Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-08-27
AN AMUSING OCCURRENCE. /.
A Lawyer Orders Six Coffins Made.
[From the Albany Journal.


The well known undertaken Mr.. II is man
Of peculiar temperament and by some con-
sidered eccentric. About the 4th of July last
he received an order for handsome rosewood
coffin, and doubtless filled the order to his own
satisfaction, for he took great delight in calling
the attention of his friends to it rs they passed
his warerOom, Among others, he called in an
attorney and counsellor of some notoriety in
this city, to view this handsome piece of his
handiwork. After taking p look et the same,
he, in his Off hand manner, asked Mr. H. the
cost Of such useful article, as ToodIes would
say. Mr.. III. informed him that it could be
furnished for S25, but was really worth $50,
when the counsellor replied s'If you really sell
so remarkably cheap as that, will take six "
The order was executed, and the counsellor
was notified TO come and take away his property
and pay the bill. He Needed not the notice,
and for some time past they have graced the
warerooms of the undertaken, filling them up
much to his annoyance. Being large and
rather portly man, short in wind particularly
when he becomes excited, this to him was a
source Of vexation and annoy ance. The cOun-
sellOr is tall, slim person, and rather quick
in his movements, and was thus enabled to
dodge the undertaken for some time.
The undertaken Mapped to meet three we'll
known officers of the city one evening, recently,
near his place Of business, and while closing
the story of his grievances and the wrongs per.
petrated upon him, who should come along but
the Identical counsellor he had endeayored to
find. The undertaken was advised by the
officers to cross the street, seize the lawyer.
bring him to his place and force him to pay the
bill and take away hisproperty. In his stock
ing feet the undertaken endeavored to carry
out the advice of the officers. The very mo-
ment the counsellor saw the undertaken ap-
preaching him he started off on brisk walk,
then on run, the counsellor on the sidewalk
and the undertaken on the ecarriage-way. Down
Broadway they went, pell-meif, until they
reached tho Delavan House, when the coun-
sellOr being burdened with heavy leather
travelling bag and an overcoat yielded up the
race. He was marched back in triumph TO the
warehouse, the undertaken reaching it very
much excited and breathed very hard. With
the assistance of the aforesaid officers he man
aged to mount the staircase and reach the
coffin room, where the identical six were
paraded together The counsellor was then
commanded topay down the money, and re-
move the property forthwith, or be held liable
for the storage. -...
The counsellor declined taking them before
he had consulted with the friends for whom
they had bsen ordered. He did not know
whether they would fit and he desired to test
their capacity. The undertaken, to satisfy
him that they were long enough, stretched
himself in one of them. They proved TO be
long enough but were found deficient in depth
and width: The undertaken then selected one
which he desired the counsellor to test; which
he said was made especially for him. He un-
dertook to try its capacity as it stood upright
on the floor, when ho discovered that it was
too short at one end and not long enough at
the Other--a process of reasoning we'll known
to the legal profession.
The undertaken undertook to crowd him in
and partially succeeded but with the assistance
of the officers he was rescued from the iron
grasp. Mr.. ii. then became much excited and
threatened to throw the cofi ms in the street and
commence suit for the recovery of his debt
agsinst the counsellor. who pronounced the
undertaken q cheat for making them of pine
boards, staining them and committing fraud
in attempting to pass them off as rosewood,
and putting the lid on With common screws
when they were to be silver. The undertaken
Indignantly replied that he was no cheat, that
they were made from rosewood trees planted
and grown on his fathers plantation, and that
no such wood could be found elswhere but at
his place in this country. The counsellor
laughed at this, but made no response As TO
the screws. he admitted that his workmen had
made a u.istake and was in the act of supply
ing their places with silver heads when the
counsellor slipped out, and has not since visited
the warerooms of the undertaken. Before
lesTing, the officers without fee or the hope Of
a fec, advised the undertaken to send the cOffns
to the counsellor, for they were SO handy to
have in the house, and the next day commence
proceeding against him for recovery of his debt.