Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1895-10-14
In THE SUPREME COURT.
Preliminary to the Hearing of Charg
es Against Lawyers CatrOn
and Spiess.
SKIRMISHING BEFORE THE FIELD DAY
Thomas Hughes Appears and Gives
Bonds-Catron and Spiess Gases
and Contempt Proceedings Set
for Tomorrow Question
as to Which will Take
Precedence.

Precedence.
In the territorial supreme court, on
Saturday afternoon, the case of the
Territory vs.. Juan B. Romero and Sos
tenes Lucero, appellants, was argued and
submitted. Mr.. w. Il. Pope, represent
ing the solicitor general, and Mr.. T. B.
Catron appeared for the territory and
Messrs. Childers, Warren and Read for
appellants.
The supreme court convened at 1915
this morning with Chief Justice Smith
presiding and Associate Justices Hamil-
ton, Collier, Laughlin and Bantz in their
respective seats.
Solicitor General Victory announced
that the committee, which had been ap-
pointed to prosecute certain charges
preferred against Messrs. Catron and
Spiess and which in the discharge of it's
duties as such had recommended con-
tempt proceedings against Thomas
Hughes, W. T. McCreight and Page B.
Otero, was ready to proceed with the hear
ing as to Page B. Otero. Mr.. Victory at
the same time remarked that Mr.. Jones
and himself we're the only members of the
committee in the city yesterday and
asked permission to file such additional
lnterrogatories as might be suggested by
Mr.. Childers, who had returned from AL
buquerque last night.
Gen. Bartlett, who appeared as counsel
for Otero, said that he understood that the
court, on Saturday afternoon, ordered the
preparation and service on him of the
interrogatorles, yesterday afternoon, 80
that he might have an opportunity to
prepare and file his answer at $3.50 this
morning, and that he remained in his Of
flee yesterday afternoon in order that
such intorrogatories might be served on
him, but that they had not been so served.
He was consequently not prepared this
morning to file an answer and asked for
reasonable time in the premises.
Mr.. Victory explained that, owing to
the unavoidable absence of members of
the committee from the city, it was i'm
possible sooner to prepare the interro-
gatories.
The court therenpon postponed the
Otero case until tomorrow morning at
$3.50 O'Clock.
Mr.. A. B. Renehan was then appointed
and sworn as stenographer of the COM
mittee and Immediately entered upon the
active discharge of his duties.
Ex-Judge Fall announced that he ap-
peareo as counsel for Messrs. Catron and
Spiess in the matter of the charges pre-
ferred against them; that he had come
here from his distant home understand
ing that the hearing of these charges
had been set for this morning; that
he thought the court had no right to
side-track the principal proceedings for
the purpose of hearing collateral matters;
that he protested against any delay of the
Catron case.
Mr.. Jones said that he understood that
the contempt proceedings against Messrs.
Hughes and McCreight would call SO
many witnesses from the Citizen office as
possibly to interfere with the regular
publication of that newspaper and hence
he urged as much expedition in that
hearing as possible. He added that the
contempt proceedings had direct bear
ing upon the main case, as they grew out
of efforts to Illustrate and obstruct the
due administration of justice in the mat
ter concerning Catron and Spiess.
Mr.. Jones also said that slight delay
could not work any serious hardship to
the attorneys for Mr.. Oatron since they
were duly retained in the case as counsel
and doubtless duly rewarded, while the
was worked under orders of
the court without remuneration.
Mr.. Victory next read letter from
Judge s. B. Newcomb, of the committee.
explaining that sickness prevented his
Gen. Bartlett followed with an explana-
tion that, so far as Hughes and Nc Creight
we're concerned, he had had no chance to
confer with Hughes and had not been
served with the interrogatories in the
Ease of McCreight in time to prepare an
answer this morning. He said that these
we're grave cases, much graver than the
one against Otero, and he did not wish to
be plunged into the argument of them
without reasonable time for preparation.
Mr.. Childers said he did not under
'tand that the court had ordered the in
errogatories served on counsel yester-
lay.
Ex-Judge Fall insisted that the hearing
If the Catron and Spiess cases ought i'm.
nediately to be proceeded with, adding
hoU hC inO ~ COuuOCUlUu WIFI Uu6 con-
empt cases and didn't intend to have
my.
At the request of Mr.. Field, the order
# the court setting the Catron and Spiess
ases for hearing on October was read
~ the clerk.
Judge Collier remarked that it was we'll
nown that he would not be able to be
resent On October and that conse-
uently there would not be full bench
n that day. |
Mr.. Field then proceeded to say that it
'as now attempted to thrust matters
pom the attention of the court that had
ccurred since October Z. He was before
be court in the interest of the due ad. 6
Of justice without pay or ,
ne hope of fee or reward, and, at the
nggestion of Mr.. CLANCY, said that the g
anne was true of the other attorneys who
ppeared for Mr.. Catron. He Field had 4
o connection with the contempt cases, :
nd did not intend to be connected with .
lem, because ne did not want these cases .
! anyway identified with the Catron .
lse.
Ex-Judge Fall also disclaimed having
,Ceived anv rawapd or the proniaa al