The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-22
IS SUED FOR $4,000
Mr.. Sewall Claims That Mr..
James Abused Him.
CASE IN FEDERAL COURT
ONE MINING MAN WANTS PER
SoNAL DAMAGES OF ANOTHER.

William F. James, the well-known
mining man. is the defendant in a $1O,-
600 damage suit brought against him
by Alfred P. Sewall of Massachusetts,
one of the officers of the Maxfield Min
ing company. The papers in the case
were served upon Mr.. James yesterday
afternoon, and in them the allegation
is set forth that the plaintiff in the
action was, on the 18th inst, when met
by the defendant on the streets of this
city, subjected to a shower of abuse
and threats of a menacing character by
the latter all of which he claims is
worth TO him the amount sued for.
When seen at his home last evening,
Mr.. James explained that the meeting
between himself and the plaintiff on the
date named was only trivial affair
and arose over matters connected with
the Maxfield mine, of which Mr.. James
was manager for a period of about
nineteen years, during which time the
property paid to the stockholders $751;
00O the property costing in the first
place only S65. 600
Up to 1893 the mine was on a paying
basis, but during that year and about
the time the bottom fell out of the sill
| yer market, the company was involved
in debt over the payment of a dividend
which left an oVerdraft of $4,000 at Nc
| Cornick & Co.'S bank Mr.. James, then
manager of the mine, protested against
declaration of the dividend. but he
| was overruled by the other members
of the board of directors.
Settled With Bank.
Soon afterward the bank demanded
1 an accounting, giving only six days
| notice in which ii was to be done. Up
on the promises of the directors that
| he would be paid back the amount. to-
| gether with an account he held against
| the corporation, Mr.. James made good
the overdraft. while on the other hand
| his claims were not all settled, and
| have not been. up to this time, although
the claim has been reduced to about
! s., 500
Mr.. James claims to have asked for
an accounting a number of times, but
he received promises that the debt
would be squared up.
On his recent visit here, Mr.. Sewall
was asked about it, and Mr.. James
claims he was told by him in the pres
ence of witnesses that the amount
would be attended to, but that he had
supposed the previous assessments had
| been applied for that purpose, and i'm
| plored Mr. James not to bring suit
against the company, fearing that the
stock of the corporation would suffer
severe reverseS.
Afterward when a further demand
was made for his money. Mr.. James
alleges that the plaintiff had denied
statemsnts made previously that his
claims against the Maxf1eld company
were valid. Mr. James also alleges
| that Sewall had called him a liar,
| which he resented, with no blows pass
ing between them.
Mr.. James resigned the management
of the company last February, being
succeeded by Postmaster A l. Thomas
Now that this suit has been insti-
| tuted, il is intimated that the Max
field mine will be made the defendant
in a suit for the balance Mr.. James
claims il owed to him. He has re-
ceived 500 on the account since the
18th inst.