The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-11-23
LONG DRAWN OUT LAWSUITS.
Som" Case. That Have Been In the
Courts f'Nr Centuries.


II. is III" provcrh says. 'f',gls and OBJ
stiuaJr mon make lawyers rich" France
may especially pride herself on folly and
&tun!ornncs-. for three French lawsuits
have together occupied period many
yes longer than the Christian era.
1t is !ittlc more than 30 years ago that
Frame saw the c"n"laSion of Il lawsuit
which WAS begun in the early days of the
thirteenth century, when John was king
of England and when the Magma Char
t. WAS still unsigned or even framed.
The legal ball was started on its six CEN
turtles and more Of roliin:; ny the Comtc
de Nevgr~ who had Il grievance AGAINST
the coed citizens ui DouZay. and the feud
thus started was maintained DO less than
C.:S years.
F0rty-four years LATER, in 1854, two
other lawsuits saw light which, between
them, have lasted nearly Is centuries. In
both eases the citizens of tampau. which
must have 4 mania for litigation, We're
the plaintiffs. and the defendants were
the inhHli!Hmta of nUighboging towns and
villages, while the subject OF dispute was
the right To pa&tura2;c and forests.
Compared with these forensic veterans
a lawsuit which has survived fly" crntH-
rics only is comparatively n callcw youth;
but. as it is still furnishing. there are
hopes that it may yet qualify for a place
amung legal Mcthuselahs." Russia is
the scene Of this lawsuit. which was
commenced in the second year of Henry
Y II iOU \. d.. The defendants are the
inhabitants If Il Russian city, and the
claim is lJ:' IL" restoration of certain
valuable estate which the city had wrong
fully. as is alleged, included within its
boundaries.
Some years before Oliver Cromwell
was horn, when good Queen B"Ss was
still on the throne of England. the good
rcupi" Of Bu,"siaD, in Bavaria. COM
mcnrrl an action against a ncighbnring
baron for tha recovery OF 4 large forest
which had. according to their views,
been wron@tu!!y taken from them. Fer
moro than three centuries this case has
dragged is weary length through Ra-
va.iau courts and has brought gr;st TO
the mills of ten generations ii lawyers,
and sill il remains a$ unsettled ~ when
it began its century march.
Ju.t nj the t.mc when cook was start
ing Oh his first Journey around the world,
aud l;liir Wordsworth and Scott were
not even ready fer the cradle. ii II III
ga. ian hiShup died interstate. and Eiin-
drCi< cf ClamnrouS relatives claimed his
larrr estates. Litigation commenced. !I;lt
WAS delayed for som" years owing TO
tire uisturh,d condition of Iiun-.:ry,
which was i.vadcd iy the Turks. and
Wien III ,ast tho courts got chance the
number 81 claimants for the bishops
property had reached Loco.
\ century passed, and the family fucd
was It'll! h"iug fought ont in the courts
until ii WAS clear that If it lasted much
Ion :,,l There would be nothing to divide.
In he end. after l2O years of wrangling.
the pi;irmI remnant of $4,000 was divid-
cd equally HaI"n= the claimants (now
numbering 2.rGGj. each plaintiff rccciv-
in- Il as his share. The eloquent moral
of this case is tLHt of every E12 of the
original estate iii went TO the lawyers
and II only to the relatives, from which
it would appear hat it is better 20 be Il
lawyer than l!ti"ant.
Stil!. on the Whole. the claimants may
consider themselves fortunate in rrscrring
even a sovereign apiece from the hands
Of lie spoilers. for in one memorable
case. Parker versus Dawkins. which
struggled on for nearly half Il century,
the legal machinery was only finally stop
ped when il lad absorbed the last penny
OF the disputed estate 50 tia" il is, as
Lord HgouEL"u said. thai the lawyer
is 4 grn.l"i...+I Who rc>cIics your estate
from yolr enemies ard keeps it for
hiIis v!t."-Lunaun Tit-Bits.