The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1876-09-28
VOL. &.
THE RIGHT BOW Err.

elbow, and was i'll q communicative
mood.
"Young men," he said "whatever
may be your strait, never take case
before jury or before any court, I'M
less YOU have your right bower for a
lead.
If the reader surmises from this that
the old Judge was fond of euchre, he
will not have surmsed amiss.
The young men looked at him inQnir
ingly.
II mean," he added, THAT you shall
never advocate a cause into the work OF
which you cannot enter with clear
conscience. You shall never accept {
client whose you do not believe to b'
just"
Can that rule always be adhered
to?" ask one of the listeners.
1T can, answered burlington, en-
phatically. ut is lawyers firm roci
Of foundation, and the only sure poin
of departure to the respect and conf
dcnce of his fellows
"Have you always followed that rule
iudge?'
Il was never tempted from it bu
oncr, " he replied; Twill tell you tn
story if you would Ike hear it. y
Of course they would like to, an'
having laid aside his pipe the old mai
began:
"One day [ WAS waited upon by
man who gave his name as Leban Sar
furt He was middleage welidres5e'
and at first sight appeared to be gen
tleman; but the illusion WAS dispelie'
when approaching business. He wa
hard aud unfeelng, and naturally wi
lain. Success is speculation had save
him from becoming thief or high
W w,vman. I heard of him as a heav
dealer in the up-river lands. He ask@
me if I was willing to undertake a Jo
which would call me to Shireton.
told him was open 70 anything ieSi
mate that would pay.
Mr.. Lurlington,' said be, tap
ping me with course familiarity upo
the arm, Il want to secure your SCI
vices; you must not be engaged on til
other side.
[ told him if he would sxp!ain to IN
the case / might be better able to CIV
him an answer. He bit an enormou
dnid of tobacco from black plug, an
having got it into shape between HI
laws. he went on with bis stoay.
The case was one of eiectment. a
elderly man, named Phillip Acton, ha
died. leaving a valuable estate. Ther
was nearly n thousand acres OF lant
with opportunities for developing III
mense water power. and ere man
years that land would be worth MOI
than million dollars. At preser
upon the place. and claiming it as SC
Of the deceased, was a man calling hin
self William Acton,
But sa Il Sar 1t "he is nor Il
qitimate child at all. His mother "f
Betsy Totwool, at one time a girl
Acton employ. Acton, L know, Wa
never married He brought the boy u
and educated Linn, and now the feilo
THINKS he viii step into his protector
shoes. [ can prove that am the oni
3 living relative of Phillip Acton. Il
, was my uncle-my mothers brother
! and, to IA lawyer as smart as you, the'
= can be no difficulty in proving my It'll
[ can bring the witnesses to yot
hand
He told me he would give me fi'
hundred dollars if l would undertah
the case, and an additional thousand
[ gained. That wps a big fee-far MOI
! than had then made in all my plea'
ing. 1t was tempting. And yet sa
that it was not perfectly clear-not er
tirely honest. The probability WI
that this William Acton was Phillip
,, child: and it was not impossible thu
Phillip had married Betsy Totwcod.
struck me that Lehan Sarfurt was
villain, and that he fancied that he ha
Young Acton so far in his power that
could eject him from the title. B'
what had l particularly to do with tha
Ii l accept a client l must serve hun
[ had no business but to serve his int
est. l finally told MIR. Sarfurt that
would think the matter over. Shoul
probably have bushes in Shireton du
ing tie session Of the court, ard
: would call on him there and examil
more fully. I could not take his retail
rr until had further light.
But" said he, will you promise II
0 to take mp for the other side?'
l told him / would DO nothing wit
out further consultation with him.
because" he added, ''if You are f'
me am sure to win: Acton can't fiji
lawyer that can hold candle to yol
know them all. p"
No matter whether I believed him {
not, l did not feel hattered.
Two weeks later | received a lettt
from Sarfurt, prom sing me five tbol
sand dollars If Won.
The five thousand dollars was
strong argument. Was not 'aw reall
game of chance, in which the strong
est hand and longest purse must win
I told myself yes. Yes-and l ST
t down and wrote arepiy, saying that
/ would take the case. But | did nc
mail it at once. That night I put
: under my pillow and slept over it; an
on the following morning threw
into the fire. 1 would not make up m
mind until I had seen other paties-
until had been on the grounds. An
wrote to Leban Sarfurt to wait
Two waaks LATER T barnessel m