Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-08-13
W. Il. Abel Brazenly Advertises His Pull
with Judge Irwin
How Abel Was Enabled to Secure Snan Tudornon+
Against H H5nry A. Kalb and Dragged of It
Later to the Victim of Judicial Fav-
orltism. Abels Pull Valu-
able to His Law Office

In every abOrtive attemDt of the
Abel-lrwin press to dispute the rec
Ords of the superior court, as pub
lished in the Herald, a general de-
nial is made to the allegation thai
W. II. Abel controls the court, and
this article is written for the purpose
of proving that w. H. Abel does con-
troll Judge Irwin, and that he adver-
tises the fact to secure business for
his law office. We beg a careful con-
sideration of the facts and court rec
ords printed below, and if, after it's
perusal, the reader is not convinced
the Herald will cheerfully publish his
doubts, together with his reasons
therefor, if stated briefly and in cour-
teous language and signed by the
writer.
The case under review is that
Sherman e Harmon, general insur-
ance agents, against II. A. Kalb, at
the time a well known logger of ABB
erdeen, now a prominent sawmill
owner at Raymond, on promssory
not for $359.47, given to plaintiffs
as part payment on a life insurance
policy. kalb had made application
for policy through the plaintiffs
and gave the note in payment. When
the policy arrived, it proved not to be
the kind of policy Kalb had applied
for and he returned it to Sherman &
Harmon, saying he would accept none
but the kind ordered, which was to
contain an unrestricted incontesta-
BILE and nonforfeitable clause
The agents retained the policy re-
turned to them, and issued no other
in its stead, but when the note fell
due brought suit for it's collection,
and kalb engaged Hon. c. w. Hodg-
don, of HOquiam, to defend the ac-
ton. The case was set for trial by
jury on March 81, 1902, at 8 a. m.
Kalb at this time was logging more
than thirty miles north of Aberdeen,
on the Wishkah river. His postof-
flee address was Aberdeen; he knew
his case was set at Montesano on
March 81, but did not know the
hour. and thought he would be in
time by taking the morning train.
which arrived at Montesano at II
O'Clock. Reaching Aberdeen late the
night before from his logging camp,
he found letter in his box the next
morning from Attorney Hodgdon in
forming him that the trial was set for
. o'clock, and telling him to take the
Z a. m boat, but the boat had left
before he got the letter. He called
up the courthouse at Montesano and
asked to speak to Judge Hodgdon.
The sheriff, Gin whose office was the
only phone in the courthouse) noti-
fled tlodgdon, who was at that time
pleading with Judge Irwin for a con-
tinuance of the case until afternoon,
to permit his client, who was the
only witness. to reach Montesano.
llodsdon asked permission of the
court to go down to the sheriff's
office to learn the reason why his
client was absent. This permission
was brusklY refused by the court
and the trial ordered to proceed. At
torney lIodgdon then filed Il motion
fol Il continuance OF the case to
O'Clock p. m, and in support of the
motion filed the following affidavit:
In the Superior Court .Chehalis Coun-
tY.
Charles w. sherman, ct al, VS.. II. \.
Kalb.
state of Washington, County of Che
halls, IS.
|, C. w Hodgdon, being first duly
sworn on oath depose and say that
am attorney for defendant herein;
that the defendant in the above en-
titled cause is not present, and the
reason of his absence is unknown to
me: that | believe he must have mis-
understood the time when the case
was to be called and intends to come
by this days train. which is due to
arrive here at about II o'clock: that
said defendant is a material witness
herein, and the testimony of said de-