The San Francisco call., 1897-08-17
WANTS BOONE TO
LEAVE THE BAR
Inventor Bowers Accuses
the Attorney Of
Blackmail.
Also of Betraying the Legal
Secrets Of His Late
Employer.
Charges Denounced in Open Court by
the Defendant as False and
Malicious.

AlphOEZO B. Bowers, inventor OF the
Bowers hydraulic dredger. caused sensa-
ton in the United States Circuit Court
yesterday by filing petition asking that
the name OF John L. Booze be stricken
from the roll of attorneys OF the court for
unprofessional conduct.
The petition recites that for nearly nine
years Boone was his attorney. counselor
and solicitor, and that as such he pos
sessed the special and peculiar conf
dence of Bowers. and thereby obtained
full and complete knowledge OF and from
Bowers of all the facts and evidence in his
cases; that Bowers paid Boone $4,000, be-
ing full payment for his services, and that
in April of the present year Boone with
drew, by mutual consent, from the en-
ployment of Bowers. The complaint then
goes on to say:
That thereafter the said Boone, with the full
intent and purpose to betray the confidence
OF your petitioner and to violate his trust and
duty as The attorney, counselor and solicitor
OF your petitioner. did offer and seek to be en-
pioyed and retained by the defendant in the
action OF A. B. Bowers VS.. Linden w. Bates
and the other cases herein before mentioned
now pending in the Circuit Court of the
United States, in and for the Northern District
of Illinois, and in consideration of such en-
ployment and retainer did assert and suggest
TO Thomas A. Banning of Chicago, at Chicago,
the attorney, solicitor and counselor OF Lin
den w. Bates, the defendant in said cause,
that the decree in the cause of A. B. Bowers
against A. w. Won Schmidt herein above men-
toned, was procured by fraudulent means
and that he (said Boone) could not remain in
the case under the circumstances, thereby
meaning and intending 10 convey to said
Banning that he (said Boone) knew that the
said decree was procured by false and per-
lured evidence and testimony and should not
have been rendered or made; that your petit
toner is ignorant OF the particular or specific
evidence to which said Boone intended to re-
fer and is unable 10 say moro than that the
said charge is wholly and entirely false and
untrue; that all the evidence and testimony
IN SAID cause are and were true and genuine
and no other than just, lawful and honest
means were employed or res orted to by your
petitioner in said cause.
That said offer and statement by said Boone
were made with the full intent and purpose to
obtain employment by and from said Linden
w. Bates, and the other cases under the pre-
tense that he could and would betrHy the con-
idence of your petitioner and disregard his
professional obligations and thereby assist
the said Bates and Others to defeat your petit
toners actions against him and them, and 10
thwart, EN- barrass and retard your petitioners S
suits and actions now pending.
That the said offer and statement were made
and intended to defraud the said Bates and
others out OF any money they might pay to
said Boone as the price OF his treachery or his
testimony or his legal services under the false
pretense tina. he (said Boone) could or would
bring forward any proof of his statement or
suggestion made TO said Banning.
The complaint alleges further that the
said suggestion by Boone was a lack of
res pect 10 the court, and that Boone was
guilty of breach of duty for having con-
cealed for months and months evidence
that, according to his own statement, was
false and fraudulent.
The further allegation is made that on
May il of this year, at his Office. 314 Pine
street, in this City, Boone said to Samuel
III. Soleno, agent and attorney in fact for
Bowers, that unless Bowers would carry
out some promises alleged to have been
made by Bowers to Boone some five years
back in regard to the payment of money,
he (Boone) would accept the retainer that
was waiting him from Bates. and that the
acceptance would be very disagreeable to
Bowers: that Boone said that statements
had been made TO him in years gone by
and which il made public by the other
side would result in the complete loss of
Bowers pa tents, and might involve his
liberty, all OF which IS alleged in the peii-
ton TO have been said by Boone with a
malicious intent and purpose to intimi-
date Bowers and extort money from him
without any just claim or demand.
Boone was present in court when the
petition was read. He addressed Judge
Morrow, and said that the allegations in
the petition charging him with miscon-
duct were false that he would waive time
and all other technicalities of which he
might avail himself and would file an
answer as soon as he could pre- pare one
and he asked the court to fix an early date
for the hearing.