The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-17
SOME OF WRIGHT'S
TRANSACTIONS
The Debts lie SwOre to in His
Petition for Insolvency.

reer of Howard r. wright IN Dan ran
DISCO and the State of California dur
ing the past few years plainly indicate
that he is most certainly one of the
men who would DO well to keep out OF
q public Office, where his personal and
business history might become gener-
ally known. For a man of his Years
Mr.. Wright has succeeded in making
very broad and we'll defined trail which
he and the friends he has left to him
would be glad TO wholly obliterate.
The story of his connection with the
firm of lie Roy G. Harvey &
Co. is a painful illustration OF
the methods Of the man who
e has been hon0red with the Speak
ership of the lower house of the
Legislature of California. Mr.. Wright
was a partner in that firm and to a
great extent the manipulation of its in
terests What he did in a pyrotechni-
cal business way and how he carefully
slipped out from under his load of re-
sponsibilities will at the present time
be read by his unfortunate constitu-
ents with a great deal of interest.
Speaker Wright is accused by John
Blair of Sacramento of having de-
frauded him of his just rights to the
extent of more than twenty thousand
dollars This accusation is not con-
fined to a verbal allegation, as shown
by the records in the suit of John Blair
VS.. Howard Z. Wright, filed in the Su-
perior Court of the city and county of
San Francisco on December 9, 1896.
The partnership relations of Mr..
Wright and Mr. Harvey were decided
ly unsatisfactory to the latter gentle
man. by reason of the reckless manner
in which Wright conducted the affairs
of the firm. The pace was too hot and
a settlement and dissolution of copart-
nership were demanded by Harvey.
The dissolution followed and a set
tlement, in the shape of an ac-
Acknowledgement of Indebtedness by
Wright in the sum of twenty odd thou
sand dollars, with legal interest, was
made by giving to Harvey notes in the
amount named.
In the course of business transactions
these notes were transferred to John
Blair of Sacramento for value received.
Upon demand the maker of the notes,
Howard F. Wright, refused to honor
them, and Mr.. Blair was finally COM
PEELED to bring suit for collection. This
suit was filed in December, 1896. At
this time Wright had been elected to
the Legislature, and as one of the law
makers of the State was exempt from
summons. When the session was end
ed he was compelled to make a show
ing in the case and did so, with the
usual technical and statutory pleas for
delay which were successful enough to
carry the action along into the follow
Ing year The honest and upright"
manner in which Mr.. Wright met these
claims for settlement of his notes of
hand may be better understood when
il is known that Wright did not file
his answer to the suit until the oath Of
July, 1897.
In that answer ne states that he has
mo information or belief upon the sub
ject sufficient to enable him to answer
the allegation Of the first clause of the
action" etc In other words, the an
swer sets forth that the transfer of
the notes from Harvey to Blair was
illegal, and that defendant is not bound
thereby and is not indebted to the
plaintiff. He therefore prays the
Judgment of the court that the plain
tiff take nothing by his action and
complaint and action herein, and that
the said defendant be dismissed with
his costs in and about this action"
The court records indicate in a very
forcible manner that Mr.. Wright was
not sincere in his declaration that he
did not owe Plaintiff Blair anything on
account of the notes held against him
by that gentleman. This proposition is
made plain by the fact that about the
time the answer in the suit was filed
Howard E. Wright, to protect himself
from the consequences of that suit and
the claims of an army of other credit
ors, filed a voluntary petition in insol-
Vency in which he declared himself a
: debtor foi moneys borrowed and other
wise obtained in the sum of $50, III In
this petition Wright sWore, in order tC
secure from the court an order of re-
lease from his debts as follows:
Il do solemnly swear that have not
directly or indirectly created or ac-
knowledged debt for a greater sum
than L honestly and truly owe"
In order to understand Wright's high
qualities as an all-around prevar.cator
ii should be borne in mind that this pc
tiuon was sworn to during the time
that the cartwright suit was pend
ing.
The answer says that he owes Blail
nothing. The petition gives his sworn
liabilities. In that petition Mr.
Wright was certainly careful to not
perjure himself, and he acknowledge;
the following debts:
John Blair So, SOC
c