The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-07-17
A SUCCESSFUL AMERICAN LAWYER,

| London Letter to the Cincinnati Enquir6r.l
At the present time the bar of England has
a practitioner well known In America, and
! highly esteemed for his quiet and effective
abilities and social bearing. Iallude to Mr..
Judah p. Benjamin, late man of affairs to Mr.
Davis during the trying days of the Confeder-
aey. Mr.. Benjamin was born In San Domin-
go some sixty-fiye years ago; studied at Yale,
New Haven. but did not graduate; went to
New Orleans and became prominent at the
local bar and in politics. In the one calling
| he made the largest fec on record. 1t was In
the defense Of the New Almaden mine of
| owners, Messrs Rothschilds was set up, and
Mr. Beniamin's services were sought at an
expense that involved, by way Of q retainer
and contingent fee, 100000. Mr. Benjamin Is
now making over $125,000 per annum at his
profession as Queens counselor.
There are several grave errors in the fore
going Mr.. Benjamin was not born in st
Domingo, but in one of the British West
Indies, fact which gave him the position
that enabled him to obtain admission to the
bar of England. He was an infant when his
parents emigrated to Charleston, South Caro-
lina and his name appears in the naturaliza-
ton papers of his father. It Is true in
general that Mr.. Benjamin's income from his
professional labors was large, but not larger
than his eminent talents, wonderful indus
try, power of work, and versatility and
solidity of talents merited. But 1t is not true
that in the Almaden quicksilver mine his fees
amounted to the sum indicated, $5OO,o00
On the contrary, we believe that Mr.. Benja-
minis share of the compensation allowed
with several distinguished attorneys in that
case was smaller than that Of several others,
and did not exceed $4,000 The largest fee de-
rived from the case was by the late Robert j.
Walker, which amounted to $40 600 The late
Louis Janin, also of our bar received some
$4,000 in the same case. Large fees were
also paid to the late Ed. Stanton, we think;
also to jeremiah Black and Edmund Ran
dolph, formerly of our bar.
The case was one Of immense Importance
and involved many millions Of value and the
services of these eminent iurists were not
overpaid. 1t is an interesting and sorrowful
fact that the late Robert j. Walker, with all
his great ability as jurist and financier, lost
every dollar Of this large fee by investing the
whole amount in Sir Morton Petos grand
railroad swindle, and left his family in pov-
erty. Mr.. Benjamin was alike unfortunate or
improvident in his investments Of his large
professional revenues. Sugar planting swept
off about 100000; Tehuantepec large
amount and guano speculation in South
America the remainder of his hard earnings
Finally, the downfall of the Confederacy
drove him fugitive from our country. Imam
open boat, rowed by negro, he passed from
Florida to Nassau, where he landed with a
single dollar in his pocket. The war had
destroyed every vestige of his property.
We remember the eXultation of Ben Butler
when, through seizure Of the iron safe Of a
private banking house in this city, he OBJ
tanned possession of the bank box of Judah ?.
Benjamin This exultation was converted
into violent rage and disgust when, on open
ing the box, it was found to contain only
Tehuantepec bonds, which had become value
less by the failure of that great enterprise,
and few notes and bills of private indivi-
duals for professional services. The victim
of these misfortunes and prosecutions is now
the foremost barrister in England, with
princely income derived from labor at his
profession, of which he is the pride and orna-
ment id this country and in the British EN-
Dire