The Brinkley argus. (Brinkley, Ark.) 1883-current, 1916-12-29

ously injured and will be totallye inca-
pacitated for any work for the balance
of his life. That he will be an invalid
and dependent on others for his sup
port and maintenance that because Of
said fall and injury his head and spine
were injured, and as a result Of said
injury TO his head and spine he has
been throa epileptic fits, and
-~ade sore, SIC. nd lame s'rs ssef
sincs = zasd fail, said p441n1if haea
Keen con..i.e = sS%A;s hpdy~1e< sl,zx al
paired or MS life -reat unan9 I.sssens
and that he has suffered b0ul lasH q
and body as a result of the accident
At the time Mathews filed his suit
here, he was citizen of Pine Bluff.
Ark, but when the alleged injury oc-
CURED, he was working for the rail-
road at Cairo, Ill. Just why Missis-
sippi was selected as the place to at.
tempt to put over" the grand coup
has never been explained. 1t will be
recalled that the Railroad Company
made the defense that while an acci-
dent did occur, yet Mathews was not
hurt and that he simulated injury
which did not exist, and that the
whole case was a cooked up affair
from beginning to end. The first trial
of the case occurred at the October,
1915, term, and resulted in hung
jury. Some of the jurors were in
favor of awarding damages against
the railroad as high as $40OOOOO,
based upon the belief that Mathews
was a hopeless cripple for life. As
a matter of fact, there was strong
medical testimony to this effect. but
against it the Railroad Company pro-
duced even stronger medical testimony
that there was no injury whatever, and
supplemented this by proving that as
his home in Pine Bluff Mathews haf
been in the habit, at times, OF layinf
aside his crutches and indulging
the art of tango dancing with wome
of the underworld. No damage So
tried in this county in recent yea
attracted as much attention as d
the two trials of the Mathews ca
The last trial took place in April !
this year, and the jury rendercda
straight verdict in favor OF the r.
road Company, which, according
the most recent Developments m e
case, shows that the jury had cG
rectly analysed the testimony.
1t is estimated that the two trial
|of the case cost Montgomery COUNT
approximately $1,000. From the NUM-
her OF doctors and experts, and othe
witnesses, brought here from liiinol
Arkansas and Tennessee, the expenf
|to the railroad company must hae
|heen enormous, no doubt running iao
thousands of dollars. From the d;e
lof his alleged injury until last APP,
when the second trial of the case tok
place, Mathews got about with
aid of crutches. After spending m
weary months in preparation tor
| fraud and in the expectation OF
l;no fortune out of the treasur,
fhe Railroad Company, he no ds
became discouraged following the
| dict of the second jury, and eonc.p
70 make amends by trying out
fortlnes upon the briny deep IN
service of his country.
Mathews, and the stir which he
lated in the Circuit Court e'rcles
this county, win be long rememoer
Much has been saidsSaad rTaft
about he attempted frauds pel ssase
mon the railroads ~ olGA pSssoM
upo" ~ aoe suits IN siti0,
mon the courts and the Qeopt
"a xnayers in particular. Here
concrete case which was pulled
our own midst, ~ reason o'
H. r. taxpayers Of Ibis corr
ias the Raiiru,.a Slos.spaf
lized, and are common