The San Francisco call., 1896-11-26
Records of the Peoples Home
Savings Bank Suits
Are Read.
THREE PoNDERoUs PACKAGES.
Thomas S. Williams Jr. Putting In
Evidence to Justify the Famous
Circular.

The name of Judge J. G. B. Hebbard,
Judge OF Department OF the Superior
Court of the City and County of San
Francisco, was repeated a great many
times in Judge Dalngerfield's department
of the Superior Court yesterday, for the
attorneys representing Thomas S. VIII
Iams Jr., charged with libeling Judge
Hebbard, were reading from the records
in the Peoples Home Savings Bank suits
TO prove justification OF the things pub
hshed against Judge Hebbard.
The basis of the indictment against
Williams and his associates is circular
denouncing Judge Hebbard. 1t was issued
just before the election at which Judge
Hebbard was a candidate for reelection,
aud is entitled "An Appeal to Voters"
In order TO prove the charges made in
the circular against Judge Hebbard the
attorneys for the defense declared that it
was necessary 10 read the records in the
extensive litigation which followed the
failure OF the Peoples Home Savings
Bank.
The accusations, briefly stated, were that
Judge Hebbard had shown himself to be
IAN unfair and therefore unfit person to
receive the suffrages of the electors of the
City and County of San Francisco for
position on the Superior Court bench I;
that he had appointed as receiver of the
bank an incom petent, irresponsible politi-
cal parasite in the person of John F.
Sheehan, SO that his friend Watt became
the attorney and active manager of the
bank" that though Judge Hebbard had at
first agreed 10 allow the old board of
directors of the bank to meet for the pur-
pose OF resigning, he changed his mind
because the men of character selected by
tho dannSitnrq snr the vaoanpoo not
satisfactory TO Hebbard's bosom friend
the notorious James Alva Watt, who de-
sired 20 be the attorney anc real manager
of the bank"
Touching the matter of extravaganza
and wasteful mlsmanagement the alleged
ibelous circular continues: During the
seven months following Watt so manipu-
lated affairs as to secure control of ma
jority OF the banks stock, when Hebbard
graciously discharges the receiver and his
bondsmen without proper accounting to
The court. A board of directors selected
by Watt was then elected, and Sheehan
and Watt continued in office as manager
and attorney respectively, and blanket
resolution was passed by the board ap-
proving the acts of the receiver. During
the eight months of the illegal receiver.
ship the sum of S42995 Al was disbursed
Receiver Sheehan and Attorney Watt each
appropriated as his salary the sum of $500
squandered in fees and junketing trips.
No less an authority than the Attorney
General of the State has declared that the
receiver was not legally entitled to one
cent of compensation for such services"
The circular closed with charge that
Judge Hebbard, more than any one else
was responsible for the ''scandalous mis-
management of the bank since its failure"
This was signed by Thomas S. Williams
Jr., Z. T. Kendall, George 3. Conant,
Benjamin Lucey, A. L. Casavaw and F.
II. Qualman.
Attorney Crittenden Thornton produced
three ponderous packages of documents,
comprising the original records in three
cases against the Peoples Home Savings
Bank, III all of which John Il. Sheenan
figured as receiver, under appointment by
Judge Hebbard, and in each case James
Alva Watt appeared as attorney, in some
instances representing both the receiver
and the bank.
One matter on which Attorney Thorn
ton laid great stress in his opening state
ment for the defense was that Judge
Hebbard, while presiding Judge of the
Superior Court. had allotted to himself all
the Peoples Home Savings Bank cases in
which there was chance to appoint a
receiver, and that he invariably made
John +. Sheehan his appontee, with the
result that James Alva Watt at once be-
came the recognized attorney in the case.
To prove this assertion the original in.
dorsement on the complaints against the
bank was read to the jury. In each case
the Endorsement was the same, appearing
in Judge Hebbard's handwriting, as fol-
lows:
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
Assigned to Department No. A.
HEBBARD,
ii