Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-08-08
LAWYERS CHARGES.
The Big Fees Some of them Have
Received.


Yesterday the PrySS informed its
readers through special telegram from
New York OF certain high fees charged
by lawyers III the Vanderbilt will ease.
As was there stated, Mr.. Henry l..
Clinton charged S250,000. Mr.. Clinton
WIS attorney i'll the ease which WAS well
worked up, and probably his hill con-
tatns items u money expended hy him
for detective service and other matters.
Judge George L. ComSteck Il Syracuse,
charged and received $4,000.
We learn that MIR. Vanderbilt declines
to pay Mr.. Clinton's tremendous bill,
and we don't blame him, for il is utter
y absurd that any lawyer should 70
ceive in one case, and that only af
short duration, \ larger sum than one
lawyer i'll million makes by life
time OF hard work; and we think that
Judge ComStock whose bill for sitting
in this case and looking wise and oe-
casionally arguing y point Of law was
very modest III comparison with Cliu-
tons has great reason for commenting
MIR. Nanderhilt's generosity.
We learn that Mr.. Scott Lord, the
counsel for the contestant Of the will,
received 100000. These immense
fees are beyond anything know or
heard Of, not only III this country hui
in foreign lands. The famous LAWYERS
OF England or France have never re-
ceived such large sums even in cases of
much longer continuance. To be sure
there have been very few If amy eases
involving such al immense amount OF
money, for there have been very few
men IN the world worth 50 much
property rs Mr.. Cornelius Vanderbilt
left During the entire eight years
which the famous Warren Hastings
trial went on, none Of the LAWYERS re-
ceiyed such heavy fees. In the even
more famous case Of "Jarndyce and
larndyce" the reporter OF that case is
silent III regard to the fees Of the
counsel, but we presume they con.
snnied the estate.
Erskine. the leader of the English bar
III his time and one ct the most bril-.
liant lawyers Great Britain ever pro-
duced, never received Il greater yearly
income than 100000 and more than
10000 i'll amy one case. Sir James
Scarlet, afterwards Lord Abinger, II
very successful lawyer, had an income
certainly not to- exceed Erskines The
same is true of Garrows, another great
English lawyer. Ballantvne received
from the British government very
large fee forgolng to Calcutta 10 try II
murder case, but a large part Of il was
consumed iii expenses.
America takes the lead IN big law
yers' fees, and it is only dozen years
or 50 that our lawyers have been as
lucky. Pinckney, Webster, Choate, or
any of our great lawyer in times past
never dreamed of such oxtravagant
bills. The first great fee ever known in
this country was received hy GARRISON
n. Potter in the foreclosure Of the
Canandaigua railroad, not many years
ago. 1t is stated that he received 500.
900 III that ease II Is reported that
Charles o'Connor received 5000 in
the Jumel will case and 100000 III the
Parrish will case. In the latter case
Judge John X. Porter aud Daniel Lord
received large fees.
To come to our own city, which is
seldom far behind in anything, the late
Henry Burden paid his lawyers up.
wards of $4,000 in the famous Spike
case, and Chancellor Walworth, the
referee in that case, received $4,000
referees fees. In tie Marshall will
case Townsend 4 Browne received
SOC 600