Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-06-14
Register Hlbbard, OF Chicago.

Register Hlbbard, of Chicago.
A short time since, our telegraphic de-
spatches contained summary of some seri-
Gus charges brought against the Hon. Ii. N.
Hibbard, of Chicago. Register in Bank
ruptey, gentleman long and most favor
ably known in this, his native, State, and
especially in this city. Tho nature of the
charges and their explanation may be learn
ed from letter of Mr.. Hibbard's, which we
find in the current number of the Chicago
Legal Nars, and which we copy with pleas
ure 1t is addressed to the committee of in
quiry of the Chicago Bar Association and is
as follows
Gentlemen In the performance of the
duty required of you by the Bar Association,
Of examining the practice and workings of
the bankrupt law, you have caused to be
made very extended and thorough examin-
alton of my Office. and among other things
you have examined the registers fee bills in
great number of cases referred to me, and
you have called my attention to several In
stances of what you seem to regard as irreg-
ular and unwarrantable items charged
therein.
As TO the most of these items, | do not
admit of the correctness of your conclusions.
as all the items referred to have been passed
upon by one district court or another and
sustained.
regret to say, however. that, by inad-
vertence or otherwise, items have, in some
cases, been inserted which should not have
been, as the particular service noted in the
item was not actually performed.
The business of the register : Office, As you
well know, has, for several years, been very
large, and my duties have been multifarious.
About ten millions of dollars in money, in
not less than sixty thousand different sums,
have been distributed under my direction
and supervision, and not more than ten in
stances OF omission. oversight, or error have
come to nv knowledge, and these are OF no
great magnitude.
OF course have been utterly unable to
do with my own hand all the work which
these duties involve. and have intrusted to
clerks many matters not actually requiring
my personal consideration and judgment;
among others, the matter of fec bills, scarce
ly one of which have | made up for the last
three or four years.
All tue fee bills in my office you have
found written out in detail in the cases IN
their serial order, in books which are kept
in public place, open to inspection To all
persons, at ali times.
Nv attention has not been called in more
than half a dozen instances to any fee bull
in the past three years.
do not make these statements to avOli
any responsibility for errors in such fee bills,
but simply to show that could have had
no intention of making improper charges.
\ simple reference, by any one, to any
error, would have been sufficient to secure
a correction nor is it yet too late, for |
cheeriully hold myself in readiness To re-tax
the fees IN all cases where errors exist.
In the eight years during which have
held the Office of register, not one complaint
or criticism has been made, to my know
ledge, in relation to my official conduct.
This fact has been reasonable basis iOr
the presumption that no serious irregu-
laritics have been practiced other
wise the parties in interest would have
called nv attention to the same, or re-
referred the matter to the district judge
Sine You began your examination have,
as time would permit, reviewed my records,
files and fee bills. and | deem it proper 10
say, in this connection, not, however. a5 a
Justification for any singh error or mistake
made in nv office, that the omission to charge
and the remission of lees to which have been
entitled far overbalanee any Oyereharses
which may have been made.
Great numbers of atfdaylts and aeknoul-
cdsmcnts have been made before me, as reg
lister, By assignets, attorneys, and others, as
shown by the records and files, lor which M
charge has ever been made.
More than one thousand orders for exam
ration OF bankrupts have been made
and subInnas have been issued, which
did not appear in my fee bills, and for which
no charge has been made, thong h such charge
Is authorized by law.
In eleven cases of bankrupt insurance
companies, there were fled in my Office r.
6g4 dcpositiuns OF proofs of debts, during
the time when no officer could properly take
the same but the register. The legal fee for
taking these depOsitions was at least Sl.5O
each The fee charged by me did not ex-
cc6d, upon an average, 30 cents IN each case.
The voluntary remission Of fees for this
service, during the three years following the
great fire, amounted to over $4,000. More
yer, no charge whatever was made for
proofs Of debt in behalf of churches of all de-
nominations. hospitals, and all other eharit-
able institutions, whose proofs Of debts num-
bercd several hundred.
The aggregate receipts Of my Office Tor
eight years, though large, have not ma
terially lcsscncd the dividends to creditors,
as they do not equal u per cent of the
money distributed by me as above stated
and all the fees | have received in ca-eS
where dividends have been made. will not,
IN the aggregate, equal per cent Ol the
money distributed as above stated, aS nearly
one-half OF all my receipts have been from
eases having no assets whatever.
\ careful and complete Investigation will
convince you that the fees remittcd and
omitted, to which was legally entitled,
will for the eight years OF my service "a
register, amount to nearly Sll 900, or over
10 per cent Of all my receipts, Of every kind.
make these statements, trusting that
they will tend to show you that have not
been governed altogether by selfish con-
sidcratons and want of regard for the
public interest in the administration of the
affairs OF my Office.
NV attention has been directed 10y you to
my annual reports, filed IN the cihce oi the
clerk of the District Court, and 10y him Tor
wardCd To the law department at Washing
ton. copy of whieh you have procured
from said department.
Said report consists Of questions which
are contained in the general orders prepared
by the Supreme Court, which required cate
gOrical answers. together with my answers
thereto As understand them, these ques-
tions did not require statement OF my Gu
tire receipts, and answered them correctly
and catcgorically according to my under
standing oi their meaning.
Two classes of cases are referred to, and
it would be impossible for me or any one to
determine in which answer to embrace
large amount of my receipts.
Respectfully,
H. n. HIBBARD,
Register in Bankruptcy.