The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1879-08-12
LAWYERS CHARGES.
THE BIG FEES SOME OF THEM HAVE
RECEIVED.
lTroy Prcss.l

Yesterday the Press Informed lis
readers through special telegram
from New York of certain high fees
charged by lawyers III the Wander
bilt will case. AS was there stated.
Mr.. Heury L. Clinton charged $780,
600. Mr.. Clinton was attorney in
the case, which was well worked up,
and probably his bill contains items
of money expended by him for de-
tective service and other matters.
Judge George Il. Comstock, OF Syra-
cuse charged and received $4,000.
We learn that Mr.. Vanderbilt de-
clInes to pay Mr.. Clinton's tremend-
Gus bill, and we don t blame him, for
it is utterly absurd that any lawyer
should receive in one case, aud that
only of short duration, q larger sum
than one lawyer in million makes
by lifetime of hard work; and we
think that Judge Comstock (whose
bill for sitting in this case and look
ing wise and occasionally arguing q
point OF law was very modest in CON-
parison with Clintons) has great rea-
son for commencing Mr.. VanderbilPi
generosity.
We learn that Mr.. Scott Lord, the
counsel for the contestant of the will
received 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 involving such an i'm
mense amount of money. for there
have been very few men in the world
worth SO much property as Mr.. Cor
nelius Vanderbilt lett. During the
entire eight years when the famous
Warren Hastings trial went on, mont
of the lawyers received such heavy
fees. In the even more famous cast
of "Jarndyce and Jarndyce," the re
porter of that case is silent In regart
TO the fees of the counsel, but we pre-
sumo they consumed the estate.
Erskine, the leader of the Englisl
bar in his time, one ofthe most brill
liant lawyers Great Britain ever pro
duced never received q greater yearl!
income than 100000, and never NOR,
than $4,000 in any case. Sir Jane
Scarlet, afterward Lord Abinger,
very successful lawyer, had an in
come certainly not 10 exceed Ersk
ines. The same is true of Garrows
another great lawyer. Dallantine re
ceived from the British Governmen
q very large fee for going to Calcutt
to try a murder case, but large par
oft was consumed in expenses.
America takes the lead in lawyers
fees, and it is only within dozel
years or so that our lawyers hav
been SO lucky. Pinckney, Webster
Choate, or any of our great lawyer
in times past never dreamed of sue
extravagant bills. The first great fe
ever known in this country was n
ceiyed by Clarkson N. Potter in Ii
foreclosure of the Canandaigua raj
road, not many years ago. II
stated that be received 100000 i
that case. 1t is reported that Charlie
O'Connor received $4,000 in tn
Jumel will case and 100000 in th
Parish will case. In the latter ca'
Judge John X. Porter and Dani,
Lord received large fees.
To come to our own city, which
seldom far behind in anything, IL
late Henry Burden paid his lawyer
upwards of $4,000 in the famol
Spike case, and ex-Chancellor Wa
worth, the referee in that case, n
ceiyed $4,000 referees fees. In III
Marshall will case Townsend
Browne received $4,000.