The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-03-07
CARE BUCK Nous
FAMILY AFFAIRS
I
Man Sues Former Wife and
Attorney for Share
Of Estate.
NIGHT SESSION HELD
Parsons Defends Himself by
Saying Woman Was Left
Penniless.
NIGHT SESSION HELD

The tangled and not lovely domestic
history Of Donald Buckhous was the
battlefield over which four attorneys
fought last night in the trial of Buck
hou0 suit against Attorney II. II. Par
sons and Mrs. F'ieety Smith uately Mrs.
Freely Buckhous). Tor recovery Of his
share in the estate Of Henry Buckhous,
deceased.
Buckhous has accused Parsons of IL
legally paying about $1,000 Of his share
In the estate to Mrs. Smith, saying that
Parsons had no right to represent him
and his wife in the partition OF the
property and less right to give the
money to the woman who was then
Mrs. Buckhous.
Woman Deserted by Husband.
Parsons in reply declared that Mrs
Buckhous employed him as her attor-
neg. sAnd that he .oniy wished 1t had
been $l0OOAy he turned over to this
poor woman and her babies. whom
BUckhous left without a penny while
he, ran off to live with a woman named
Ethel Conley, whom he has since mar
ried.'
token at night session Of Judge a.
JiDuncan'S department of the distfie.
COURT Arguments will be made To the
juryS after Instructions have been
agreed upon, which may be today.
Woman Employed Parsons.
The facts In the case, as shown ny
the evidence last night, are that Mrs.
EuclShous. after her husband had left
her. went to Parsons and asked him to
bring suit for divorce, on her behalf
Persons did 50. Later the heirs ID
Henry Buckhous took the estate into
court for partition. Mrs, Buckhous
asked Parsons to represent her in this
case, and he. agreed after the woma =
had shown him documents signed by
her husband, giving over to her his
personal property and empowering her
to dispose of real estate in any way she
should see fit.
Money Given to Wife.
In the partition Of the estate Donald
and Fleety Buckhous were awarded
about $4,000. Satisfaction of an at
tachment reduced this sum to $500.
Parsons then deducted attorneys fees
and costs and gave the remainder to
the woman.
Shortly afterward a decree of divorce
was granted to Mrs. Buckhous, +byt dc.
fault.
Attorney Without Rights, Is Claim.
Buckhous now claims that Parsons
had no right to represent him while
acting attorney for Mrs. Buckhous in
Il divorce suit; that Parsons had no
authority for giving Mrs. Buckhous
the money, and that the documents
held by Mrs. Buckhous had nothing to
do with his share in the estate of his
father.
Says Law Permitted Action.
Parsons. on the witness stand testi-
fled that he had been compelled to pay
costs in the two suits out Of his own
pocket because the woman and her four
children were starving; that Mrs.
Buckhous contracted tuberculosis as a
result of her sufferings after the run
away Of her husband and had TO. be
cared for in the state. tuberculosis hos
pital: that the law permits wife to
represent her husband In his absence
to protect her own rights, and that Mrs.
Buckhous was entitled to the money.
Attorneys T.. C.. Brown and c. A.
Russell appeared for Buckhous. Par
sons was represented by Charles II.
s,Hail and a. n. Whitlock.