The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-02-11
An Auburn Man Receivers in a Suit
Against Lawyers.
RESULT OF A CASE In WHICH A
PORTLAND MAN FIGURES.


Mr.. sturgis Has Now Recovered.
An echo of the New England fair held
at Rigby park last August comes from
Auburn In the form Of a law suit and q
trial which has caused no end Of talk
down on the Androscoggin, and which
has interested Portland lawyers and
others not a little.
| To tell the STORY according to the facts
related In the trial at Auburn will per-
haps be the simplest way of making this
interesting case plain to the reader. Will
liam p. Sturgis Is an Auburn farmer.
One day last August he came to Portland
and attended the New England fair at
Rigby. Unlike many Others who went to
Rieby Mr.. Sturgis started for home with
q we'll lined pocket book and 1t was just
rs he was boarding the waiting train that
his troubles began.
| In front Of him was man wearing
straw hat and behind him was another
man who was crowding Mr. Sturgis up
into the car Suddenly Mr.. Sturgis. felt .
hand in bis pocket and his pocket book
disapp cared. He TUNED around as he
stood half way up the car steps and saw
the man behind him with his hands out.
stretched and MIR. Sturgis thought he
passed something to the man who was
in front OF him.
The crowd pushed Mr.. StuEgis up onto
the platform and the man who was be-
hind him and who had picked his pocket
was also forced into the car. The pick
| "A ID ~ a
the other end but the people were stream
lug into the car at this end too and so the
thief could not escape. MIR. Sturgis kept
his eye on the man who had taken the
pocketbook and accused him Of having
it, The man denied it and while the
scene was in progress the two men were
surrounded by crowd Of people. among
whom was Mr.. Lewis +. johnson Bid.
deford lawyer. Mr.. johnson is q young
man and wore q straw hat and Mr.. Stur-
gis thought he recognized in him the
man who was in front of him when the
pocketbook was taken. why didn't you
take hold of the man IL he has yonr
money! MIR. johnson said to MIR. Stur-
gis. Il don't believe you had any money
and never had a pocketbook.
This made Mr.. Sturigs mad and partic-
ularly so as he believed Mr.. johnson
might have known something about the
money. So he went on to accuse Mr..
johnson and in reply MIR. johnson had
very little to say beyond denying that he
had the pock book. While MIR. Sturgis
was talking to Mr.. johnson the suspected
man escaped and Mr.. Sturgis stuck by
Mr.. johnson. whom he really thought
knew something about the matter until
Portland was reached.
| Finally Mr.. johnson produced a card
and showed 1t TO Mr.. Sturgis who could
not read without his glasses and man
behind him read the card for him. ASK
him if he has another card. said the
man who read the first one and Mr..
Sturgis thereupon demanded another card
from Mr. johnson which he got. There
being no doubt about Mr.. johnson IS ideu-
tity now Mr.. Sturgis saw that he was in
an awk ward position and tried to extricate
himself from 1t.
| MIR. johnson had little TO say. He re-
marked that he had been slandered and
|
have TO 20 to Jail when the train reached
| Portland or settle with him Mr.. Sturgis
did not desire to go to jail and he become
conscious that he was in an awkward fix
so he tried to square himself with Mr..
johnson without avail. IF you have
anything to say to me, said MIR. john
son, you must say 1t in the office OF my
lawyer, Mr. Samuel L. Bates" Mr..
Sturgis did not know much about the
law regarding Islander and he became
convinced from Mr.. Johnson's manner
that he had actually laid himself liable to
arrest and imprisonment. He didn't
want this to occur and Furthermore ne
thong hit that as long as MIR. johnson rep
resented it to be a very serious matter the
best thing for him to do was to settle 1t
II he could before 1t reached the courts.
| Mr.. Sturgis finally accompanied MIR.
johnson to Lawyer Bates Office on Ex
change street. 1t was by this time nearly
six O'Clock, but although the lawyers of
Portland had all signed an agreement to
close their offices during the summer ut
four o'clock, MIR. Bates was still at his
Office.
Here MIR. johnson and MIR. Bates re-
tired into an inner office and held n con-
suitation, the result of which was that
Mr.. Sturgis was told, 30 he claimed that
he could settle the case with Mr.. johnson
by the payment of 500 and the signing
of u retraction or he would be arrested.
The result of the matter was that Mr.
Sturgis gave to Mr.. Bates or Mr.. john
son two notes for $50. One Of these was
en- sixty days time and the other was
on demand. The $50 Mr.. Sturgis WAS to
bring into the office OF Mr.. Bates as soon
as he could get 1t, otherwise he was to bs
sued.
Both of these notes were afterwards
paid by MIR. Sturgis, who Is q hard work
ing farmer. AS soon as Mr.. Sturgis's
friends understood the matter they in
duced him to bring suit for the full