Evening star., 1905-05-14
LOEB WILL FIGHT SUIT
Presidents Secretary Re-
tained Counsel in Omaha
TO ANSWER MISS WOOD
SAID he Is NOT AFRAID OF ANY
CONTEST IN COURT.
Time Altogether Too Valuable to Waste
in Ridiculous Actions-Never
Saw Plaintiff

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
OMAHA, May 13.-William Loeb. secre-
tary to the President. has retained coun-
sci in Omaha to fight the suit which Mae
Catherine Wood brought against him two
weeks ago in connection with Wynne and
Miller. Loeb's attorney. John w. Battin,
is an old schooimate of the secretary and
met Mr.. Loeb in Chicago during the recent
trip of the President 10 that city. Mr..
Battin went to Chicago at the telegra phic
request of Mr.. Loeb and there arrangei for
defending the suit.
Il am not afraid of any suit Mss Wood
may bring against me-" Battn says Lccb
told him, but my time is altogether too
valuable to defend a ridiculous action
brought against me in Omaha when it could
just well have been filed in Washington
where l live. l don't think Mss Wood
would dare sue me in the District of CO.
Iumbia, but if ] am to be sued at all it
must be there where | can give the suit
proper attention.
Presidents Train Did Not Evade
Omaha
The Presidents train did not skip Oma-
ha to save me from service. but because
we We're late and wanted to get to Chicago
life. l had no intimation that she held me
in any way responsible for the loss of her
Platt letters until l read it in the newspa-
pers. and l don't know yet on what
grounds i am connected with the case.
Miss Wood called the White Housa by
telephone after her dismissal from the Post
Office Department and wanted me to inter
cede for her so that she might he rein
a
swered the telephone and told her if she
had any communication to send it by mail,
Miss Wood wrote to me. but l could do
nothing for her. And that's all the con-
necton ever had with her.
According to Mr.. Battin. Loehs attorney,
the suit is practically void and. he believes,
was not even filed in good faith Mr.. Bdttin
says:
THE Nebraska statutes declared that to
be legal the defendants must be in the
county at the time the suit is filed. and also
when 1t is issued.
Lawyer Says Suit is Void
'Since Miss Woods suit was filed wniie
Loeb was in Colorado obviously it has no
standing in court to begin with. Then the
summons was issued before he even entered
the state, and even if service had been OBJ
tanned on him at the depot in Omaha it
would not have been legal, because the
summons was not legal. Mr.. Loeb would
not have to return to Nebraska to fight any
such suit.
Il don't believe the suit was brought ia
good faith. II Miss Woods who is a law
yer herself. had really been anxious to file
a suit and get legal service on Loeb she
could have gone to some station on the line
of the Union Pacific at which the President
was to speak. and after his train had en-
tered the county or even the town she
could have filed the suit.
"A summons could have been issued and
service obtained before the special train
could have gotten out of town. Being a
lawyer she should know that herself l
think the suit was filed in Omaha simply to
gain notoriety for Miss Wood, and l do
not believe she is in earnest.
AIR. Battin viii take no action until some
service has been secured on his client. lie
says Loeb will not avoid Nebraska 10 es-
cape the service.