Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-12-24
This New York Factory Seems to
Have Had EN- Cornered.
Lawyer Hughes Is Not Saint, and
Worked the Rabbits Foot On
His Partners in Business.
He Makes 1t Point to Be ''ous of Town" When
Gazette Man Called, But Former
Associate Talks.
THE PLOT THICKENs.

the broadway divorce mill which was
run by Mr.. William Duryea Hughes,
brother-in-law of Landaulet Williams +,
once encouragement OF the United
States, has brought to light another of
the fraudulent divorces issued from the
mill. The victim this time was o
woman. Mrs. Susan Miller of Brooklyn
paid hughes, or some one connected with
the mill, 500 for an alleged decree re-
leasing her from matrimonial bonds with
William Miller.
The exposure caused a sudden disap-
pearance of Mr.. w. Duryea Hughes,
and kept ex-partper Patrick A. Camp
bell explaining all day. Mr.. Hughes
left his house early in the morning. He
did not appear at his office, and reporters
who hunted for him could not find him.
lncidently another lawyer was pulled
into the net, but he, of course, protests
hIs innocence. The other lawyer is Will
liam FL. Buttner, who is not unknown to
the people of New York. Hughes was
Buttner's partner when he (Hughes)
had
COUNTERFEIT SEAL
of the superior court of Cook county Ill. !,
with which fraudulent divorces are
stamped, made by Seal Maker Vancourt,
of Fulton street. Buttner appears on
some fraudulent divorces as attorney of
record. He said this morning:
81 know very little about Hughes.
He was only in partnership from June IA
to September 20, 1888.
"Mr Buttner,' said your reporter,
'your name appears on the fraudulent
divorces sold by Hugnes.''
"Well, l know nothing of it, said
Buttner.
:were you and Hughes in the divorce
shNRtAess, - asked your reporter.
fsszssssSTe were in the law business, said
Buttner. 81 don't think we did any
divorce business at all
tYou advertised to do 1t, did you
not?' asked your reporter.
Ono, sir. We never advertised, IRE
piled Buttner.
Ibid you know that Hughes has a
counterfeit die of the seal of the superior
court Of Cook county, Ill.?' your re-
porter next asked.
Buttner raised his hand above his head
and answered: :Before God, didn't. -
"Weil, your name appears on some of
the divorces as attorney of record,
not, - said your reporter.
Butler jumped up from the chair
where he was sitting and paced up
and down the room rapidly. It was evil
dent conflict was going on in the law
gers mind. Finally he said, fiercely:
'Does my name appear on any of the
divorces-tell me honsstlv?'
at does, said your reporter.
s'Weli, then, said Buttner, al will
tell all and protect myself In the matter.
Before living God say I didn't know a
thing Of the frauds before, and l never
got
ONE CENT FOR THEM.''
He said this with dramatic effect.
'Ask any questions you wish,'' he
added, tyou shall know ALL
"Tell me all you know" said the re-
porter
81 will, - said Buttner, friendly. 81
feel sorry for Bill Hughes, but he has
brought it on himself. He shall not
drag me down with him. I'll show you
one case that 1 fixed for him. There's
one of the devices he issued-look at it.
l never got cent of it, but l heard
there would be trouble about 1t, and I
did not want my name connected with
such business. l went TO Brooklyn and
asked the woman how much she paid for
it. She said 500. 'Wiil you take Sl00
for it?' Sds said she would. and 1 paid
the money. 1 told Hughes about it, and
he said, IT'S ali up The envelope con-
tanned divorce on blank similar to
the one that Ex-Mayor Pendleton was
written on. 1t purported to divorce Susan
Miller from William Miller. The hand
writing in the body of the divorce was
totally different from the handwriting of
PENDLKToN's DIVORCE.
Buttner's name was on the title and
on the face Of the paper as attorney of
record. The forged signature of Clerk
P. McGrath was III the same hand as the
Pendleton divorce, and the seal was the
same.
"whoss handwriting is that in the
body of the divoroe?" asked your re-
porter.
"Hughes' 1 suppose.
tDid Hughes ever confess to you that
ne forged that divorce?'
"What use was it for him to confess?'
replied Buttner. ''The correspondence
with Flannery gives him away. Now,
as'true as God lives, l didn' t know any
thing of tina: divorce till l heard it would
cause trouble. and as soon as did paid
the woman and got it back.
'Was Hughes in this business when
he was in partnership with you?" your
reporter asked.
81 don't think he was,'' replied
Buttner.
''He was in partnership with me only
from June to September. I'll prove to
you couldn't have had anything 10 do
with these divorces on which my name
appears as
ATTORNEY OF RECORD.
"Since Hughes and 1 separated We
have not been on speaking terms. He
owes me $500 or $500. We had per-
sonal, physical encounter. We have not
been friends.
Buttner then told little of Hughes
alleged history during the partnership.
'We had q case,' he said, s'of
Brooklyn woman who was getting $50
week alimony. The money was sent to
US as her attorneys. When I got the
check / would lndorse 1t and turn it over
to her. When Hughes got it he would
indorse It,; get it cashed and blow it in.
Nj. Flannary. the BrooklTr lawyer, got