The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-27
THEY WHO SUE THE COMPANY.
ANY OLD CLAIM is GOOD ENOUGH
FOR A DAMAGE CASE.

! The Woman who DIDN'T Knew . Csrpora-
ton Was Buylng Her Realty. - Dsdn't
Ask Enough Disappearing Plaintiffs
and Borrowing Kind -Steries AboutEm
The Jerseyman who wants damages from
the Middlesex and Somerset Traction Com
pany because the sudden stopping OF
car jerked his false teeth into the street
il only one Of the innumerable quirky-
minded people who besiege railway COM
panies with freak claims.
The fighting Of these claims is among
the more humorous duties Of the lawyers
Of every big railroad corporation, ana
many q hearty laugh together 90 tne
latter have over tho latest instance OF the
damage suitor's unconscious humor.
"Only the other day. an attorney
on the fourth floor Of the Grand central
station said last week, - woman brougnt
suit against the New York Central Tor
$40 900 for fraud. We had. through an
agent, acquired some Of her property for
the enlargement Of our yards. She based
her claim substantially ON the fact that
IL the agent had told her that rich cor
poration we're buying her property sne
would have charged much higher price.
.Then there's an upstate farmer who
was driving away from railroad crossing
when a passing train startled his morse.
He insists that the sudden movement OF
the horse, although it didn't unseat him.
Jared lis physique to the extent OF $4,000.
About the time the Bryan bug got East
| a lot of Chicago Aldermen, the Hinkey
Dink crowd, came to town In one OF our
threw a champagne case out OF the
| window. 1t connected with the head OF
man on the station platform. He sued
US for $1,000.
"That case died OF it's own weight, but
| among the suits against us now penoihg
is a very queer one. A well known man
about town and his sister entered the Grand
Central the other day. They had four
bags, and the man barricaded the woman
| in the middle Of the station with these,
while he went to buy tickets and send
telegram While he was gone, two strangers
! came along, picked up the barrioades
| and walked of with them. The woman
| admits that she made neither objection
! nor outcry. Yet she is suing us now for
$500 for the value Of the bags and their
COIlleu5. SOIle pcoPl0 0uIo oAASeo" S~o'N
/ to 60 around with a guardian.
we have lots OF trouble with tho shystsr
! lawyers who take on percentage so many
| Of the suits which are brought against
us. But they have their own troubles, too
! One morning we received notice from an
| attorney that he was suing us for . brake
! man who had been injured In our yards.
! That afternoon two other notifications
cam> In from two other lawyers that
they we're suing us for tho same brake
man The next day, seventeen other
| no, ifications from seventeen other lawyers
| were served on us. All the seventeen
! LAWYERS represented the same injured
brakeman When trial day came, the
various attorneys begged that their cases
be adjourned, on the ground that their
client (he brakeman) was unabis to
appear.
at finally came out that the injured
brakeman had borrowed go from each
Of them the day he put his case in their
| hands and that he had then disappeared.
"A woman easily persuaded some push
ing young city lawyers to represent her
in a damage suit against us for injuries
received in the tunnel accident. She was
of the shifty sort, and, losing her sand at
| the last moment, vamoosed. Her lawyers
made vain efforts to find her and, appear
! ing in court, begged for an adjournment.
When our detectives produced her I'M
nredately afterward and made her tell on
the stand what she was. tho young legal
firm hardly took time to resign from the
case before running out Of the room.
| hand ~ tho ur0Y
who brought suit for SANDER against the
Manhattan Elevated Railroad because when
she dropped her ticket in the box too late
to get the train the guard OF the rear car
as it passed out put his thumb to his nose
and asked: Did you ever get leftT
Women bring most Of these freak suits.
A man hasn't half a woman's gall and
impetuosity Most of our baggage claims
are made by women.
"In class by herself 10 the actress who
| loses her wardrobe between overnight
stands. Then there is the prize animal
breeder. No engine ever kills COW worth
less than hundred dollars. We're In the
middle OF suit right now brought by
farmer who says that the Empire State
Express decimated at $40 apiece flock of
sheep, and the prize hogs we've run over
in the last six months would stock all the
pig farms in the State. A country justice
Of the peace recently brought suit against
us for 80 and costs for the loss Of three sheep
whose pelts were found on our tracks. or
course we didn't have much trouble in
proving that q sheep lie more likely to be
skinned by a tramp than train. But We
had the hardest kind Of time psrsuading
the rustic jury that spot Of engine grease
on one Of the hides didn't make VI accom-
piices after the fact.
1.-THE man who sues us for hotel bill
because he didn't hear the announcer call
out the last train Ia perennial. But he who
mana ges, as one really did last winter, to
spring on the rear platform Of the last yes
tfbule car and, after spending the night
there freezing, then asks damages for con-
tributory negligence Is unusual.
Last but not least are tho bridal couples.
A debonair honeymooner fell out Of one
of our upper berths last year and broke
four ribs. He lost that suit, but while
preparing my case 1 had a talk with
the sleeping cars negro porter. When he
| learned the extent OF the claimants injuries
! he was very contemptuous.
"'All dat rumpus ovah jes To- ribs?'
he smiled. Il won er what de gen 'lemen
| We done eff he'd broke EN- all
Most Judges and juries, being possessed
OF at least slight sense Of humor," con-
| ,l,,dod tho lawyer siHA I'm thaSa freak