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A. M. Hadley
Arthur Merrick Hadley (b 1871- d 1941) was a city attorney and a former Republican mayor of the city of Bloomington from 1897-1902. He is noted for his work in 1899 in finding a solution to Bloomington's water shortages and dealing with those residents who could not afford to pay for their water.
As Reported in the Bloomington (Indiana) Republican Progress, Aug 1, 1899, p. 1.
WATER! WATER!
At the meeting of council on last Tuesday evening, Mayor Hadley appointed a committee of members consisting of Murphy, Henley and Field to investigate the matter of supplying water to those who could not afford to pay for it, and the action is both timely and commendable.
This lack of water is becoming a serious question, and it is absolutely necessary that some action be taken on it. It is to be hoped this committee of council will find some means of reaching the vultures who are thriving on the sufferings of the poor. Any man who having water to spare in this crisis, holds it for sale to poor washer women and others whose very bread and butter is made by it, is no more a Christian than is Lucifer, not as much in fact because we cannot conceive of even the Devil being so grasping.
There are many noble, charitable, right-minded citizens who have offered any spare water they have to all who are in need and to them the PROGRESS is thankful in behalf of those they have helped and begs to remind them of the words of the greatest teacher the world has ever know: "Whatever you do unto the least of these my brethren, that ye have done unto me."
After his term in 1902, Hadley, local prosecutor Robert Miller, and then current Mayor Claude Malott were tried for disbarment. Seven counts were filed against Hadley for disbarment.
From the Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Telephone, Apr 11, 1905, p. 1.
7 COUNTS FILED Against A. M. Hadley, Basis for Disbarment
The disbarment proceedings against Hon. A. M. Hadley, ex-mayor of Bloomington, were filed this morning by East & East and J. E. Henley, the committee appointed by the court to bring the charges. The affidavit is filed in one general charge in which there are seven counts. The specific charges follow covering 19 pages of closely typewritten paper, much after the copy of the disbarment charges already filed against Prosecutor Miller.
Among the charges are that a number of times in mayor's court, and in justices' court, said Hadley would appear in the capacity of a prosecuting attorney, procuring indictments, and would use the information there derived to compel the defendants to employ him to defend them. The charge is also made that, in violation of the duties of an attorney, he procured agents and friends to solicit defendants charged with crime to employ him to defend them. A special mention is made of the case of Fred Thrasher wherein he procured a fee of $450, the charge being that it was to influence the official action of the prosecutor.
Another charge is that after Joseph Kadison had been indicted by the grand jury in a large number of cases of minors playing pool, Hadley was employed to appear before the grand jury and later attempted to secure employment from Kadison.
In the case against Curtis Gilmore for felony, it is alleged he was frightened into paying $20 through the efforts of Hadley to influence official action.
A case is also recited by Jackson Nunn in which it is alleged that Mr. Hadley, near the hour of midnight, secured a check for $740 by false representations; thereby Nunn was defrauded out of $240 by reason of unprofessional conduct.
In the case against George Walker, charged with an ugly crime, cost Walker, it is alleged, $125for procuring Prosecutor Miller to dismiss said case.
The especial case upon which the prosecution will base its disbarment will be the Thrasher horse stealing case, of which over half the complaint is composed, and who first started the proceedings. The trial will be set within the next 20 days, and it is likely will also be tried by Judge John C. Robinson who has been appointed to hear the Miller case.
It is unclear whether Hadley was disbarred, but not long after the case ended he decided to move away from Bloomington (around 1909) to seek employment in Los Angeles, CA where he lived at 219 S Mariposa Ave, LA, CA until his passing in 1941.
Hadley was married to Mary C Hadley.
