The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-08-02
v.okuk Lawyer Writes Suggesting
Dropping Of Section Of Law
placing Alien Estates In
Consular Hands.
OUTCOME OF GREEK CASE
o.rovai Of Lambrakls az Administered.
or by Judge Hamilton Starts
Much Legal Machinery In
Motion.

When a l0Wly Greek ldUOrcr was
crushed between two railroad cars
while unloading coal here in Keokuk,
here started what seems about to
become a cause celebre.
Atnanios Leoleos was his name, and
after his death Lambrakis was ap-
nointed his administrator. The latter
employed r. T. Hughes as attorney
tn sue the Rock Island railroad for
damages.
Then c. d. Royal. of Des Moines,
representative of the Greek consul,
appeared in court, quoted the treaty
with Greece and applied for the re-
mcyal of Lambrakis and his attor-
news and the placing of the estate in
the hands Of the Greek consul. Judge
Hamilton decided to do this, and later
Royal for the Greek consul and the
wife and children in Greece of the
dead man sued the railroad for &c..
300.
Seeks Dropping Of Section Of Law.
Besides the treaty, there Is sta
tute in Iowa law following closely its
provisions, upon which Judge Hamil-
ton also based his removal Of Lam
trakis and his attorneys. Besides ap-
pealing from Judge hamilton to the
Iowa supreme court, Judge Hughes is
now seeking to have the Iowa sta
tute dropped from the code, and has
written the following letter:
Iowa Code Revision Commits
sion, Des Moines, Iowa.
Gentlemen:
| am interested in the repeal OF
Chapter 1886, Employers Liability
and Workmen's Compensation Act,
page 372 of the 37th General AS.
sembly of the State.
Last winter while our legisla-
ture was in session, we had occa-
sion to sue railroad in this
county for an act Of alleged negli-
gence causing the death of resi-
dent alien Greek. Our court ap-
pointed an administrator and he
filed a suit against the railroad
company, and a couple of gentle
men from your city, Royal &
Royal appeared, armed with this
act of the 37th general assembly,
and asked the court to set aside
the appointment of the resident
administrator and substitute one
of the Royals as administrator in
stead. 1t seems that this Royal 4
has been appointed as a kind of
generalissimo for Iowa by the
Greek consul in Chicago. and this
man Royal was empowered as the
attorney for the Greek consul to
step in and take charge of all the
death or personal injury cases
arising in the state, when such
resident Greek leaves a family or
dependents in Greece and none in
this state.
We resisted this action, but the |
lower court held that the act was
broad enough by its title and body
to cover the appointment of gen.
eral administrator for the estate /
OF such an alien, deceased, while |
we commended that it only applied |
10 recovery for injuries Or posi- !
ply the death of an employee |
against the employer, and the in
slant case was not of such an
employee and was only suing a
lhlrd person. the railroad, for in
]urfes causing the death of said
employee, and that such an ad.
mlnistrator could not be ousted
after regular appointment and en-
tering upon his duties, by the
mere motion or nod of the
Greek consul. We know such is
the law Of this state, and of the
FEDERAL supreme court in treaties
like this ore.
n
Ordinarily the general laws Of
inns state as far as administration
IS concerned, would not be af-
llected by any Of the supposed
Treaties set up by the various
Greek ccnsuls as to their right to
administer on an estate to the ex-