Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1895-10-15
IN THE SUPREME COURT.
Court Concluded to Take Up Contempt
Cases in Advance of CatrOn
and Spiess Case.
LEGAL GLADIATORS In The ARENA.

ing About Authorship of Article
in Question-Found Guilty
fContempt-Sentence
Friday.
The territorial supreme court convened
this morning at 9:4s with Chief Justice
Smith presiding and Associate Justices
Hamilton, Collier, Laughlin and Bantz
present.
Mr.. A. L. Morrison announced that he
had been retained as counsel in the GRIM
inal proceeding pending against Manuel
Gregorio Vigil.
QUESTION OF JURISDICTION.
Mr.. Field, one of the attorneys for
Messrs. Catron and Spiess, raised the ques-
tiou of the supreme courts jurisdiction
in the matter of the charges preferred
against his clients, contending that all the
allegations against Messrs. Catron and
Spiess related to matters arising in the
1st judicial district court, that that court
had exclusive original jurisdiction as to
the conduct or misconduct of persons
practicing before it and that the
supreme court had no inherent power to
deal with the conduct of attorneys in the
district court.
Mr.. Jones insisted that the objection
of Mr.. Field to the Jurisdiction of the
supreme court in the cases pending was
not we'll taken. This court had right to
inquire whether the conduct of persons
appearing as officers thereof, and wearing
the stamp of it's approval as such, con-
Quoted themselves in professional man.
ner else where. If it was shown that Off
GERS of this court misbehaved in the dis
trict court, this court was bound to take
notice of the fact and take proper action
in the premises. Hence Mr.. Jones held
that the supreme court had
COMPLETE JURISDICTION
of the subject matter.
Adverting to the contempt proceedings
against Messrs. Hughes and McCreight,
Mr.. Jones remarked that the answers
filed by the defendants to the interroga-
tories of the prosecuting committee we're
evaslve and unsatisfactory, and, for the
purpose of probing deeper into the mat.
ter and thus asoertaining the whole truth,
the committee desired to call certain wit
nesses.
Gen. Bartlett, counsel for Hughes and
McCreight, considered the answers to the
interrogatories full and complete. In
any event, he added, under the rule of the
court the Catron and Spiess cases would
be heard first unless satisfactory and
sufficient showing was made to the con.
trary.
Gen. Bartlett then asked that Mr.. T. A.
Finical be entered as of counsel for
Messrs. Hughes and McOreight, remark
ing that Mr.. Finical was the regular at
torney of those gentlemen at Albuquer-
que.
Mr.. Childers objected that Mr.. Finical
had been subp@naed as witness in the
case and should not be enabled to take
advantage of the privileges of counsel.
Mr.. Finical said he was willing to tell
all he knew about the case, not including
information previously gained as counsel
for Hughes and McCreight, and thought
that his appearance as attorney would
cause no embarrassment.
Mr.. Finical was permitted to appear as
attorney for Hughes and McCreight.
HUGHES AND M'oREIGHT CASE FIRST.
Mr.. Jones said that, in view of the fact
that the absence of both Messrs. Hughes
and McCreight from Albuquerque might
interfere with the publication of their
daily newspaper, he thought the case
against them should be disposed of in
advance of the trial of the main issue.
He thought that not more than day
would be required to dispose of the case.
Mr.. Childers said that the reading of
the answers Of Hughes and McCrelght
would show that the matters therein re-
ferred to should be cleared up before the
trial of the main issue.
Mr.. Field remarked that the effort to
force these collateral matters upon the
attention OF the court before the trial of
the main case was unjustifiable and strenu-
ously objected to their consideration In
advance of the trial of the charges against
Catron and Spiess.
Mr.. Clancy also contended that collat-
eral matters should not be intruded upon
the court at that time.
After brief consultation, the court or
dered that the contempt proceedings
against Messrs. Hughes and McCreight
be taken up at once.
Mr.. Field asked leave to withdraw an
swer of Catr on and Spiess and then moved
to quash on the ground of lack of jurisdic-
tlon.
MOTION TO QUASI DENIED.
The motion to quash the proceedings
against Catron and Spiess was denied.
Mr. Field then refiled the answer iust