The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1909-06-02
PETITION TODISBAR
IS NOW ON FILE
CHARGES AGAINST P. W HARDING WERE
FILED ON MONDAY LAST
TRIAL IS SET FOR JUNE 22ND
Ten Counts in the Petition Eor Disbarment
Filed By Attorneys Appointed By Judge
Church.

Church.
On Monday forenoon formal charges,
embodied in petition for disbarment
were filed with the clerk of the dis
trict court and served upon Mr.. Hard
ing. The charges are the outcome of
the investigation which has been pro-
ceeding for some time, the progress
Of which has been previously noted in
the Review. The committee appoint
ed by Judge Church consisted of Jacob
Sims, P. E. e. Lally and E. X.
Burch. These gentlemen called
large number of witnesses and finally
brought in report advising that dis
barment proceedings be instituted.
Judge Church thereupon appointed
Messrs. Sims and Lally to prepare
and prosecute the charges. This has
been done and the charges were filed
on Monday.
II Judge Church has given notice that
the matter will come up for hearing
on June 22nd and that Judge R. M
L
1t is quite possible however that there
will be continuance as MIR. Harding
left for Idaho Falls. Idaho, on yester-
} day afternoon. Mr.. Harding denies
any guilt and has employed b. l.
2 Salinger and former Judge s. Nj. Ell
9 wood to defend him. We learn fur
e ther that he claims that he is being
d prosecuted by the other attorneys of
t the city and that he will retaliate.
+ The trial promises to be the most SEN
+ sational ever held in Crawford county.
10 There IS nothing secret about the mat
y ter. The charges are now on file with
! Clerk Faul for the inspection ot my
,r responsible party and the cause Will
assuredly be tried in open court.
The charges are divided into ten
g counts the list Of which is as follows.
Count One.
States that as a ground for the
order of disbarment against Mr.. Hard
/ ing that he is and for ten years has
! been member OF ehfo bra ct aoin
/ duly licensed and pacticing in Craw
/ ford County and that about the 7th
OF July, 1906, he commenced in Dis
i trict Court on behalf of one Teresa
Sciford an action for divorce against
her husband, George Sciford, alleging
l that he had been guilty of a course
of inhuman treatment for five years
| previous and that Mr.. Harding caused
writs of attachment to issue upon
the property of the said Sciford and
had writs of garnishment served up
on all parties owing him money or
holding his property, the gafnish-
ments covering property worth many
thousands of dollars. Immediately af-
ter Mr.. Harding without request from
the wife and without an authority
went to Coon Rapids, Iowa, where
Mr.. Sciford was stopping and false
ly and fraudulently represented to him
that upon the trial of the case be-
fore Judge Powers. one of the judges
of the District Court in and for Craw-
ford County, at Denison, that the
Judge had commissioned Harding to
| effect a reconciliation between the
husband and wife, when in truth
there had been no trial of the cause
and no request made of Mr.. Harding
by the Judge and that by reason of
the fact of the issuing of the writs of
attachment and garnishment and rea-
son of the pendency of the divorce suit
and the said representations as to
/ the wishes of Judge Powers, Harding
was enabled to, and did, eXtort from
Mr.. Sciford the sum of five hundred
dollars as alleged attorneys fees and
one hundred dollars as alleged costs
in said action, without any considera-
ton therefore, and thereupon the said
try OF record OF July 10, 1906. In belief
that all differences between himself
sand wife had been adjusted by reason
of this settlement, Mr.. Sciford again
for period of about three months
when learning that Mr.. Harding was
again preparing a petition in the
name of Teresa Sciford asking for a
divorce from him, and fearing rep
itition Of his former experiences with
n Harding, Mr.. Sciford went to the
state of New York on a visit with
his friends and that about the 26th
day of January, 1907, Mr.. Harding
j ontinued on Tenth Page)