The San Francisco call., 1905-02-10
ANGRY WYERS
IN FINAL CLASH
Clunie and Bridgford Are
Unsparing in Bitter De-
nunciation of Each Other
GRAVE CHARGES MADE
Characters Are Attacked and
Crimes Imputed in Ar
guments of Two Executors

A wnirlwind finish, in which Shake
speare. zoology and criminal law were
drawn upon for a supply of wordy
weapons marked the end yesterday of
the hearing of Andrew Clunie's objec-
tions to the account Of E. A. Bridgford
and Burrell G. White as executors of
the estate of the late Thomas j. Clu-
ME. Judge Coffey now has the contro-
versy under submission The court an
nounced that the linguistic contest had
not obscured the issues and that the
charges Of misconduct and personal re-
fiections upon the executors, whether
right or wrong, could not enter into the
consideration Of the items of the ac-
count in question.
BridgfOrd, who opened the days ar
gument, proclaimed his reluctance to
enter into personalities and managed
to suppress his feelings until he had
exhausted his law points in defense of
the many acts of the executors, dealing
particularly with the right to employ
attorneys and pay them out of the
funds of the estate.
His conclusion was more exciting than
his law. He said that he and White
had been charged with misconduct
looting, embezzlement and other heinous
crimes-but the charges had not been
made by an honest man for honest
ears, but in order to reach the press
and humiliate the executors before the
public. The motive, he said, was in
Clunies innate disposition to injure
those who displeased him.
Then Bridgford discussed at some
length a few particularly offensive
characters in Shakespeare. painting IN
detail the vileness of Don John, half
brother Of Don Pedro, in Much Ado
About Nothing" TT has been said" he
declared, that such a character can
not be found In human nature. bat we
have him In this case" With like pur-
pose Bridgford drew odious compari-
sons between his enemy and "a heather
Chinese" and concluded with pointed
description of the brute commonly
known as the skunk"
C1unie'S turn came next, and with
few sarcastic references to Bridgford's
remarks he said he wanted to quote
little Shakespeare also about "sancti-
monious hypocrites," but Judge Coffey
asked him to .cut the literature out
and deal with the case"
Thereupon Clunie jumped from
charge to charge. He said that Bridg-
ford and Grant had formed a law part
nership and divided fees in Justices
Court cases, and 1t was reasonable
that they would divide the $4,000 paid
Grant as attorney for the estate. He re-
ferfed to the settlement with Mrs. Clu-
ME for s15D,000 and said 1t seemed pc
culiar, inasmuch as her father had Of
fered to settle for $4,000, and then he
asserted that White had recommended
his friend, Ralph Wilson, as Mrs. Clu-
MES attorney, and Wilson had given
White a tea set after the settlement. 4
think that tea set was blind" said
Clunie. These gentlemen" he shouted,
Ought not to be here defending any
case. They ought to be In the dock, and
/ will help send them there. They talk
about prosecuting me for criminal libel.
If they take any such proceedings 1
will convince a jury that my charges
are true or I will pay $1,000 to some
charity" Growing in his anger, he
talked contemptuously about Bridg-
ford's standing as a churchman and at
torney. and declared eff my boy relied
upon his protection he would die in the
gutter" He declared that Bridgford
had committed a felony in filing for
record the deed by which Mrs. Clunie
transferred her property to her hus-
band, knowing the instrument to have
been falsely obtained Numerous equal
ly bitter charges were made before the
attorney concluded.