The Port Gibson herald, and correspondent., 1850-12-20
For he Herald 4 Correspondent.
THE FEE,
on LEssoa 10 4 YouNG ArroRNEY.

THE FEE,
Or LESSON TO YoUNG ATTORNEY.
Some five and twenty years ago there was
| pending in the Courts of Claiborne county,
Mississippi, a suit in which aJohn w Hami-
ton," was plaintiff, and nJohn W. Jones'" de-
fendant. 1t was on the Docket for years, and
familiar to all persons accustomed to attend
the courts, and the matters in controversy were
generally known. 1t was called the slack and
Jenny suit" the plaintiff claiming large fam
| lily of Jennets or Jenneys, and sage-looking
long-eared Jack.
During the pending of the suit there was .
wag of some humor living in the county,
known as Bluford Mitchell, who could bray
like the most stentorian maltese long-eared an
imal and when the case of T. w H. vs.. j.
w. j., was called in court. Mitchell would cons
mence his @Uhd-hG, -i6ha-ka, ,-ha-hdi"
My friend NJ; was attorney for plaintiff, and
Jones employed me, (then young lawyer) to
defend the suit--agreeing to give me o,ls-haT
of what might be gained, in the event Of sue
cess.
During the long pending of the case,
thought was to have half of the animals if
succeeded in defeating Hamilton's claim
aseeftained that there was a small iu6g-
ment obtained against Hamilton and purchas-
ed it for the benefit of my client,-had execu-
ton levied on Hamilton's interest in the faml-
ly of Jacks and Jenneys, and offered for sale at
the Court-Houses-the whole tribe, including
grand dam and great great grand children, and
the daddy of all, looking wise and curious, as
if anxious to know what all the parade and
Sheriff's cry at the Court House door meant
When the sheriff was about to proceed to
sell, my client, of course gaue notice of has
claim, and that if any person purchased Ham
iItons claim, he would "buy a law suit"
Of a certainty the interest of Hamilton was
sold loto, and Jones, the defendant, became the
owner of the plaintiffs title. filed an addi-
tonal plea, setting out that since the pending
of the suit, defendant had become owner Of the
plaintiffs interest-and Consequently plaintiff
took non-suit.
And now came, as Itbought, the equal diyis
sion of all the animals between my client and
myself. Jones al0ays wore pleasant smile
upon his face,-I dare say he was born with
it, and that it never departed from his counte-
nance for sixty odd years--his lifetime But
when spoke of division, he certainly smiled
more expressively than usual; and remarked
! that we could not easily divide.
4
Why, said ]. there are about sixteen ofthem,
or eight for each of usl
aThere is however, but one Jack" said he,
"and our agreement says, half the Jacks, and
that does not mean Jennies"
read the agreement, and sure enough there
were the words written by myself which limi-
ted my fee to ahalf the .JGcks"-though he adj
mitted that his offer of fee 10 me had been
for half of all the animals, but It was not so
in the agreement, and we must be governed by
that.
Iaskcd the value of the Jack; he said $3.50;
but he would let me have has interest for $50
To this replied, that was situated much
like the youth who was presented with an ele-
phant,-I had no place to keep him, did not
know what to do with him, and was afraid TO
60 near him; preferred to take the $50 for my
interest,-and to this he agreed, d,-giying me
his note for the amount, and remarking that /
had learned something worth while, in mana
ging the suit. | had to acknowledge that the
lesson would be worth something in teaching
me to use words that should include, rather
than exclude, what was intended
But made him promise not to tell Bluff
Mitchell, for fear he would raise his aioha-ba''
Inever see any of that long cared tribe but
think of "John w Hamilton vs.. John w.
JONES' and my my half Jack Fee;--and what
is to me at this time very unpleasant, is, that
while all the lovers Of vocal music are in ex-
stacies and going half mad at the sweet tones
OF the loveliest singer in the world, cannot
avoid the associating her name Jenny LindJ
with the beings Of the old suit,--and consider
ing that most of the people who make such an
ado are at least half jacks and jenniss, also
P Wa