The daily critic., 1890-11-24
TBE DISTRICTS LEGAL WORK.
Attorney Hazeitou Makes nts Report
to the Comrnissfrners

sor the Hon a. G. Riddle. which took
pIace on December I 1889. / assumed
the duties Of The Office Of Attorney for
the District Of Columbia The vacan.
cits caused by the resignation of the
several assistant attorneys for the Dis
irict provided by Law were filled.
resutciively. by the appointment of
Mr.. Sidney T. Thomas, Mr. Neil Da.
mont and Mr Mason ~ Richardson,
all gentlemen Of high character and
well equipped 10 the law for the official
duties thus imposed upon them
The District Attorney makes a review
Of the business Of his Office tn its rela-
tion 90 tie court of the District and the
Supreme Court of the United States,
and cites the following cases whlCn
were pending In the Supreme Court 0f
the District when his official term COM
mtuced. and which were disposed Of hy
Jury trial. Hutchinson vs. the District
trespass by District In building a sewer
through private property In UniOutown;
verdict for plaintiff S540 appeal TO Gen.
eral Term. Williams VS.. the District,
action Of trespass; verdict for District
Hugh Humphrey VS.. S. IT, Walker,
late Chief Of Police, involving official
conduct Of Major Walker; verdict for
defendant. Hattie May Mcpherson. on
appeal TO General Term, for personal
injuries; afiirmance of judgment below
| for 81, GOO. Hennessy VS.. the District,
| personal injuries, on appeal in General
| Term; aflirmance Of verdict and iudg-
ment below for $1,000, upon condition
that plaintiff remit $1,000 of her dam.
ages, which she did, and the judgment
was paid.
Tie following cases have been com
/ promised. District Of Columbia VS.
/ johnson & Church: Charles B. Church
/ vs. the District. johnson VS. the Dis
tfict. Messrs Frank Hume, W. b.
Moses and George NJ Kennedy were the
/ arbitrators. The cases were old ones
| and had been several times tried with
varying results Alexander vs. the
| District, the "Murdock cases." the case
Of the United States, use Of the District
VS.. Murdock, was entered dismissed
agreed;" and the case Of William G.
Murdock, use Of Evans vs.. the District,
was entered in favor OF the plaintiff for
the sum Of $3.50. These were all
cases growing out Of contracts for as
| phalt paving.
The case Of Roop & hooper vs. the
/ Commissioners, mandamus 10 compel
the granting Of a liquor license, was
| disposed Of In the General Term In
/ favor Of the Commissioners.
Others cases disposed Of were those Of
Woodbury. vs.. the District, personal In
| iuries; judgment Of court below for
| $4,000 affirmed. Harriet r. Corts,
| personal injuries; judgment Of General
Term affirmed by Supreme Court Of the
| United States. Ecklon VS.. the District,
/ involving power OF the Commissioners
/ 10 dismiss a policeman without trial
under act Of 1873; disposed Of in favor
| Of the Commissioners. Washington
Market Company VS.. the District, to
| cancel special assessments for street I'm
| provements against the company 8
| property; assessments quashed on GER
| b0FOTi, each party paying own costs.
During the past fiscal year III lunacy
/ cases were disposed Of During the
/ fiscal year tSSS.1SS0 there were 20 slmi-
/ lar cases disposed of. Showing an In.
crease for the year 1889. 1890 Of 3S cases.
| There are cases In assumpslt against
the District, OF which were filed be.
tween June /, 1850. and June I, 1890.
| Only ! case Of hdbeds corpus has been
/ disposed Of. the petition being dis,
missed. That OF Orville S. Wilson Is
now pending In the General Term, the
/ question being TO test the validity Of the
/ peddleTs' license law.
! The commercial dFummeTs' cases "a
recover license fees paid the District
since 1871 Qhlrteen Of them. have been
settled adversely 10 the District.
! Forty-nine cases of csFfiOrdFi 10 quasl
special assessments have been acted
upon during the fiscal year ending June
/, 1890. Thirty one were settled ad
veTsely TO the District; the remaining
seventeen cases are IN General Term
| upon appeals. The case of the Great
Falls lee Company vs.. the District was
argued and submitted. The "Qaucken
bush" case, condemnation prOceedings
for the widening OF Columbia road, Ii
also In the General Term. The heir,
of Admiral Quackenbush, who has
since died, are satisfied with the con
demnatIon.
There are thirty. y.eight law cases fol
damages for personal injuries pending
on the Circuit Court calendar
The accompanying report Of Special
Assistant Attorney Dumont shows the
number Of cases disposed Of In the
Police Court 10 have been 6,34S fol
I hAakAAAAAN AhAAAAAH HHArA Ahi
VagTaney, 1919 profane and in
police regulations, 24O concealed
weapons. 172 fast driving, 143 trespas'
on parks, 262 cruelty TO animals, 22(
indecent exposure, l2l throwing mis-
siles, ETC., etc. Altogether, from JulJ
/, 1889, TO June 30, 1890, 2,6S9 cases
The aggregate amount Of fines imposed
I 400 e II
lected fIom lines imposed, S32 094 04
Attention IS called to the iBadequacy OF
the salaries now paid the official corp
In the District Attorneys Office.
A reform in the proceedings OF thC
Police Court by Congress, as well as 4
division of the business which Is n0R
imposed upon II by the creation Of
| either a separate Police Court OF by the
institution Of magistrates court for thg
trial Of inferior oheRzes Is recon
mended. The change suggested Is one
10 confer upon the court the right OF
trial by jury In all cases arising undel
the liquor license Law, and wherein tbs
finding Of such jury shall be {
fnaliiy II would De an aiyautag,
10 the liquor traffic, as
would no longer be embaTrassel
By pending appeals which are held As
bar % the consideration and granting o
| licenses by the Commissioners. Thl
| suggestion has the Endorsement OF
| Judge Miller which is embodied IN th
report, and which provides that th
Supreme Court Of the District shall haV
| power 10 review the proceedings when
| ever a sufficient case was made out g
/ cause the court % grant "a writ o
[ eTIOr.
His Victim Recovering,
/ Bertha Jackson, who was assaulted