The San Francisco call., 1896-08-01
DID ALLISON SELL
RAILROAD SECRETS2
Byron Waters Clerk Ac-
cused of Trafficking
in Them.
AN ATTORNEY INVOLVED
Proceedings by the Claims Ad-
juster Against Cassius M.
Jennings.
HIS DIsBARMENT ASKED FOR.
Southern Pacific Discovers a Leak
and Endeavors to Punish the
Alleged Cusprit.
HIS DIsBARMENT ASKED FOR.

For attorneys who are not upon its pay
roll the Southern Pacific Company has no
love. An illustration ofo this truth has
Just come home to Cassius M. Jennings, a
lawyer who has been in practice in San
Francisco since 1882, and who won some
prominence Through his advocacy of the
claims of "Stop-Over'' Robinson against the
Southern Pacific Company. He is accused
by. Byron Waters, the claims attorney OF
the Southern Pacific, with unprofesslonal
conduct, and petition for his disbarment
hassbeen filed in the Supreme Court.
James III. Allison, young man, re-
Gently the confidential clerk of Waters, is
ealso accused of having betrayed the busi-
ness secrets of the company to jennings,
and has, accordingly, been dismissed from
his position.
The claims attorney is the custodian OF
mum erous valuable papers, showing in de-
tail the circumstances of accident cases,
the names of witnesses, ETC., in which the
Southern Pacific Company, the Market
street Railway Company, etc., might be
oheId liable for damages.
In his complaint Attorney Waters al
leges that recently Allison, his corfden-
tial clerk, who had the papers in his keep
ing, offered to give away the information
they contained to Jennings for consid-
GRAFTON, so as ito enable him (Jennings)
to procure the claimants as his clients and
be in position to negotiate successfully
settlements or to bring suits"
1t is also alleged that lin violation of
his oath as an attorney OF this court and
in violation of his duty as an attorney of
this court the said Jennings corruptly
agreed with the said Allison that he would
divide with the said Allison all the gains
he might acquire in the settlement of the
said claims"
When Attorney Waters last Friday
learned what was going on he sent for
Jennings and read the riot act to him and
to Allison, who was summarily dismissed.
1t is also claimed that Jennings and Alli-
son have admitted their completely.
This is the story of Waters, but between
it and the statements of Messrs. Jennings
and Allison there are several notable dis
I.crepancies.
Il resigned my clerkship," said ALI
son, 'in June, the resignation to take
effect this month. | had been in the en-
ploy of the company for several years my
health was beginning to fail and decided
to take a rest. Mr.. Jennings suggested
.hat | had valuable information relative
TO accidents which l might supply him.
consented, and he told me that what
ever fees he received from the settlements
OF the cases he would divide with me.
| Such was the agreement, but never re-
| ceived any money from Jennings, although
| I gave him the facts in many cases."
| II have to say" said Mr.. Jennings, sin
answer to the accusations preferred against
me by Byron Waters, that l am entirely
innocent of any unprofessional conduct
| though may have been over jealous in
my efforts to secure business.
! III make a speciality of accident cases,
many of which / have settled out of court
|. upon satisfactory basis to the Southern
! Pacific Company and many others 1 have
1 won. l knew Allison by sight. "A bout
/ the 10th of this month he came unexpect
edly to my Office. He told me that he hao
sent inc his. resignation TO the Southern
1 Pacific Company and would like to come
into my Office to study law. He also said
that he could bring me lots of business.
answered that / was looking for business
| and would divide with him the profits on
any he could secure. He said the South
ern Pacific Company had treated him
badly, mentioned the names of some per
sons Who had been hurt. were without at.
torneys and whose claims had not beer
adjusted.
| later dates and. brought notes of numerou.
accidents, etc. l wrote to a few of The
] claimants and invited them to call on me-
at my Office. Concerning three of ths
cases, / spoke to Mr.. Waters. In none o.
these cases did realize anything nor were
there any suits brought. If Waters set
tied any of the claims he did so without
any intervention of mine.
"Last Saturday Mr.. Waters sent for me,
swore at me and talked brutally, saying
that had got the upper hand of him in
several cases of merit and that he wished
me to return the memoranda | had Of
them. l was taken by surprise ana ,nen,
tally upset for time. but / gave him
back every scrap of paper in my posses
sion. / did not then think that any fur
ther publicity would be given the matter
The information given me by Allison was
no secret; any person interested has the
right to demand its production by the
company.
1.-THE milk in the cocoanut is, think,
that am one OF the attorneys of DIR. Rob-
inson, wno as you know, has been en-
gagged in bitter litigation with the com
pany for the last four or five years. Fol
this reason it occurred to the Southern
Pacific Company that was thorn in its
side, and so it SET this trap to turn me
down.
Emmett Bagley, for many years past the
librarian of the law department of the
Southern Pacific Company, was yesterday
appointed to succeed Allison in the office
of Attorney Waters.