Evening star., 1926-04-08

LAWRENCE W. GUNTHER.
participate In the District final Of the
National OratOrical Contest.
and took that up. business OF that
nature began to come In; and lehave
been appointed and ! am now com
mittee Of. I think. about IS lunatics
and one habitual drunkard and guard
Ia of about seven minor children.
when / took that matter up with
some OF the Judges OF the courts, as
/ did iN the first instance, and told
them what | was ready to do, Mr..
Justice Barnard. who was then hold
ing Probate Court and also hearing
iunacy cases, remarked that he would
be glad to appoint me in such cases,
| but he was practically in every case
guided by the recommends ton of the
| petition: that II petition came to him
! suggesting some one else. and that
| person was a proper person. he should
| feel that he ought TO appoint that per-
! son. Then 1t was up to me tn see that
/ was the person suggested in the Pc
! tition.'"
| Interrupting his quota tion. Mr..
| Bianton declared drs matically to the
! House:
! That is the most remarkable ad-
mission that I ever heard any attor.
, ney who claimed reputa BILE sta ndins
| make. Did you get it's full signih-
canoe? Mr.. Fenning back in 1905 then
! testified: Then 1t was up to me to see
that I was the person suggested in
| the petition. Is there no law against
! barratry here in the District of Coiuna'
| bia? Is there no bar association to
| regulate such indecent begging for law
| business? But let me quote further
excerpts from his testimony:
Then IL was up to me To see that
| was the person suggested in the pc
tition. because the judge had made II
| rather plain to me that he did not care
| unless there was an unusual reason
! for it. to neglect the suggestion shown
! in the petition.
! With particular reference to whs
| physicians and how many physicians
! should testify in lunacy cases. Justice
! Barnard agreed with me that in &C.
corda nee with the old Maryland law
! there ought to be the testimony OF al
| lea ST two medical men. The conciu
sion was reached that the ideal ar
rangement would he to have one
! physician from the haspitai and one
! physician from the city,
! Bills Were Honored.
| ct have had DIR. hewitt. who used
| to he the police surgeon here. and who
] has testified on the stand that while
| he was police surgeon he testified In
/ from 500 TO 500 "a ses.
- The question came mp years ago
! as to whether a physician on the pay
| roll at the Government Hospital for
| the Insane could properly receive a
! fee i'm those cases. So submitted 10
/ the Justice in November. 1904. bills
for $40 each that.I had received from
| Dr. Hummer of the hospital and from
! DIR. hewitt of the city. He asked me
! il | co,iid And any law on the subject
I which would operate to prevent phN'
sicis y at the hospital receiving fee
/ and my recollection is that the only
J law l could find and cite was. the stat
/ ute which provides that an empioye OF
/ the United States testifying In ca 20
| i'm which the United states is party
shalt receive nothing in addition to his
| actual expenses. He signed An order
| that MIR. Fenning he authorized and
| directed to pay the said bills from the
! funds of said luna tic.
! During that hearing, according "a
| the quotation from the record pre-
| Sented by MIR. Ria anton today. Mr.. Hay
| forced from MIR. Fenning the admis
! sion that he had solicited these ca ses
| from the Government Hospital for the
| Insane and from every institution
| and from all the attorneys | could
| reach and from anybody who was ron
| nected in any way with a case re
| quiring the services of fiduciary.
| Mr.. Fenning denied absolutely that
| he had been lin cahoots with some
| body out at that institution and that
| they got a part Of his fees.
During his testimony at that time
MIR. Fenning stated: Il am going or
| this record here as saying that 7 am
willing to do business by wholesale
whenever i can get it,"
Explains Two Fees.
MIR. Fenning was also questioned
by Mr.. Hay regarding charges that
he had paid a fee to his law partner
Mr.. Coldren, in cases in which he was
guardian. Mr.. Fennipg explained
that in some cases. in addition to the
fee as guardian. he received an addi-
tional fee as attorney.
Mr.. Rlanton submitted to the House
an aff1davi By Miss Corbett. dated
April Of this year. in which she
stated that her fathers estate. con-
! sistins OF at least $4,000. was han
died by dishonest executors that she
and her mother were forcibly carried
to st. Elizateth's in a petrol wagon:
that MIR. Fenping causedthe court
not to release them. but rema nded
them back to st. Elizabeth's without
a proper hearing that Mr.. Fenning
sold all Of their effects, heirlooms of
several generations. for $500, out of
which the mother received 500 In
cash and had dentist bill of $25
paid.
Concluding her affidavit. Miss Cor.
bett said:
My mother was never able to col.
Iect anything from my fathers estate.
and 1t was all sauandered. II Mr..
F'enning had not kept my mother and
myself unjustly shut up behind the
bars Of st. Eliza beth's for two years
and four months we would have been
able. in all proba bility. to have recov.
cred something from my fathers es.
tate | was released with my mother
from St Elyizabeth's under said order
of court in October, 1905. and since
then / have been employed In clerical
capacities here In Washington. My
mother had her life shortened very
materially by that awful experience
| in st. Eliza beth's, and she died some
time ago. 1t makes me shudder now
to think Of all the suffering Mr.. Fen.
ming caused us: and. just to think, he
| did II all for the fees and commissions
he got out Of our property. / am not
vindictive. bn do appeal to the Con.
/ gress of the United States to see to II
| that this man is not permitted to Oc-
cupy the important position of Com
missioner Of the District OF Columbia. -
L.. n D~I~
In discussing how DIR. j. Ramsay
Nevitt has been handy on corener's g
certificates" Mr.. BlantCn reminded
1. hnf Nax,if In. N