The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-12

and n decree went against The defendant On
looking ut nm old man of the estate, iOund tht5
"a small piece OF land, taken ia tFop ICnhIlgtVh
Green some fifty wears before, was included IN
our answer MS part of the ancient tarm; the only
chance for us was that the blot might not be nit
We went into court on the memorable morning
of the hearing of the cause memorable To me
from its conscqucnccs-wt not much conf
deuce: and up to this time bad never seen Sir
Robert in the course Of the proceedings, though
/ learned afterwards that le had attended the
Rolls Court for several days before, in order TO
Judge how far lac was likely To be ruined by the
inability of the counsel. fancy that hc was q
little rCassured.
In tho course of the argument for the plaintiff
poor Sutton Sharpe, who was with Bickor5teth
made an attack on Sir Roberts grandfather, who
had been great attorney ut Wigan, to whose ar
tiices he attributed part of the circumstances
which appeared favorable to the defendant |
had therefore the double task OF vindicatiug
my ancestor and maintaining the Modus, and
succeeded so well that, after the case was
over, Judgment being reserved, Sir Robert
came up and introduced himself To me, loaded
me with compliments the most eXtravagaut
and absurd; said | had indicated the name of
the family, and done everything that could be
done for the case, and now. he did not care
what was the result OF it, he was perfectly
satisfied. y few days afterwards his Joy was
complete by Il Judgment being pronounced in
his favor. Though the matter could not have
been ono of ESQ year in value, he was us deeply
interested in it as if it had involved many
lhpuNdiiuS' III iliC loioWluS year MS DiOJilCT
Roger died principally in consequence Of the
violent injuries which he had sustained at the
Wigan election. In the autumn of that year
paid Sir Robert visit for u few days ut lIndey,
when he received me with the greatest affection,
said was welcome to The hall of my ancestors
and set me at the top of the table, with the inn
portant WORDS
"Aggrederc, ct volts jam nunc adsuesce vocari.n
Soon afterwards lie publicly announce me as
his heir, and showed me his will, which he had
executed before going to the election mt Wignn
in June, 1881, when | believe he fully expected
to be murdered, and where the event all but JUS
tilted his apprehension. .-.. ,... -. ..
1t has always seemed to me that my introduce
tion to Sir Robert Leigh is one of the most re-
markable examples which ! have ever seen of
the important effects produced by circumstances
apparently trivial, and which we are accustomed
to call fortuitous. If the cause had come on for
hearing some months earlier, or been set down
in another court, | should probably have had
nothing to do with it. If Bickersteth had not
been already retained for the plaintiff, no doubt
/ should have been his counsel and should have
been obliged, probably, to make the observa-
tions which gave so much offensc to- Sir Robert
when made by Sharpe. At all events | must
have contendcd against his interest. and probably
might have defeated him by observing the blot
TO which have alluded, and which he would
naturally have considered as n mere trick. In
any event, the chance is that | should have lost
or have failed to gain some E12,000 or E14, 900 Il
year.