Evening star., 1903-08-31
HUMPHREYS PUNISHED
Hawaii's Former Judge Dis-
barred for Offenses.
SCANDALOUS AFFAIR
OUTCOME OF THE CARPET-BAG IN
VASIoN OF THE TERRITORY.
Preparations for the Fall Campaign
Natives Not Likely to Get
County Offices.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star

l
Humphreys. who for three years past has
| been one of the most conspicuous charac-
| ters In this city. l had occasion to write
| about him over two years ago, when the
| Bar Associa tion of Honolulu asked the
| President to remove him from the bench
| of the territorial circuit court on account
! of scandalously violent and corrupt acts.
That request was denied; there was total
| failure properly to present the case at
| Washington, the agent sent for that pur-
! pose having evidently been corrupted by
the adroit Humphreys. His crooked ca
| reer seems now to have come to an end in
| Honolulu.
| Not long after that affair, doubtless
prompted by advice from Washington. Mr.
| Humphreys resigned from the bench, and
resumed his law practice. He soon enlisted
| in case, or series of cases, which became
| scandalously notorious. A shameful course
| of imposition was practiced upon an aged
| man of somewhat impaired faculties, who
| became the prey of greedy relatives and of
| INSCRIPTIONS lawyers. These cases con-
| cerned the disposition of a sum of S1100OO
paid by the Oahu railway to the aged Will
| liam Sumner, a half-white gentleman, as
| the price of tract of Overf1owed land ad-
! jacent to the harbor. Poor old Sumner
| was past eighty years of age. and while,
| as the courts determined, not of unsound
| mind, was somewhat feeble in his mental
action. He had several young relatives,
who were anxious to secure that money to
| themselves and prevent the old gentleman
| from retiring with it to Tahiti, where he
| had previously made his home
A Discreditable Scramble.
A struggle for the property ensued, in
which several lawyers joined, Humphreys
| being prominent among them. In the
earlier stages of the contest he was on the
(, side of Sumner, but latterly against him.
The earlier contest was to prove Sumner
| insane. He was finally induced to compro-
mise by giving his relatives $4,000 apiece,
their lawyers working upon his timid and
complaisant disposition, as well as on his
actual affection for his relatives. In this
compromise Humphreys co-operated, but
failed to secure what his client relied upon
a full covenant to cease further attacks
upon him. Sumner had at the outset given
SIC, 600 to the Catholic Church. The lawyers
also secured over $10.o 600 from him in exor-
bitant fees. After this the old man had
$4S,O25 left, with which he proposed to de-
part for Tahiti But. in spite of all sup
posed settlements, further attacks began
upon him, in which A. s. Humphreys par
ticipated. The whole affair became a
shamefully conspicuous scandal, arousing
public Indignation and compassion for the
prosecuted man.
A Betrayal of Confidence.
For lack of thorough understanding of
the many complications Of the business 1
cannot undertake to specify with precision
where Mr.. Humphreys tangible misconduct
came in. The most thoroughly established
charge upon which the supreme court con-
victed and disbarred him was not the exac-
ton Of excessive fees, which they censured,
but his betrayal of his client Summers con-
fidence In using upon the opposing side
knowledge gained while in his service. Such
betrayal was treated by the court as
grossly dlshonor1ng to the profession. There
was. in addition, the charge testified to by
Humphreys brother-in-law, Magoon. who
instituted the proceedings against him, that
Humphreys solicited Magoon to betray
Sumner. for whom he was acting, and look
out only for their common interest in fees
to be secured.
A Dissenting Opinion.
protracted hearing was given to Hum
phreys and three other respondents, after
which the decisions were DELAYED two
weeks apparently on account of the dis
senting opinion of Mr.. Justice Galbraith
1t seems not improper to state that Mr.
Galbraith is much in the habit of dissent
ing from his two colleagues, especially in
cases in which are concerned any of the
four subordinate judges of his own stripe
who were appointed to office at the same
time with himself. Galbrath agreed with
his colleagues that the respondents were
highly censurable, although not meriting
so severe a penalty disbarment He
however, wholly discredited Magoon's testf-
mony as named above, and judged Magoon
to be as bad as the others.
Others Implicated.
Besides Humphreys. young partner Of
his named Thompson was suspended for
one year, as being implicated in the main
affair. Another attorney, George A. Davis.
was also disbarred for a different act of
misconduct in the same Sumner litigation.
he having bullled the old man out of q
$500 fee undertaking either to secure or to
prevent his gaining possession of the re
naming $4S,O20, neither of which results
he did anything to accomplish This man
Davis although Of eccentric and violent
demeanor, had not hitherto been reputed as
corrupt. and has held temporary judicial
positions in the lower courts 1t happeps
however, just now to come to light that he
lately procured himself to be secretly an
pointed guardian of the two minor heirs OF
the great Campbell estate. Very strangely
Judge Gear OF the circuit court so appoint
ed Davis without the KNOWLEDGE of eitber
the mother Of the minors, Mrs. Samuel
Parker or of the two very reliable trustees
OF the estate Messrs. j. o. Carter and Cecil
Brown. all three of whom have united in
protest against Gears action 1t also turns
out that Davis Immediately emnloved
Gears father and brother In San Francisco
TO take adverse legal action respecting
property in San Jose belonging to the az.
tate. Being disbarred, Davis has now With
drawn from the case and the estate is res
cued from the prospective looting.
A Pest Of Carpet Baggers.
Hawaii has for over three years bean
greatly afflicted with a set Of judicial car
pet baggers. who successfully Intrigued at
Washington for appointment, and of whom
Messrs Humphreys and Gear have been
the most objectionably conspicuous. II ia
much to be regretted that the late soma
torial commission while here permitted
themselves to fall under the Influence of
these corrupt men. whose policy It has heen
to oppose and denounce the true and tried
men OF Hawaii. and everything in their
principles and policy, as un-American and
obsolete Senators Mitchell Foster and
Burton were escorted around the islands
and assiduously attended by the now dis
barred Humphreys. Their printed report
shows the pervative influence of the cor
rupt and adroit Humphreys and his asso-
ciates, to whose views the Commission
chiefly leaned rather than to those of the
reliable and experienced citizens Of the
territory.
The Along Family Involved.
In reference to the domestic relations of
Humphreys and of Magoon. who instituted
the prosecution Of the former, they married
daughters Of the noted and numerous
fnno fa iiv Thar hos