The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-03
WILSON CASE UP.
Big Disbarment Suit Before
District Court Today.
Covers Wide Latitude and In
cludes Many Charges.
REAL ESTATE DEALS.
Charge Is Made That They
Did a Fraudulent Business.
Made Collections and Clients
Got But Little.
REAL ESTATE DEALS.

Bar association has occupied the time
of Judge Dana of the district court to-
day. The defendants are represented
by Attorneys Monroe, Lynch and
Humphrey, while the Bar association is
represented by Attorneys Allen, Ham
tlton, Foster, Overmyer and Campbell.
The Wilson's have been residents OF
Topeka for several years and though
they have been known as lawyers their
practice was a small part of, their
methods employed by them were such
that complaints began to reach the
postoffice officials about a year ago
and an investigation was started.
They flooded the country with allur-
| ing advertisements as real estate agents
| and had a scheme as unique as it was
remuneratiVe and one which netted
them small sized fortune before they
ernment's secret service men. Any one
was privileged to list his property
with the firm upon the payment of
fee of SO, the property to be advertfs-
ed in numerous publications.
From the testimony of J. c. Lund-
land this morning, one of the postorice
inspectors who worked. up the case
against the Wilson's, some idea of the
may be gained. The Wilson's claimed to
have 1000 pieces of property listed for
sale for which a fee of $40 each was
paid. This would make their income
ing of an additional fee attached in
case that the property should happen
to be sold.
The owners who had property for sale
were shown a list of 100 papers in which
the properties listed were to be adver-
tised, though the report of the inspec-
tor shows that but one paper printed a
description of the property and that of
only about SO out of the 1000 pieces
listed with the Wilson's. Several other
papers were used by the Wilson's.
though but a small part of the property
listed was ever heard of again to say
nothing of advertised. The inspectors
failed to find a list of the sales made
| by the firm.
Started Trouble by Assault
Complaints became SO numerous
about the Wilson's and their transac-
lions as lawyers that about the first of
November a grievance committee was
appointed from the bar association to
prepare charges against them. They
were expelled from the Shawnee County
Bar association and the disbarment pro-
| ceeding case has been pending since
| that time. The following are the
charges which are being aired in the
district court today:
THAT on October "a, 1906 Anthony P.
| Wilson and three other members of his
family at his office in this city assault
| ed and severely beat r. A. Lovett, an
attorney of Salina, Kansas, while ne
| was engag ed in taking dispositions in
proceeding to disbar Clement l. Wilson.
That it is a part of the general
method of carrying on the business of
| Wilson and Wilson to insult and In
| tinidate clients and others with WhoIn
| they have dealings.
'.That they recently collected money
belonging to Bessie Hanrahan, which
| they refused to pay over on demand.
'That they recently collected money
belonging to Samuel Magill, which they
refused to pay over on demand
THAT they carry on business in the
name of the American Collection
Agency and that their method OF max
| ing collections Is to send threatening
and abusive letters to the parties from
whom they seek to make collections;
| and that they are in the habit of pre-
senting claims which they know to be
| fraudulent and of undertaking to fright
en- people into the payment of them.
THAT in connection with the law
office and collection agency A. z.
Wilson conducts under the name of one
| Taft a fraudulent real estate agency,
| through which he collected advance fees
under pretense of undertaking to adVer-
| tise and sell property, without any pur-
pose of effecting a sale, but merely to
get money from those who conf1de with
out rendering or intending to render any
service therefor.
| Findings of Committee.
After investigating the charges com
| mittee from the mar association report
| ed:
First-We your committee find that
| while engaged in the practice Of law
in the city of Topeka during the year
1905, that Anthony P. Wilson and A.
| P Tone Wilson received from Bessie
! Hanrahan for collection a note against
| Charles Englebright of st. Marys for
| $4,000. The face of the note was col
lected and $24.30 was paid to the own
er of the note, the remainder being
| retained by the Wilson's as their Zee
| for collecting the account. This mat
| ter was afterwards placed in the hands
| of A. F. Williams by Miss Hanrahar
| who brought suit in the city court ano
recovered the face of the note less nve
| per cent which was allowed fol
| charges for collecting. The case was
appealed to the district court by the
Wilson's but before the time set fol
4 trial it was settled, the Wilson's paying
the amount stipulated by the city
court with the costs of the action
| Second-The committee further al
| leges that the Wilson's received from
Samuel Magill note of-$1oo Tor col
lection against Hiran Fisher. which
| was given for rent of q farm near To-
| peka, and that the face of the note
was collected and that they refusec
| to nav the owner more than 5000
claiming that they were entitled u
lione-half of the face value of the note
for collection charges. Magill claim
ed that the Wilson's had made a Verpa
agreement with him to charge him bu
10 per cent of the amount collected by
them. This matter was placed in the
hands of Mr.. d. H. Branaman, wht
brought suit and forced the paymen
of the remainder of the account witt
the exception of a charge of five pei
| cent for collection. 1t was during the
time that this suit was pending tina
| one of the Wilson's came to the Office
of Mr.. Branaman and upbraided hin
for taking an account for collection
against a brother attorney, at thu
same time stating that they regarded
i such an act as unprofessional.
ThS Collection Agency.
Third-In this count the commit