Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-01-06
PERSONAL INJURY eRAFrERs.
A Railroad Deteetive's Werk In
Damage Suits.


Damage Suits.
The chief detective Of great South
en railway system had adjourned to
the smoking compartment Of the Pull
man for a final cigar before he climb
ed into his upper berth. He had just
finished q job Of clever sleuthing and
was In tall1ative mood, which quickly
brought the half dozen other smokers
to attention.
II suppose in the beginning I was
supplied with as much confidence In
human nature as the average man."
he began, as he settled back into the
cushions and put his feet on a chair.
"but after spending twenty years In
finding out just how much the truth
is stretched every time somebody sues
the company for damages for personal
injuries there isn't much left Of It, :.
'T hadn't been wearing railroad
gumshoes very long before I was
turned loose on case where sixteen
year old boy wanted 100000 damages
because he was deaf and dumb as the
result Of railroad wreck.
IT worked on the case for two years,
during which time the suit was post
poned from one term Of court to an
other, until finally It had to be tried.
The sum total Of all my knowledge
was that the boy hadn't spoken nor
apparently heard word for two years
ION the morning Of the trial ! ad-
vised the company's lawyers to settle
for $4,000. which they offered to do.
The plaintiffs counsel refused the Of
fer, so the case was called.
"The evidence was so completely
one-sided that the case would certain
ly have been finished and gone to the
jury before night but at noon I had
an idea. I thought that II we had one
more day something might turn up to
US. I conferred with the coinpanys
lawyer, and at about the hour when
the case was ready for the Jury our
leading attorney was taken suddenly
Ill. The Judge had no alternative but
to adjourn court until the mex. day. )
"That night / went to the plaintiffs
counsel and explained that We were
ready to settle but wanted to make
physical examination of the boy first.
He had no objections, SO we rented
room in the local hospital and TOOK tne
boy there. &
1--WE put him upon an operating ta-
BILE around which were gathered four
white coated, white whiskered men, al
lered to be eminent surgeons, but In
reality the company's lawyers,
aArter barring the youths bosom
over the heart, the chief surgeon
grabbed an ugly looking knife. and
solennly said:
".Erethren, there Is just about one
chance In a hundred that the patient
will survive this operation Are you
willing to take the chance?
1--WE are, answered the others.
"rhe words were hardly spoken be-
fore the how let cut a = II, and cried,
sror Code sa,re don't kill me-,
aTner he snannsd his laws together
ana ,acama dun1b again. but the few
words he had said were mighty costly
FOR him. for his lawyers Immediately
threw up the sponge and asked for the
aisynisaaI of the case the next morn
TO-. .
T,., tha ds,ec,,va re,,ebted his ci-
oar and remarked that he always had
more troub,e getting the truth out of
a woman than a man.
"a few wears AFRO a Buffalo woman,
who was known to us as a member of
a fake injury syndicate, put In q claim
for s50.000 against US for alleged par
alysin of all her limbs" continued the
detectiye. "She pretended that her
on,na had been ierked out of kilter In
q ,,tt,e one horse wreck down In Ten
nessee.
"I was positiye that the woman was
as sound as dollar, but couldn't
prove It. So ha to move to Buffalo
and camp on her trail. Finally man.
aged to strike up an acquaintance with
another woman who was on very inti-
mate terms with the supposed par
alvzed one. .
81 professed to be member OF
hand of personal injury grafters out in
Chicago, Of whom she knew something,
and / :.hovei such an extensive know
ledge Of the gang that she believed me.
OF course, she wanted me to meet her
friend the paralytic the nrst tning' anu
I was for 1t strong.
"She gave me very effusive letter
of introduction, and I started out on
mon 7 wanted she was propped up IN