The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-12-21
HAWKINS ANO FITCH.
Lawyer Explains Why He
Dropped His Client.
MINING STOCK MISSING
ALSO THE COLONEL, BUT HE
WILL RETURN.

The dismissal of the case of R. a.
Hawkins vs. Arthur B. Lewis in the
federal court by Thomas Fitch and its
reinstatement by Judge J. NJ. Breeze
have been followed by a somewhat
breezy exchange of charges and coun-
ter charges in which Colonel Hawkins
is accused by Mr.. Fitch of performing
various discreditable acts. It will be
remembered that Judge Breeze asserted
in a federal court document that when
Mr.. Fitch secured the dismissal he was
not an attorney in the case and was
not even a member Of the bar practic-
ing before that court.
Mr.. Fitch stated yesterday as his rea-
son for dismiSsing the case and getting
out of it. that last October there was
a mysterious disappearance from his
possession Of LOCO hares of Imperial
Copper company mining stock and that
Colonel Hawkins disappeared from Salt
Lake about the same time. The mat
ter is put. in very much stronger Ian
guage than this by Mr.. Fitch. Speaking
further on the same subject the attor-
ney said;
Naturally I lost confidence in the
truth of the statements he (Hawkins)
had made 10 me, upon the faith of
which / had brought his suit against
A. B. Lewis. I dismissed the case-as
I had full authority to do-because I
wanted nothing more to do with him
or his affairs. Yet guarded his inter-
ests against any possible disadvantage
by Stipulating that the dismissal should
be without costs. and without prejudice
to his instituting another action. If
his present counsel or the district at
torney desires further details they will
be furnished on application at my Of
fee. The only true statement in Haw-
kins' affidavit is. that I dismissed the
a. SO Il
deem it necessary to ask it."
Attorney Breeze was asked last even
ing for further statement. He said:
II cannot see that this charge of
Mr.. Fitch in regard to the 1000 shares
Of Imperial Copper company stock has
anything TO do with the case now be-
fore the federal court. That is a mat
ter between Hawkins and Fitch and
must be settled independently of the
pending case. If Mr.. Fitch lost conf
dence in his client, as he says, and
did not wish TO continue longer in his
employ he could have withdrawn: it
was not necessary for him to dismiss
the case, and that. as before stated. he
had no right to dc. Why he had no
right has already been explained"
Hawkins Coming Back.
Colonel Hawkins is in Chicago,
continued Judge Breeze, but / expect
him home at any time. He expected TO
be here on the first of the month, but
was detained by business matters. He
stumped all through Illinois during
the campaign under the auspices of the
Republican national cOmittee. But he
has no intention of making Illinois his
home and will be here in a. short time.
Then if Mr.. Fitch has any charges to
make against him he will have his OPP
portunity.'
The judge discIaimed any special
knowledge as to the I 200 shares of
stock in controversy. y have heard 1t
said" he said, that this stock was
given by Hawkins to Fitch as a fee
in the case. I have heard it said, too,
that Hawkins took the stock to sell
for Fitch; in fact know this part of
the story TO be true, because Hawkins
brought the stock to me and asked
me to sell it to an acquaintance of
mine. The certificate was made out
to Fitch and was endorsed by him.
failed to find the man TO whom
wished TO sell the stock and returned
it to Hawkins. Farther than that
know nothing of the matter. 1 have
heard that Hawkins sold the stock and
made no return of the sale to Fitch,
but this is only hear-say with me-