New-York tribune., 1901-10-20
THE PASSING THRONG

when man speaks only the truth and then Is
condemned. said j. R Chiders a London bar
rister az the Holland House last
DANGER IN evening. he is likely TO feel that
Truth the universal machine is some
AE-LLANG. where carrying msht set Of cogs
Yet, quite recently I saw a man
lose law case on account OF absolutely vera
cious statement his part. It came about in this
wise: In the course Of my practice was in behalf
OF client. party to a controversy in one OF the
London courts between certain OF the co-directors
OF an Anglo-Amertcan corporation which was oper-
aung IN America An American director one s.
L. stader by name. had fallen out with his fellow
members on the board. and the controversy falling
Of private settlement. had in due course OF time
wandered into the and meshes of the law
Stader's record have since Investigated and found
good save for a certain tendency to exaggeration
acter He was a man the like Of which only
where and done ali things He had ranched. mined
ana doomed In your West and had done the same
done turn in South Africa He had. in fact @ beeG e
In about every country, civilized uncivilzed in
done stunt in each and ali of them. He had into
adults could have packed into a century But the
britlsn Judge before whom the case was tried did
way and there was no one there to vouch for him.
of defy creer ar as nS n5egry ] His knew
pert IN cross-examination, to bring 1T out Ques-
was aimed to unfold f ag ae5mSPde 5"pe Dy Stader Ter
wonderful tale of stader's past These questions
fully. drawn to discredit stader.'' 'U'
Eugene Sues wanderer," continued Mr.. Child
ers, was sorry peripatetic when compared with
your American Stader's adventures
THE TOWN in Africa, India. Australia and
HAD DISAP- both Americas These adventures
FEARED. recounted with the nonchaIence
and confidence of truth. simply ap-
paued the court AS the tale unfolded it was ap-
parent that the Judge with difficulty restrained out
spoken scepticism-the more so because Stader
looked not his fifty years by at least a score.
Finally the opportune moment for overthrow SEEM
ingly arrived.
" Mr. Stader.' interrogated the examiner would
you mind stating some place where you at
some specific date. and will you please describe
your occupation at said place and time?
" Certainly readily replied the witness. From
State Of Washington, U. S. A l was a large
owner of town realty there. I owned a bank and
was treasurer Of the town I0 anu
examiner AS FOR the Judge he Simply wiIfed and
declared recess. This effrontery piled sup
court reconvened a new attack threatened Stader.
., stader.' CO me the query, in response to ques
tain Ruby City; in the United States. ard also
of the punishment which a rnisstatement under
@ oatn may subject you 70 l ask you If You desire
reiterated with emphasis. With an I'll concealed
air OF tEiumna the counsel handed syader United
states postal Guide and the latest Rand-McNaly
map Of the United States, with the request that
ne Searcn tnem Well and ind the alleged Ruby city
or something about it. No Ruby City existed in
either and after feverish search Of several minutes
Stader acknowledged this to be the case. But
complained he, finally breaking silence with typical
idtom, say, don't you know that town has been
wiped Off the map. so how could you expect TO ind
Il in a postal cutde?'
That settled it. Explanations that two thousand
people dwet In Ruby City In 1882 with banks, a
United States postofice etc. avaied not. The final
expression Of the court was: TO say that a town
could have had two thousand Inhabitants banks
large industries and town treasurer. which means
a municipal government, in 1892, every trace Of
which could have vanished In seven or eight years
so far runs beyond che border OF romance that the
liar can never he held for perjury The case OF
this country / find not only that his statement
anent Ruby City was literally true, but also that
such prosperous growth and utter annihilation of
towns is no uncommon thing in your wonderful
West.