The Lawyer and the Hermit
A prominent attorney faces felony charges for allegedly withholding pension funds from an elderly veteran living in near-total isolation.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mr. Charles H. Conner of San Francisco, special examiner of the Pension Bureau, is in the city, having arrived from Olympia, where he was summoned to investigate serious charges against John P. Judson, a prominent lawyer of New Tacoma. It was communicated to Mr. Conner that Judson had obtained possession of the pension papers of William Ryan, and had withheld for three years the pensions due him. Ryan is an ex-soldier of the regular army, served in the Mexican war, and was injured in 1860 in an Indian campaign. He is eighty years old, without family, and lives the life of a hermit in a cabin about sixteen miles from Olympia. After thorough investigation, Mr. Conner was convinced the charges were true, and upon complaint of Ryan, Judson was arrested for violating the United States statute, which makes it a felony to withhold pension money. Judson waived examination and gave bonds in the sum of $2,000 to await the action of the grand jury. Judson faces three charges: withholding pension money; negotiating drafts without authority by counterfeiting Ryan’s name; and using fraudulently the name and notarial seal of J. C. McFadden of Olympia. An action in chancery has also been commenced to require Judson to account for $288 in pension money, and Ryan has begun suits to recover a homestead of 160 acres and 56 acres of land which he alleges were fraudulently obtained from him by Judson. In extenuation, Judson pleads that he took the money to prevent Ryan from spending it on liquor.
“Judson pleads that he took the money to prevent Ryan from spending it for liquor, which he would have certainly done had the money fallen into his hands.”
This case highlights the vulnerability of elderly veterans, a recurring theme in American civic history. The 'hermit' trope used to describe Ryan reflects how the society of the time viewed those living outside of traditional household structures, a prejudice that complicates access to justice for the marginalized even today.
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