, 1879-08-21
Lawyers Charges.

Recently the New York Press in.
formed its readers through special tel.
erram from New York OF certain high
fees charged by lawyers in the Wander
bilt will case. AS was there stated,
Henry l.. Clinton charged $2j0,000.
Mr.. Clinton was attorney in the case,
which was well worked up, and proba-
bly his bill contains items Of money eX.
pended by him for detective service and
other matters. Judge George 7. Com
stock, of Syracuse, charged and received
$4,000. &.Ns, Ns ..'
We learn that MI. Vanderbilt de-
clines to pay Mr.. Glintpn's tremendous
bill, and we don't blame him, for it is
utterly absurd thaS any lawyer should
receive in one case. and that only, of
short duration, Slhrger sum than one
lawyer in million makes in lifetime
Of hard work and we think that Judge
Comstock (whose bill for sitting in this
case and looking wise iand occasionally
arguing point of law, was very modest
in comparison with Clinton's), has great
reason for commencing Mr.. Vanderbilt's
generosity. s .GH-'.A ~"
We learn that Scott Lord, the coun-
sci for the contestant of the will, re
ceived 100000. These immense fees
are beyond anything ever known or
heard Of, not only in this country but in
foreign lands. The famous lawyers of
England or France have never received
such large sums even in cases of much
longer continuance. To be sure there
have been very few if any cases involv-
ing such an immense amount of money,
for there have been very few men in
the world worth so much property as
Cornelius Vanderbilt left. During the
entire eight years which the famous
Warren Hastings trial went on none of
the lawyers received such heavy fees.
In the even more famous case of "Jarn.
dyce and Jarndyce" the reporter Of that
case is silent in regard to the fees Of the
counsel, but we presume they consumed
the estate. ,.,r5 ..y :
Erskine, the leader of the English bar
in his time and one of the most brilliant
lawyers Great Britain ever produced,
never received greater yearly income
than 100000 and not more than $4,000
in any one case. Sir James Scarlet, af-
forwards Lord Abinger, q very success
full lawyer, had an income, certainly not
TO exceed Erskine's. The same is true
of Garrows, another great English
lawyer. Ballantyne received from the
British government a very large fee for
going to Calcutta to try a murder case,
but large part of it was consumed in
expenses
America takes the load in big lawyers
Fees, and it is only within dozen years
or so that our lawyers have been go
lucky. Pinckney, Webster. Choate, OIL
any of our great lawyers in times past
never dreamed of such extravagant bills.
The first great fec ever known in this
country was received by Clarkson N.
Potter in the foreclosure Of the Canaan.
daigua Railroad, not many years ago.
1t is stated that he received 100000 in
that case. 1t is reported that Charles
O'Connor received $75, 1000 in the Jumel
will case, and 100000 in the Parish
will case. In the latter case Judge
John X. Porter and Daniel Lord re-
ceived large fees. rgu
To come to our own city, which is sell
dom far behind in anything, the late
Henry Burden paid his lawyers up
wards of $4,000 in tho famous Spike
case, and Elk Chancellor 'Walworth, the
referee in that case, received $4,000
referees fees. mthe Marshall will case
Townsend ~ Browne received $26, 900.
Troy Times. '"
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