Evening journal., 1900-03-03
BEST SUBPOENA SERVER.
- -'s1@l
SLIPPERY DICK" DELIGHTED
IN DISAPPOINTMENTs.

A SCAMP WHO DID THE WORK
BECAUSE, HE ENJOYED IT.
STATEMENT OF A NEW YORK
LAWYER.
THE best subpoena server that ever
came into my Office was a scamp who
was well educated and well born and
did the work because he enjoyed it,
said an old-school criminal lawyer to
a New York Sun reporter. "This fell
low, whose first name was Dick,
was generally known as Slippery Dick,
and might have achieved success in any
thing that he devoted himself to, but
his disposition was such that he found
pleasure only in bringing disappoinl-
ment to other people. He was thor
oughly vicious in this way. He would
have been a good torturer in the days
OF thumb-screws. He always asserted
that he was a graduate of big Eastern
college, and l think that he told the
truth. His ingenuity was wonderful,
and because of it his career as a sub
poena server was ended.
Dick had many Of the qualities which
are attributed to Sherlock Holmes, but
he said that the detective line didn't
interest him. The criminal was al
ways expecting arrest, and when III
came he was not very much surprised.
The person who had avoided the SER
vice of papers, however, was always
very angry when circumyented, and In
that fact was Dicks greatest reward.
Ny office in those days was in Cen
tire street, not far from the old Toombs,
and / had good many divorce and
alimony cases which were frequently
difficult to handle. My clients were
not from the upper circles of society,
but as l was not able to choose 1 took
everything that came along. The first
case in which I employed Dick was
that of an actor whose wife had OBJ
tanned a divorce who had not paid up
his alimony. He had some property
and / was anxious to serve papers on
him, but l never could catch him. He
made his headquarters in New Jersey
or Connecticut, as suited his purpose,
and nearly every Sunday he came to
New York to visit friends. He took
mighty good care, however, to leave
the state before midnight, and /, of
course, couldn't serve my papers on
Sunday. / tried every old dodge l
AOAA4 LhAn6 VI " uEidAu ulll III new
York until Monday morning, but he
was too clever to be caught by them.
This hide-and-seek game had been
going on for six months when Slippery
Dick came into my office and asked
for work. He showed me letters from
a score of lawyers commencing him
for work done, and he asserted that he
had never failed in any case that had
10 III Cd 4 N1.4-
actors case as hopeless, and l turned
the papers over to him.
If you can serve these papers,
said |, you will accomplish something
that has flOored every other server and
can give you other work
This is an easy one. I'll serve
your man next Monday morning if he
comes to town. he said.
Il had forgotten the case when a
messenger came to me early on the
next Monday morning and asked me tc
come to the Jefferson Market Police
Court on important business at Z
O'Clock. When l reached the court and
looked over the line OF prisoners 1 was
amazed to see among them my new
subpoena server and the actor on whom
wanted to serve the papers. The
servers face was scratched and tbs
actors clothes were torn. When the,
were brought before the police Mag.
istrate each made charge of assault
against the other The Justice talked
to them and then they withdrew theil
assault charges and got of with a I'm,
of IS each for disorderly conduct
Dick followed the actor out of cour
and served the papers on him in tn,
street. never saw a man rage as tha
actor did. He may have been ouotin,
some old part, but he did it well. Tn,
server looked as happy as his viciou,
face would permit. He had met tn,
actor at O'Clock the night before
hurrying to get train at the Gran,
Central to take him up to Connection
Without any warning the server pitch
ed into him with a swinging blow II
the face, and in five minutes the tw,
men were surrounded by crowd tina
hlled the street Each accused tn,
other Of assault when the police arrive,
and both were arrested. The actor coul,
not get bail at hat haur and the schem
10 hold him over on a criminal charr
worked all right. 1t was simple dodge