Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-08-28

A LAWYERS STORY.

A LAW LII - OlOh L.
had only been at the bar few months
but they had seemed weary, long ones. 1t
had taken all my money to furnish my office
and its shelves, and pay the first six months
rent Then, knew that Charlotte was walt
ing for me, and, if practice didn't come soon,
nv clothes would become intolerably shabby.
NV best coat was shiny about the elbows, any
how, and where the next one was to come from
could not imagine. In county court there
is always little help for juniors, however,
and had made enough, by battery and lar
ceny cases, and by collections, to pay tor
meagre sort of board. That was all and you
NAV fancy how my heart thumped up into my
breast when one day Grandson asked me to
assist him in a murder case. He was our
"great gun" in those days, before politics had
made him so fat and lazy, and was, indeed,
barring some small defects of manner, great
lawyer and noble-hearted gentleman.
g Knox" said he to me, in his pompous
way, as he put his fat, white hand on my
shoulder, "you do not push yourself enough
my young friend. have been observing you,
and perceive you lack the essential quality
upon which bright forensic career depends.
Get impudence, friend Knox; increase your
store of that indispensable attribute of success,
or prepare to be written down failure! How
would you like to aid me in Jake Moores
case? There-say no more-I see how it is
with you. Come to my office tonight and
talk it over with me-
Jake Moore's case A real murder, and
the only one that had been committed in our
county for years The most important case
on the docket-one that would be reported IN
all the city papers, too! :,
20, am not such charitable fellow as
you think" said Grandson, as began to
thank him at his office that night. II am
busy and-lazy. haven't time to study up
this case-and it needs study, for there's some
mystery about it, or my instincts are at fault.
You have application and ambition, and it 's
profitable to us old lawyers to serve ourselves
by means of you youngsters, with keen eyes:
III pet all the glory of it, and you'll have all
the work to do Fact is, took the case tor
YOU. and for that murderous rascals little
girl-curious force of entreaty in her pathetic,
Wide blue eyes! By the way, we will have to
work for ridiculously small fee-don't tell
anybody-and let's divide. It's the prellm-
nary process in every partnership case, as
you'll find by and by. Ahem there's half OF
it."
And he threw fifty dollar bill across the
table to me.
did not know, until years after, that this
came out of bis own pocket, and that Jake
Moore had not paid him cent of fee. Few
people know the big heart that beats within
the huge body of our fat andinsolent Senator,
after ALL
"Never hem nor haw about fees, young
MANI cried he; 'it is fatal to yourself and
injurious to the whole profession. No good
lawyer ought to think himself we'll paid, no
matter what the fee. Good service ought to
be always invaluable Now, to the case.'
And he briefly detailed to me the crcum'
stances under which Jake Moore had been ar
rested, and the grounds of suspicion against
him.
Jake Moore was shoemaker in the village
of Humberg, in the western part of the coun.
ty-a worthless, drunken fellow, who worked
at his trade about two days in the week, to
get money for making himself drunk the
other FIVE. He had drifted into the village
some dozen years before that, with slattern,
red-haired wife, puny, sickly baby, COW, a
pig, his tools, and wagon-load of broken.
down household gear His worthless ways
were thought to be his chief fault, for he was
good-natured, happy-go-lucky, who did moi
even beat his wife-ndeed he was reputed t.
be beaten by her. When the Mexican wal
was about half over, Jake took huff, a pat
riotic fever, or an overdose Of rum-lt was
never rightly known which-and enlisted
coming back after it was over with sa bre
cut on the head and pension. The wound
or something else had changed his temper
and while he drank as much as ever, he was
sullen, morose, and not talkative, even in his
cups. He and his wife quarreled savagely
and when she died, year or two later, Jake
transferred his ill-temper to his daugh ghter, 8
frail, timid girl, whom he beat sometimes Sc
severely that the neighbors had to interfere
Such were the antecedents of Jake Moore
when on the 9th day of August, 1850, the
body of the unknown stranger was found in
ravine near the little stream-"Pott's Level,
it is called-that flowed through the meadow
and woods about a mile to the east Of Hum
berg. 1t was stiff and cold when discovered
by two screaming school children, struggling
among the bushes after blackberries- es-stit
and cold, and frightfully dis6gured with
wound across the throat, nearly from ear tt
ear, from which blood had flowed so copous
ly as to stain the body from head to feet, ant
bespatter bushes, leaves, and grass for severa
feet around. The alarm soon spread an'
the constable, magistrate, doctor, and all tn
population of Humberg speedily gathered
around the unwonted, ghastly spectacle. Ih
body was that. of noticeably elderly man
thought to be about ffty-6ve years old, shor
and Stout, very neatly clad in a suit of sobe
drab, cut Quaker fashion, and was at ono
recognized by several persons as the strange
who had been seen in the village day or tw
before quiet-looking, yet well-to-do pedes
trian, whose broad-brimmed gray beaver, AM
brown CATERS, and respectable cane, had beel
remarked by ALL Broad-brim and cane wcr
near by, but the man was dead, and nothing
about his person gave any clue to his identity
Who killed him
A shoenaker's knife, bloody on blade an
handle, was found in the bushes near by, an
identi6e as Jake Moores property. In
magistrate, acting coroner, issued scare
warrant Jake was found in the house stupio
ly drunk, the girl scared and incoherent, an
in a drawer in the living-room pocket-boo