit brought by lady of
FELTON,, Delaware, who is citizen of Kent
county in that State.
Why was this case not properly triable
at Dover, and the court charges paid by
Kent county, Delaware, rather than at
Elkton, and the court charges put upon the
taxpayers OF Cecil county?
The case is not analogous to that in
which the defendant is private citizen of
Cecil county, Md, and the right of action
by the plaintiff would lie where the defend
ant had property interests.
The p. w. * b. Railroad Company has
property interests in Kent county, Della
ware, and its legal liabilities are the same
there as in Cecil county, Maryland
If Cecil county has achieved the unenvi-
able notorety of being extremely generous
in its verdicts against railroad companies,
is that any reason why that reputation
should be maintained at the expense of its
tax payers.
The citizens of this county in the past,
have been mulcted into large bills of costs
in trying these cases, and the history of the
Delaware case tried last week, not only
shows, that the practice of bringing these
foreign CIV suits in our local court should
be discontinued, but that reform is press
ingly needed in the practice of entering
non suits by plaintiffs.
As the practice now exists, mon suit"
can be entered at any time up to the
moment of taking the verdict.
This was done in the FELTON, case last
week
The time OF the court was consumed in
trying it for several days.
The court especially instructed the bailiff
in charge Of the jury to allow no communi-
cation with the jury.
And yet verdicts will leak out, and when
the verdict is taken by the court, the plain
tiff is ''called' but doesn't respond, non
suit is entered, the trial becomes farce,
and the whole case is to be be gone over
again, and the county thrown into add-
tional costs.
The injustice now wrought in such cases
is even more apparent, when they are
removed to some other county for trial, as
two OF the three cases referred to have
already been removed to Kent county.
The per diems Of jurors, bailitfs, crier
and sheriff, amount to about $4,000 per
day
Upon these two removed cases being
tried at Chestertown, the bill of costs
incurred there, will be sent back to Cecil,
and the amount levied for in the next
annual levy.
Each removed case will cost Cecil county
from three to five hundred dollars, charge
able upon the taxpayers of Cecil county,
to enable nonresident plaintiff, who is a
| citizen of Delaware, Pennsylvania, or some
other State, to redress his or her grievances
before tribunal towards the maintenance
of which they contribute nothing as citizens,
aud which he or she lives entirely beyond
the jurisdiction Of
The three railroad cases now on the
docket, before the county will have done
with them, will have cost its citizens from
thousand to twelve hundred dollars,
money spent not in indicating the rights,
or redressing the wrongs of its own citizens,
but of plaintiffs residents of other states,
who turn their backs on their own courts,
in which possibly ampler justice would be
done them, than before strange tribunals.
There is ample room for reform here,
which the next Representatives from this
county to the Legislature should make
note of.
With the Horses.
At the Singerly race track on Wednesday
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