A Drunken Man, a Barren Tract and a Race to Freeze the Money
A Tacoma guardian says Frank and Mamie Aylwin plied George Ward with liquor and sold him nearly worthless land; a judge orders the proceeds held.
TACOMA, May 3.—Special.—A. N. Jordon, who ran for prosecuting attorney on the Republican ticket last November and was defeated, filed a sensational suit in the superior court today. The title of the case is George E. Ward and A. N. Jordon, his guardian, against Frank Aylwin, Mamie Aylwin, his wife, and the Pacific National Bank. Shortly before filing the suit Jordon was appointed guardian of Ward on the ground that Ward was an inebriate and unable to care for his own property.
The complaint alleges that the Aylwins on May 1, when Ward was in a very drunken condition, induced him to go on a spree until he was practically insane from liquor, and then sold Ward a tract of property that was poor, barren, unimproved and nearly worthless, receiving a check for the purchase money. The check was cashed at the London and San Francisco Bank, where Ward had that amount deposited. The balance due on the deal was secured by a mortgage.
The Pacific National Bank is made party to the suit because, to the best knowledge of the guardian, the money paid to Mr. and Mrs. Aylwin has been deposited there. The facts were laid before Judge Parker in the superior court this morning, and a temporary restraining order was prayed for to prevent the Aylwins from disposing of the money. Counsel urged that if the money got out of the defendants' hands the plaintiff had no adequate remedy at law, as the principal defendants were believed to be insolvent. A temporary injunction was issued and a summons served on them to appear in court tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock.
“They induced him to go on a spree until he was practically insane from liquor, and then sold Ward a tract of property that was poor, barren, unimproved and nearly worthless.”
Predatory land deals and the exploitation of people in addiction still reach Puget Sound courtrooms; what is striking here is how quickly a private binge became a public financial scandal. Guardianship and asset freezes remain tools for trying to stop someone from being stripped of everything before they can object.
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