Omaha daily bee., 1891-10-19
A MOST DAMNABLE RECORD.
Joseph Bdgerton at stromsburg Duped and
Sold Out His Clients,
HE PReYS UPON A DESTITUTE WIDOW.
He Put Up a job to Confidence an
Honest Nan Out of His Farm
Lands-Unyarnishcd
Facts.

ent aspirant for a scat on the bench OF the
supreme court, formerly lived in this village,
and Its residents have the livliest recollection
of his career while here. He came to
Stromsburg about 1882, and remained about
five years. He posed as a lawyer, out in the
five years he had only forty-three cases in
the district court. An cXamina-
ton of the records reveals n series of failures
and miscarriages that tell an eloquent story
of this ambitious lawyers professional meth
DDS and capacity.
1t is a fact which members of the bar com
ment on as significant that in thirty-nine
civil actions, MIR. Eidgerton was attorney for
the defendant in only six. He won only two
OF these suits, and the plaintiff got Judgment
in one. The other three, for various reasons,
were dismissed. 4
People familiar with his career here ex-
plain this fact with the intimation that he
lnstigated II considerable number of the
actions in which he figured. The record of
the cases in which he was attorney for the
plaintiff lends color to that inference.
MIR. Edgerton was such attorney in thirty
three suits. He won a clean victory in hon.
est, open contest in two o. them. In one of
these his client got Judgment for S31. 10. In
tve divorce cases defaults were TAKEN, and
in three others divorces were granted at the
plaintiffs cost. Nine suits were dismissed
at plaintiffs cost and seven were dismissed
by agreement or stipulation. Two were
stricken from the docket aud one dismissed
on motion of the defendant. There were
two DEGREES against defendant by stipulation,
and ono SUIT for $4,000 was settled by Edger-
ton for 500 without the knowledge of his
client.
During his five years in Polk county Mr..
Edgerton was engaged in four criminal cases,
twice for plaintiff and twice for defendant.
One Hung and the Other in the Pen.
T., Ill., fo,n,1. ~ - .s.z. ..
the defendants pleaded guilty aud were fined
in nominal sums. One of the clients defended
by EGgerton was hung and the other was
sent to the penltentiary.
Numerous stories arc in circulation here
rejecting upon Mr.. EdEerton's professional
conduct and personal honor, and they are
vouched for by responsible persons who eX-
press a ready Willingness to back their state
ments with afiidavits. One of the first of
MIR. Edgerton'S undertakings after landing
in Stromsburg was the drafting of a number
of village ordinances. 1t is alleged that he
omitted to provide these legal ''dont's' with
penalties, and tho people who know him at
tribute the omission to his ignor-
ance. At any rate it made him
the laughing-stock of the community, ana
the humor OF the thing is not yet exhausted.
Villainous Betrayal Of Clients.
Two cases in which Mr.. Edgerton betrayed
his clients will serve to show what manner
of man and lawyer he was. In one instance
he acted as the attorney for w. A. Frawley in
the purchase of a tract of land from Samuel
Rutherford. Edgerton made out the deed
and took Rutherford's acknowledgement.
The buyer paid the price agreed on and put
the deed on record. A few months later
Rutherford made a second deed to the same
property, this time transferring it TO Thomas
Rutherford. The latter Immediately mort
gagged the land for 500 in favor of Edgerton.
When Mr.. Frawley learned of this remark
able transaction he interviewed Samuel Ruth
arfpfJ tuhn n1nuHni f1ln huhty - nyip that
he was under age at the time of giving the
first deed. but had reached his majority be-
fore signing the second. The young man
was arrested on a charge of obtaining money
under false pretenSeS and put under 81 900
bonds.
Rutherford at once began begging for a
settlement. Frawley had RMS that
Edgerton was at the bottom of the affair,
and he was convinced when the latter ap-
peared as the young mans attorney. Be
lieving that the lawyer had made a dupe of
Rutherford for the sake of an attorneys fec,
the prosecutor agreed to settle the case.
Thomas Rutherford gave him a quit claim
deed to tho property and Edgerton released
his mortgage,
This is the case as Frawley knew it at
the time, but Horace Putnam throws a
strong side light on the lawyers
scheme. After the deal between Samuel
Rutherford and Frawley was made, Edger-
ton went to Mr.. Pullman and said he had a
deed from Thomas Rutherford to Putnam for
tnlS same piece OF lana. lie wanted Tuuman
to take the deed and put it on record. MIR.
Putnam naturally was surprised that a val
liable property should be transferred to him
without consideration and with no previous
negotiation or understanding. The thing
looked bad on the face of it, and he demanded
an explanation. Edgerton's statement was
not satisfactory. Mr.. Putnam became salts
fled that it was a scheme to beat some one
out of the land, and he declined to be a party
to the trickery, although Edgerton assured
him ha 'tr1ul1 got the land - There can ha
no mistake about this, for MIR. Putnam saw
the deed and read it.
Duped q Poor Widow.
In another instance a poor widow was the
victim of Edgertoh's duplicity. After con-
siderable begging on his part he was en-
ployed by Mrs. kaspar Johnson in a suit
against an Osceola saloonkeeper named Cole
for $l0,0 900 damages. 1t was alleged that
Cole had sold liquor to the plaintiffs hus-
band and that while under the influence of
said liquor he was frozen to death.
Mrs. Johnson and Edgerton entered in to a
contract by which the latter bound himself
to prosecute the case on a contingent fee of
one-half and to pay all expenses. 1t was
also agreed that neither should settle or dis
miss the case without the consent of the
other. Several months later, however, Ed
gerton settled the case and dismissed the
action, and that, too, without the knowledge
or consent of his client. He said he had re-
ceived 300 In settlement.
When Mrs. Johnson was notified OF this
acGion and called at his office, Edgerton put
in a claim for $50 for expenses and insisted
that it should be deducted from the 500 be-
fore making a division. He said he had paid
A.. j. Sawyer of Lincoln So for preparing
the petition and he recEoncd the expenses of
his trip to Lincoln at $40, The contract was
produced, ana after much parlcying Edger-
ton paid his client $50, less the court costs.
Mrs. johnson was not only a widow In poor
circumstances at that time, but had four
small children dependent upon her for sup
port.
At the time of this meeting there were
present, besides the attorney and his client,
Peter j. Anderson, n. p. MoLson and c.. A.
johnson. Edgerton first proposed giving the '
widow about S25. When she refused 10 &C
cept so small an amount he called Mr..
Monson into his private office, and
urged the latter to betray the widows inter-
ests by advising her TO accept Edgerton's
tender. Mr.. Monson had befriended Mrs.
and spurned the contemplate prop
osition. During these negotiations the law
yer made a great display Of temper and used
profane and vulgar language in the lady's
presence. He even went so far as TO order
MIR. Johnson, her brother-in-law, TO leave
the office.
Gentlemen acquainted with the facts of
Highest of all in L~eavening Pow