Lawyers and Horsewhips.

Patea Mail, 4 September 1882, Page 3

Lawyers and Horsewhips.

A stupid squabble between solicitors at Dunedin has caused a public scandal. A contractor named Millington was unable to pay his debts, and got a solicitor named Fitchett to prepare a deed of arrangement. One firm who are creditors objected to the dead unless it were approved by their solicitors, Messrs Sievwright and Stout. It appears Mr Sievwright pointed out some objection, and ordered his draughtsman to prepare a fresh deed. This new deed was shown to the debtor Millington, who took it to his solicitor Fitchett, Then all the fat was in the fire, for Fitchett got in a rage and demanded from Sievwright an explanation for what he called unprofessional conduct. Instead of explanation, he was ordered off, and in going said he would get satisfaction through the medium of a horsewhip. Reaching his office, he received a letter from Sievwright demanding an apology. Fitchett wrote back that he would write his apology on Sievwright’s back with a horsewhip. Next morning Fitchett attacked Sievwright with a whip in the street, but the parties were soon separated. The next step was that Fitchett had to answer in Court for a common assault. Fitchett wrote a letter to a newspaper, saying that in a professional sense Sievwright’s condnet was atrocious, and merited horsewhipping. When the case came on, Fitchett was fined 5Us and costs. He seems to think it a cheap revenge at that.