Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-07-08
Used Name Resembling That of
Deceased Attorney to
Get Money.
COUNTY ATTORNEY STEPS IN
He Orders .ascnrs 10 Discontinue the
Practise Prosecution to
Follow RcpcGtions.

Although r p. Lapmon. an attorney,
has been dead for three years. his name
altered with one letter, has appeared re-
on n dozen or more Summons Is
eued from the city court in collection
eases handled by the Wallace Law Col-
lection agency in the d r. Walker
building. When the attention Of Coun-l
.t y Atty Job p. Lyon was called to
+ the matter yesterday, he Immediately
= Put stop to 1t. Ii L,lynloh's name
10 pl,earss on any niore summons, John y
Wallace, president OF the company, Will
R be prosecuted for forgery
For more than two years. the name
OF the dead attorney has been used
ny. the collection agency, according to
the records. The first case OF record
was DR.. Woodmansee against Sam Cas-
y tlebarfy Since that time dozens of
summons have been signed In this
manner where a settlement has been
made by the debtor without going to
court.
The case which was called toithe at
8ttntion of Mr. Lyon Yesterday was that
OF Or. w II. RotlrWel against Jens
Hanson for the collection of a Doctors
bill. When Wallace was called by
telephone by Mr.. Lyon, he explained
that L4ymon was IL member of the firm
and that he was now in Cincinnati,
4 Ohio. Wallace admitted that Layinon
s had no t been in Salt Lake for three
years and5Sthat tho attorney had not
signed the summons and had no kllo~l-{
edge that Is was being done. Wallace
denied that he knew of LANNON'S death.
5'phe fact that the summons bears the
name of g aynan" instead Of Lay
mon" the latter being the proper way
TO spell the name, Is the only thing
that saved the. collecting agency from
standing trial.
YOUNG NAN INVESTIGATES.
About a month ago. q summons was
received by a young man from tho
city court and signed .tLayman.n He
went to court to see about it, taking
the summons with him. FIe was told
q hat the suit had not been filed, as the 1
sNYallace collection agency. which WAS
handling the mat tier. had five days in
which to file the case after the sum
mons was served. The young man a
went to the Wallace collecting agency
gtd5inake a settlement and avoid suit. \
81 When he went to the offices of the
company. he asked for Mr. Ilayinop,.s 81
The stenographer;told him tina Laymoii
had lust stepped out but would return
shortly. She offered to have the mat
ter taken up by another member or the a
firm. He consented and agreed upon
s a settlement. No suit was filed.
IL It is charged by several attorneys
whose clients have brought similar
summons to them, that it is a s'bluff"
10 scare the persons into making a set
Element without going TO court and pay
costs. In the city court an attorney
can Issue q summons upon his own d
signature and then have Ave days in
which to file the suit. This is perfectly
regular and i, regarded as good pro-
sceednre when the attorney is not Il
dead man. II
MAKES NO STATEMENT.
John j. Wallace said this morning
when called by telephone that he had
nothing 10 say about the matter. He 4
would neither affirm nor deny that ttis 4
name of Laylnon had been used on
summons issued at the instance OF his
firm. Wallace WAS arrested for enl-
sbezzlcment about three years ago, but
was acquitted.
95 II. I4aymon was well known in Salt
Lake. He was suffering from poor
health when he came out here and
only remained a short time. He was
employed at the Knutsforl hotel short
sly before he returned to Cincinnati
When he died there several persons
sNt1o, knew him hare received word Of
his Oath from his family, etss Stff