Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-04
LIE PASSES AND
LAWYERS BATTLE
Colonel Tom Thornton Knocks
Attorney C. T. Sutton from
the Witness Stand

Angered beyond all bounds of court
decorum because Attorney Charles T.
Sutton questioned his reputation for
veracity, during the trial of small
civil suit in department eleven of the
superior court, before Judge Frank
Willis, Col. Tom Thornton, a we'll
known attorney, who is sometimes
designated as "silver-tongued," as
saulted Sutton with his fists yesterday
afternoon. The two men then engaged
in a fist fight, and had to be separated
by force. Both were fined for con-
tempt and paid.
The Judge and everybody in court
| were paralyZed for moment, it all
| happened so suddenly and unexpected
| ly. Then the bailiff grabbed Thornton,
/ and Deputy District Attorney A. j.
| Hill grabbed Sutton and pulled them
apart.
The case on trial was that % R. A
Turner against E. NJ. Durant for the
collection of 500 attorneys fees, which
had been assigned to the plaintiff by
Attorneys Porter and Sutton, who
claimed that Durant had failed to pay
them this amount for legal work in
recent litigation over Redondo prop
erty.
Sutton and Porter were representing
senting Durant. Sutton went on the
stand, and Thornton charged that
Sutton had allowed sixty days to
elapse before answering letters in con-
nection with a case.
THAT is absolutely a false state
ment," declared Sutton. quickly.
Thornton, who is a southerner by
birth, grew livid at the implication.
GOES TO THE FLOOR
'You pass the lie to mel" he thun-
dered. "You - take that" and he
struck Sutton on the head with such
force that he sent the attorney sprawl
! ing along with the chair in which he
had been sitting.
Again Thornton struck him. and
| Sutton, dazed, commenced to fight
back. Thornton was the older man
| of the two, and there is no telling
what Sutton would have done if the
| two had not been pulled apart.
"I allow no man on this earth to
reflect on my word as a gentleman and
an attorney" stated Thornton, trem-
bling from his eXertions, to Judge
Willis, who had watched the proceed
! ings amazed and angry.
"Just a moment gentlemen" ordered
Judge Willis. "Call the court reporter" !"
! he said to the bailiff. you can make
your statements when he arrives" he
said, turning to the attorneys.
you honor" began Sutton, "I have
been practicing law for about fifteen
/ years, and this is the first time that
anything of this kind has happened
| to me. I am more sorry than l can
say, and 1 am sure Mr.. Thornton is
also sorry for what he did. l did not
mean to pass the lie to him, and may
have expressed myself rather force
I fully What l meant to convey was
that the gentleman was mistaken in
| his assertions"
Thornton also made a statement, in
which he apologized for his conduct.
your honor" he said. 81 am always
scrupulously polite in court, but when
man reflects on my honor that is
something which I will not stand.
consider my honor sacred and I could
not see, in view of Mr.. SuttOn's state
ment, how he could infer anything else
! than that I lied. I apologize most
earnestly to the court"
ATTORNEYS FINED
This is something that has never
happened in a court over which I pre-
sided before" began Judge Willis.
sternly. Mr.. Sutton is certainly to
blame for making the statement he
did. l think he was wrong and should
have expressed himself differently.
You, Mr.. Thornton, were wrong in
what you did You should have ap-
pealed to the court for justification un-
der the circumstances, and neither of
you should have become embroiled in
fight in this room.
Mr. Sutton, l find you guilty of con-
tempt of court, and order that you pay
a fine of $50 to the clerk before 10
o'clock tomorrow morning.
"Mr. Thornton. I fine you $25 or five
days in Jail for the same reason"
Thornton went over to the clerk and
Immediately made out check for the
amount of his fine, and shortly after
ward Sutton did the same.
After a recess of ten minutes to al
low the electricity in the air a chance
to depart, the trial was resumed and
t. ken under submission.