Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-02-26
IFRoM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENCE

New YORK, Feb. %, 1872.
What between shrewd thieves lawyers, Judges
of whom half are mere vulgar politicians, ready
when off the bench to 90 on a spree, or act as
umpires at a pigeon-shootin4 match, and jurors
from whose number every man who is intelli-
gent enough to read newspaper is carefully
shut out, it will come with us 10
Sound like tidings from the land of spirits.
II any man obtain that which he merits
Or any merit tnat which he obtains"
That is, if a man has clearly earned right to
the halter or the state prison, and if he or his
friends have money enough to hire one of our
half dozen tip-top thieves lawyers, there is at
least an even chance that be will never ret his
lawful deserts. trust that you in Worcester do
not possess tip-top thieves lawyer, any more
Than you have Tweed, Central park, or
dozen lines Of ocean steamers. We have about
half score Of them. Half of them are men of
decided capacity. II they had taken TO honest
ways, they would have won a high place in their
profession. The other half are men who have
devoted the whole Of their rather narrow intel-
leets to the one purpose of finding out loopboles
in the law through which their criminal clients
and they look for no others-may Green ont.
The names and Offices Of these men are as well
known as are the entrances to the Astor house
or the Metropolitan. With 4 proper fee. YOU can
buy them just as surely as you can buy dozen
oysters at Doran's or yard of silk at Stewards.
If a noted rogue is arraigned any one NAV b
perfectly assured that one or more of this half
score win appear for the defence Great
rogues run 10 them just as naturally
as n picipocket or burglar goes to
recognized "ience." These thieves lawyers
are the greatest public enemies. They are to
great criminals just what receivers of stolen
goods are to the smaller fry of plunderers.
without the one class the other could not exist.
Tue ingenuity and perseverance Of these
lnieVes lawyers is something marvellous. They
nave mastered the whole arcana of crime. The
art ana mystery Of brow-beating a witness. be-
ioSginG jury, or bamboozng Judge into
giving decision upon which an execution NAV
he hung, is at their fingers end.
Take but a single case-thc one which Inc,
now Ills a large place in our daily papers Ed.
ward Stokes shot James Fisk, publicly in omen
day' aud Fisk died in consequence. The essen.
t'al facts seemed beyond dispute; and a grand
jury FOUND bill accordingly. One would nat.
urally suppose thar the case would be brought
to speedy trial upon its bare merits. NOT 80 do.
sired the great thieves lawyers who were on.
| gagged Tor the defense. They came into court
aud eoolly asked that the indictment shonld no
quashed on the ground that the grand Jury was
improperly constituted. Somebody's name.
they urged, was placed on the list which should
not have appeared there; against the name of
another bis occupation was not appended; Ger.
tain persons who should have overlooked the
drawing of the names from the wheels failed to
do this in the form which the lawyers thought
the proper one, and SO on. Tue Judge, over
whom grave charges are said to be impending,
was oyerased, and let the sharp lawyers have
'ner own wav. The point was one Of
pure law whereof the court was the
only proper Judge. But the lawyers were ready.
iney found some ancient statute directing that
thls point as 70 the constitution of the grand