The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-08-04
CARLOAD OF CIDER
GOES A BEGGING
RICHMO NDv -snecio,

~ - II VI " ~ IL, A.@Speclal.-
somewhere, sometime, the earth
may develop some one able to give "a
satisfactory decision in a case that has
Just been decided by Judge Ingram in
the Law and Equity Court, but SO far
the world has not produced him. In
1llls coInphcation is was totally i'm
possible to please anybody at all.
Inc case involves a carload of cider:
II has four actual corners to il. and no
one can even estimate how many lega.
complications. II has been pending
for about three years
AS near as any mind that is only hu-
man can understand or explain II the
case is about like this:
Something like three years ago a
wholesale firm in Richmond bought a
carload OF cider from a man in Massa-
cnusetts. The cider was shipped here,
and arrived in what the consignee
claimed was an improper condition. II
which brought the cider here. notified
the man in Massachusetts that the
Rlchmond firm would not accent the
Shipment. The Massachusetts man
said the cider was all right. The
richmond man was notified OF this.
ana said his firm had purchased cider
OF first quality. This message was
sent TO the man i'm Massachusetts. who
said that was the kind he had sent
Those messages were EXCHANGED. bur
win no more satisfactory result, and
the railway had the cider. Then a
orlllant Idea was evolved. The rail-
road decided TO put the cider in cold
storage until there was a settlement.
That seemed to settle the difficulty.
IL really was about the worst thing
that could have happened. The cider
stayed IN cold storage, and the bill of
the storage company grew every day.
NO claimant appeared, and so far as
any one can learn. no one seemed to
want the cider bad enough to pay the
bill.
The case by this time was about like
this:
There were four parties interested.
one had sent the cider; another
wouldn't have il; the third did not
want it; the fourth had il and could
not get rid of it,
The suggestion was made that the
last-the storage company-dump it
IN the river. and this seemed all right.
until somebody else suggested that
this course would destroy the claims
OF the storage company against
everybody and might do worse
And still the cider was in storage,
and no one would take it,
Finally the cold storage company
employed a lawyer, who sued some
body in the Law and Equity Court
That was more than eighteen months
ago, and Judge Ingram has been
wrestling with it ever since. The man
In Massachusetts had to be considered.
as he had sent the cider. the man in
Richmond also deserved some consid-
Grafton, as he wanted the cider. The
railroad brought it here, and had q
claim for transportation; then the
man in Massachusetts had some sort
of claim that the cider had been ruin
ed, and the storage company had kept
the cider all these months, and had a
claim against somebody.
Now, the studious reader can get
busy.
He can start with this tip: Nobody
has won; but who has lost, or who has
lost the most?
The cider was valued at about $500
and the bill for storage amounts to
almost that much. The bill for dray-
age and the cost of transporta-
ton must also be taken into account
Judge Ingram decided that the cold
storage company could have the cider
Inasmuch as no one else seemed will
ing to have ii, this seemed all right
Even the storage company was not
particularly anxious for it, as they had
had il for many troubled months
Then it was decided to sell the cider
at public auction. 1t brought 500.
The lawyer in the case now says the
purchaser was in luck, as the cider.
because OF its long confinement, had
turned to champagne.