West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-05-25
HOW REGISTERS GET RICH

tatos Pay such Small Dividends.
CHICAGO, May 18.-The people Of
this city, accustomed as they are to
varied sen national developments,
have been more than usually star
tied this evening by proofs OF gross
corruption and fraud in the local
bankruptcy court. About year
ago letter signed by leading bust
ness houses was addressed to the
Chicago Bar Association, asking for
an investigation Of charges then rife
among our citizens. The signers
offered to pay all expenses. The
letter was turned over to the Com
mittee of Inquiry of the Bar Associ :
alton, aud that committee at once
went TO work both here and in
Washington.
BY the terms OF the Bankruptcy
law it is made the duty OF each
Register to report exactly ali fees
earned or received by him. 1t was
found that Register II N. Hibbard
OF this city had reported, under oath,
that during 1875, 1875, and 1877
the sum of all the fees earned or re-
ceived by him had not exceeded $40,
600 year, which amount was pre-
posterously below that actually re-
ceived by him.
Last January. at the annual
meeting OF the Bar Association, a
new Committee of Inquiry was
chosen, and the papers Of the old
committee turned over to it, The
committee made a thorough exam
ination Of the Offices Of the Register,
and three or four professional assign
ees, and presented it's report this
afternoon. In regard to the pro-
fessional assignees they find that r.
d. Jenkins has been a single excep-
ton to the rule of Encouragement.
They say that his books are well
kept, and while two or three years
ago he seems to have collected lille
gal fees, his recent practices have
TOR the most part, underserving of
reproach. The affairs of George w.
Campbell were found in very bad
shape. The committee charge that
Mr.. Campbell holds to-day a large
sum Of money which passed into his
hands as assignee before the great
fire, and which he now claims to
have deposited in bank, mixed with
his own funds and deposited in the
name OF George w. Campbell, in
ct cad Of G.. w. Campbell, assignee,
as it should be. They find that Mr..
Campbell seems to have charged
fees with the most amazing reck-
lessness, and far in excess OF the
sums allowed by law. In support
of this they present large number
of statements OF the cases in which
Campbell has served. They find
like state of affairs in the office Of
Bradford Hancock, although their
investigation was somewhat limited
in this direction, because Hancock
positively refused to answer many
of their questions.
Register II. N. Hibbard is accused,
on the evidence Of his books, of the
grossest carelessness, mismanage-
ment, and corruption. The income
of the Office must have been three
times as large az Mr. Hubbard swore
that it was; the fees were nine or ten
times as high as allowed by law,
and excessive charges were made for
services never rendered. For in
stance, Hubbard charged SIS for pre-
siding over a meeting Of creditors,
when no meeting was ever held.
The legal fee for the service, if per
formed, would be So.
In almost every case charges are
made for approving the assignee
bond, and for swearing the assignee
to the value OF his bond, while the
fact seems to be that assignees had
seldom, il ever, given bonds at all.
Frequently the Register aud assign
ees have charged for closing up the
bankrupt estate and discharging
the assignee, when the estate was
not closed up and the assignee never
discharged.
The committee recommend that
the Bankrupt law be repealed, but
make no recommendation in regard
to the iugulPated officials.
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