The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-12-03
nOPk Ms LOSES
STANDING AS
LAWYER
Woman Wins Her Case
and Disbarment
Follows.


Judgment disbarring James Hop
kins from the further practice of
law This judgment was entered
on the finding of the bar commit
tee, which recently investigated
Hopkins record and recommended
that he be deprived of his rights
rs an attorney.
Hopkins was present iG court,
but was not represented by coun-
sci. and produced no petition in
his behalf, as it was previously
given out that he would. After
the court had signed the order of
disbarment, Hopkins asked R. l..
McWilliams, one of the attorneys
who conducted the investigation
on behalf of the bar, to request
the court to fix a bond for an APP
peal The court accordingly fixed
the appeal bond at 5000, and Hop
kins left the court room.
In the case brought by Hopkins
against Mrs. Mary X Britain of
The Dalles. Ore, to recover $1,000
for services alleged to have been
rendered her in the securing of a
settlement with William Mason,
Judge Carey last evening found
for Mrs. Britain and assessed the
costs against Hopkins.
The court censured Hopkins
only IN one point, that of altering
power of attorney from Mason
to Hopkins, which was changed to
read for the United States instead
of the state of Idaho, as originally
made out The court said that in
view of the fact that Hopkins was
to face the court on the morrow in
disbarment proceedings, he would
not further complicate matters by
telling what he thought of the gen.
eral conduct of Hopkins in his
dealings with Mrs. Britain.
Hopkins, the disbarred lawyer,
who is now well along toward so,
was formerly sheriff back in
Iowa. He has practiced law in
Spokane and the Palouse country
for over Is years, during which
time he has been mixed up in
more shady transactions than any
other lawyer that ever practiced
here
In the later years he was associ-
ated in number of peculiar lodg-
ing house deals with one William
Mason, now absent US a matter of
necessity Mason is about 81 years
of age and is the fellow who vic
timized Mrs. Britain out of 5000,
that led to her coming in contact
with Hopkins and the subsequent
disappearance of Mason. There
were frequent exchanges of pow
ers of attorney between Mason
and Hopkins, and it was hard to
tell at times which was which,
whether or not Mason was Hop
kins or Hopkins was Mason.
In the spring of the present
year these old partners had fall
ing out, resulting in Hopkins tip
ping off the whereabouts of Mason
to Mrs. Britain, for which treach-
cry to his old pal Hopkins is now
thrown into heavy court costs for
trying to beat the woman out of
the proceeds of her settlement
with Mason
Mrs. Britain yesterday stated
that after she had made a settle
ment with Mason, in which the
latter turned over to her an as
signment of a 81 900 interest in
conditional bill of sale fer $1,700
On the Vendome lodging house,
also a diamond ring and a gold
watch, Hopkins tried to beat her
Out of the diamond ring by intro
ducing to her a woman who tried
to claim that Mason had stolen it
from her. Mrs. Britain hid the
ring in the palm of her hand and
asked the woman to identify it
and tell the conditions under
which Mason had taken it. The
woman weakened and admitted
that the ring was not hers, and
that ended the effort along this
line.
The evidence showed that Hop
kins had torn from the Vendome
bin of sale the original assign
ment made by Mason to Mrs.
Britain, and crumpling 1t in his
band, threw 1t on the table in his
Office while Mrs. Britain's atten-
ton was attracted toward some
thing else. Hopkins then substi-
tuted an assignment signed by
himself as William Mason through
q power Of attorney, which was
Afterward found to be void.
Mrs. Britain, however, was too
sharp for Hopkins. While his back
was turned she picked up the
cfumpled original assignment torn
on and cast aside by Hopkins and
secreted II about her person. Hop
kins afterward missed the piece of
paper and asked her II she had
aoticed It. TO which she replied
that she had not, II turned up In