The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-06-13
FAKE TRUE COPIES
Chancery Clerk Charged
With Furnishing Ger
titled Copies OF I'm
signed Orders.
IN OYER TWO HUNDRED CASES
Lawyer O'Callahan Makes
the Discovery and Threat
ems to Send Papers
to Governor.

Lawyer Edward A. O'Callahan of this city
made today the startling announcement
that officials in the Clerks Office of the
Court of Chancery sent to him an attest
ed copy of an order for publication pur-
porting to be signed by the late Chan
cellor McGill and on inspection no sigma
ture was on the original order and his
case was only one of two hundred.
What license" demanded Mr.. O'Calla-
han of Chancery Clerk Thompson, yes
terday, "has a clerk or official of this
State to send out a certified copy, mark
ed true copy, to solicitor in a case
when the original order was never signed
by the CHANCELLOR"
.Oh well,'' calmly replied the clerk
'this case is only one of a bunch of two
hundred
eff that be true, it is a damnable OUT
rage and 1 will send today the papers in
this case to the Governor" retorted the
lawyer Indignantly.
This questionable practice, to put 1t
mildly, means to Mr.. O'Callahan delay
in suit, expense and trouble and to
other lawyers whose certified true copies
are not what they pretend to be. In
this particular instance Mr. O'Callahan
by direction of his New York cores
pondent, Mr.. James Roberts, a prom
inent lawyer in that city, filed a divorce
bill in Chancery for Mrs Coveney. An
order of publication was obtained 10y Mr..
O'Callahan and certified copy of that
order was received by him. which was
duly printed in this paper.
The certified copy read that it was
signed by Alexander T. McGill, Chancel-
lor," and attested by Lewis p. Thompson,
clerk, as true copy. Mr.. OCallahan
filed his proofs Of publication, and yester-
day went before the present Chancellor
for an order of reference to a Vice Chan
cellor to take testimony on the defend
ants failure to answer within the time
specified by law.
To Mr.. O'Callahan's amazement he
found on inspecting the papers in the case
on file with the clerk that the original
order for publication in the custody of the
clerk, and for which he had given certl-
fed copy as being signed by the late
Chancellor, had never been signed.
Mr. O'Callahan, after telling the CierK
what he thought of such proceeding, at
once went before Chancellor Magic and
told him of the facts and asked him to
sign an order which lawyers term nunc
pro tunc The Chancellor refused to sign
this, and told the lawyer that however
unfortunate the circumstances were, he
must begin suit de novo.
So that because of thfs alleged true
COPY" which wasn't true, Mr.. O'Callahan
will have to start new suit, piling on
his client more expense and giving Mrs.
Coveney much delay, annoyance and
trouble.
'This practice of the clerk in sending
out copies of orders purporting to be
signed by a Chancellor when they are
really not signed is practically forgery. 1t
is high time that the members of the bar
put a stop to such misfeasance. Here am
I delayed in my suit, have to begin all
over again, incur more expenditure, my
client is annoyed and all because of gross
incompetency of some one in the Clerk of
Chancery's office. I am determined to
carry this matter to the Governor and
stop such bungling which amounts to
criminal"