The Washington times., 1906-02-14
JOHN H. ADRIAANS
DROPPED FROM BAR
Supreme Court Finds Him
Guilty of Fraud.
HELD UPON ONE COUNT
Justice clabaugh Says lie Was CIea.sd
on All Charges ExcepE Defrauding
Wesley Frye Of Realty.

John IT. Adriaans was today declared
guilty Of conduct uubec0minz a member
/ Of the bar, a q meeting of the justices
! Of the Supreme Court OF the District
/ in generaI term. Chief Justice Cla-
I baugh also stated that an order VIII
I be signed by the court disbarring
I Adriaans from longer practicing as an
attorney before the court.
! dissenting opinion was submitted
/ by Justice Wright, who contended that
/ the records Of the court on which the
! prosecution of Adriaans was based
showed no allegations of fraud and
/ failed to set forth facts necessary TO
sustain 3 charge of fraud.
His Own Counsel.
Adriaans was charged b. the griev-
ance committee of the Washington bar
| with conduct unbecoming an attorney.
| in that he had in several instances prac-
ticed fraud upon his clients. 4 hearing
on the charges were had before the
1 justices of the local court in general
term some time ago. At the hearing
Adriaans appeared as his own counsel
| When the court convened today, Chief
| Justice Clabaugh announced that on all
| the charges the court found in favor OF
IAdriaans except the first, in which he was
! accused of having, in March, 1904, fraud
uientlv obtained possession Of certain
real estate in AnaCostia from one Wes-
ley Frye and others. InteTate COlOred
/ persons. When the decision of the court
was announced, Attorney James 5.
noanced r5anc that he waIld take an an excep- l tsi
/ tion to the findings of the court in the
matter. and would take an appeal from
I the judgment
Watson Out, Too.
The court also passed an order dis
barring James n. A. Watson. jr.. who is
now in the penitentIary serving a ten
/ years sentence for embezzlement of
| District funds.
Thinks Not Enough Proved.
In announcing his dissent from the
/ majority of the court, Justice Wright
! said the right of an attorney to con-
tinue practice cannot be denied him
/ without due process of law. To s,ls-
tain the charges against Adriaans. it
must be proved that he was an attor-
/ ney. that he was attorney for Frve.
thar Frye owned real estate. that Frye
signed a conveyance to Adriaans. that
Adriaans procured him to sign it by
/ false representations.
No witness wascalled. he said: moth
! ing was brought forward save the naked
! record, and upon il the prosecution
a
of law and it is insucient to allege that
a deed has been obtained by fraud. uu-
! less the acts constituting the f.aud are
/ stated on the face of the bill.
Nothing in Decree.
THE decree which purports TO find
fraud he continued. finds nothing at
all, As to the grounds upon which it
was based, the decree is silent; it recites
no findings of fact. nor does 1t find gen
orally one way or the other upon the
/ issues joined between the parties.
| In announcing the decision of the ma
! jority of the court Chief Justice Cla-
/ baugf said the charge OF fraud had
clearly been made out against Adriaans,
not alone by the records and testimony
| which had been considered zy the court
! but also by his own admissions in his
| answer to the complain filled by Frye
and others. While Adrians denied any
! intention of fraud. the court said never
theless he signified has intention to re-
convey the property to the con4Dlainants
upon the payments of costs.