A man who has witnessed an accident to a woman by a street car, in
spite of his humanitarian instincts will run around the corner for
fear of being called as a witness. The man who hears at night the call
of "Police! Police!" in the street, jumps out of bed and begins to put
on his clothes, but thinks better of it for the same reason. If a man
is in a taxicab that is run into by an express wagon, and the
resulting suit is brought by the taxicab company for $110 damages, he
may have to attend court five separate days as a witness and the case
may not be called. He has to leave the State to avoid being annoyed by
the subpoena server, who dogs him at his club and at his home. The
witnesses have lost their time and their patience.

Each lawyer knows this and a petty game of playing for delays and
adjournments sometimes goes on. Suppose there is a good claim which
nevertheless the defendant denies, knowing how lengthy and wearisome
is the game of reaching a case, he often succeeds for years in
preventing its collection. The game is simply to tire out the
opponents, clients, and witnesses. A clever and unscrupulous lawyer
can throw so many obstacles in the way of a plaintiff that, unless he
have a strongly developed streak of obstinacy, he will give up in
disgust or be glad to compromise.

Unless both sides are anxious to be reached it is practically certain
a case will be adjourned two or three times. A sworn affidavit is
presented with the doctor's certificate that the client or witness is
sick, or the sworn statement that a witness can not be found, or that
the lawyer is engaged in the trial of another case. The excuse may be
valid and the reasons may be sound, but the adjournment of the day for
trial occurs again and again. This is one of the causes for the
complaint as to the law's delay. Naturally calendars have to be made