The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-02
UNIQUE CASE IN
FEDERAL COURT
Tribunal Denounces Alleged
Judgments to be Fraudulent.
Lawyers Perplexed.
ATTORNEY WAS INNOCENT.
He Is Advised by Court to III
vestigatc Aspects Of
His Cause.
ATTORNEY WAS INNOCENT NJ, "a:

The routine Of argument Of cases be-
foro tile United states Circuit Court of
Appeals was varied yesterday and great
interest was added to tho closing hour OF
the session by the Introduction Of
ds entite ga.on ne wagner petitioner
VS.. Judge Thos. r. Morris, United States
District Judge, respondent OH petition for
a writ of mandarnlls. The purpose OF the
petition was to secure from this court Z,
writ to require Judge Morris to show
cause why te should not docket certain
judgments alleged to have been rendered
against q number OF persons and among
them Judge Morris himself, by Wagner.
eral and State Courts of,Virginia and
Maryland and other States, az a man
claiming largo judgments against many
prominent persons
practicing in washington, was tho at
torney representing Wagner. and claimed,
In the course Of his animated cOlloquy
with the court, thnt tito Judgments had
been handed to him ry certain well
he himself did not, know MI: WA ner. nor
the merits OF tho cases Of which tho
alleged judgments are tile outcome.
Fraudulent, Says Court.
Before the attorney had gotten far into
the statement OF the case he was inter-
rupted by the court and informed that
Judgments OF. dtlCSEO eSlc-
eating lin amount millions Of dollars had
been fraudulently secured In Dickinson
county, Va, and elsewhere. but upon the
dicoverey that no appearance had ever
been made by the defendants, the judg-
lnents had been dismissed
R Mr.. Wood protested that The judg-
ments lie held were fraudulent he was
wholly innocent of the fact, or he would
never hayo appeared here. He was act
ing merely as a courtesy to a brother
attorney. and only knew that the tldg-
ments he held We're apparently genuine
He had no lntin,ati that these judE-
ments had ever been before the courts,
and heen passed Hupon and had found no
record Of it, He further stated thntHhe
had been practioing forty years and had
never been connected with anything tlucs-.
tionable, and that + he had served the
Union four years. as a aoldier He 5n-
he would make it warm for the party
responsible. AT this point Judge Col
quietly interposed the remark that the
court would not advise any violence.
Many Questions Asked.
Tho attorney became involved In a run
ming colloquy with Judges Golf. Bra,Wley
and Pritchard. which at times, assumed
with Mr.. Scott at the witness under ex-
animation. Judge BrawleE read fromS:t
Baltimore paper Of June %, 1901, an at-
count OF an application By Wagner il, the
CulleQ ioldleS COuIC 1Uf tuStLs CltEEFsl
permission to file a number OF judgments
obtained by Wagner in the Dickinson
County Court Virginia, as,sregating
about six million dollars. Among tho
number was Judge Thomas J. Morris, OF
the United States District Court Was
l.er Is referred to in the publication as
the famous Frederick county iitigant,"
and reference Is made to certain alleged
judgments Of a, similar nature In Mary
land some time previous
4 Rp1tin1Ore a}fnrr u. rxyb crf t,g
enson county to Investigate an alleged
judgment I'm favor Of Wagner in the
court Of that county. Was alnazed 10 dis.
cover the long i,stSot Judgments asgrc-
persons, many Of them we'll know Mary
landers. He was unable to gather much
information as to how the judgments
came to DO entered on the docket of the
court excepu from tho docket itself,
which showed that the suits had been
brought In duo form, apparently, and that
no appearance being made by the de-
PENDANTS. Judgment had been entered up
as usual. under such conditions. Notices
OF the suits had been issued and recorded
as having been served. but the parties de-
PENDANT, or some$ OF Them n t least. had
never received notice sund did not know.
that such suits had been entered. In'short.
itappeared that "a daring fraud had been
pcrpetuated on&theg county court Itself.
Advised to Investigate.
III the course or A1f. NOOd $ persistent
effort to convince the court that the
judgments held BY him at this time wer,
not fictitious, he was frequently ques-
toned by the court, Judge Brawley and
Judge Golf plying him with questions.
THE court finally advised the attorney to
investigate the judgments involved and
ascertain whether they are the same OF,
similar to those already dismissed. This
was finally determined upon and the
court adjourned.
: Among the Dickinson county judg-
ments, alleged to be fraudulent or worth-
less, Is one against the Adams Express
Company for more than two millions, an
other against the County Commissioners
OF Frederick county, Nd; one, against
United States District Judge Thomas j.
Morris, another against tho Chief Justice
OF the Court of Appeals Of the District
of Columbia. and others against equally
prominent persons. 1t was stated yester-
day that Wagner was supposed to reside
somewhere IN Ohio.
f. ~. .