Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-11-07
CINCINNATI LAWYERS.


BiOgraPhIcaI-BIgF Fees-Buried Alive.
In the national House of Representatives
three-fourths Of the members are said to
be lawyers. In the Senate all are supposed
to be at least proficient in constitutional
law. The two candidates for the Senate
rial shoes, soon to be left vacant by Judge
Thurman, who halls from the Queen City,
occupy leading places at our bar. Stanley
Matthews has long been the leading law
yer in Cincinnati, Judge Headly alone
possibly excepted. That means the great
est lawyer in Ohio, and that too means the
mcst able attorney outside of New York
and Massachusetts. Matthews has made,
of late years, a speciality of railroad law.
1t seems to be true of this profession as
well as of others, that as soon as man Is
able he selects a particular branch and
makes that alone the object of study.
Years ago he was a Democrat, and under
Buchanan was District Attorney for the
southern district of Ohio. In that capaci-
ty he assisted in enforcing the fugitive
slave law. Old friend Coffin, the president
of the underground railroad in abolition
times, in his biography, published shortly
before his death, speaks of Matthews and
his services in those times. Matthews once
told Coffin that he did not feel very proud
in these days of his course at that period.
l remember having seen an interview with
Senator Blaine, about the time that Mat
thews was put up as President Hayes
champion to defend his Southern policy,
in which Blaine said he was prepared for
Matthews, and was familiar with his his
tory. 1t Is likely that Blaine then had in
mind the slave hunting and slave catching
efforts of the district attorney. Such
knowledge could have been used with tell
ing effect by the Maine Senator had Mat
thews ever tackled him in debate on this
phase of the Southern question.
Judge Taft the other candidate is gen.
tleman of the old school. A quiet and
dignified practitioner and very conservative.
He is remarkable only as the father of half
dozen boys who are hereafter to play an
important part in politics. Une of these
married David Sinton's only child and will
thus some day become the possessor of
about three million dollars. Another, the
one who had the highest class record which
was ever attained at Yale College, married
Peter Hulbert's daughter, and he will
sometime inherit an almost equal fortune.
Judge Taft is not rich. He has always
had large income but has lived up TO it.
At the time Hayes was nominated for gov
ernor the only reason that Taft did not
make more decided fight for the nomin-
alton was, that he could not afford to take
the Office of governor of Ohio. Matthews
on the contrary is very wealthy, and in
deed, it would be pity, if on an income
of from sixty to seYenty-five thousand a
year he did not manage to save something.
His fees are pretty heavy. l knew of one
he earned without much work: An old
man named Bates died here a couple of
years ago, leaving a will giving to one of
his sons, Harry, but very small proper
tion of his property. Old man Bates had
not in his life time been a model parent
and Harry Bates was of course anxious to
break the will. He consulted Matthews,
asked his advice and was told TO hand oyer
a thousand dollars and it would be given.
This was done, and the legal opinion he OBJ
tained was that the best plan for him to
pursue was to do nothing. heard young
attorney once express the wish that he
could get that sum for an opinion so easily
given.
Speaking of big fees the largest one on
record in our part of the country is that
hllCu L ClCL L1lul e5OG III Ju6 hGuluChl
Central Railroad case. 1t was four hun
dred and fifty thousand dollara almost half
a million. | don't think Zinn has ever
appeared in court since then. The Ken
lucky Central has had a good many big
fees to pay. Governor Fisk got hundred
and forty-nlne thousand out of it, for the
conduct of case. 1t was there too that
Hon. George 81. Pendleton got the eighty
thousand dollars which he so often wishes
he had never seen. Fees like these are the
exceptions. 1t is not often that more than
five hundred is paid for one fee. Judge
Force got forty thousand however from
the Longworth estate. Tom McDougall
who is now the attorney for that estate,
got five hundred dollars for drawing up
Mr.. Marsh'S will, and it wasn't such ter
rible fine job after all.
McDougall is the luckiest lawyer in the
seven states. Ten years ago he was a me-
chanic working in Lane & Bodley's ma
chine shop. Now he has practice worth
ten thousand year. He made five hun
dred dollars clear of all expenses the first
year of his practice, and accumulated some
thing OF library beside. His Is another
triumph of the Scotch blood in Cincinnati.
There was an article in the New York
Independent few months ago which spoke
of Mr.. T. D. Lincoln as the best insurance
lawyer in the United States. don't know
whether or not that was a merited COM
pliment He has his little fee out of al
most every insurance case of any magni-
tude tried in the higher courts however.
Lincoln has the largest and finest private
law library in town. 1t is his wife who
was the leading spirit in the management
of the late Bazaar in aid of the Archbishop.
She is a jealous Catholic and her children
follow in her footsteps. Last week their
daughter Florence took the white veil and
is to be nun. When person of her tai
ent and beauty shuts herself up inside four
bare walls to spend her life in Roman
Catholic mnmmeries it is a loss to the
world. Florence Lincoln was as handsome
a girl as ever lived in Cincinnati. She
had every advantage of wealth and social
position. She had studied in Paris and in
Berlin. Had resided in Russia, in Spain,
in Italy and England Her conversational
powers are remarkable. Her winning way
and atfectionate disposition made her one
OF the most popular ladies in the city, and
yet now she is buried. | think she were
better dead for then perhaps she might be
an angel Now, it strikes me, her time is
wasted. So much for that, which as Cap
tain Cutie would say, is a depression.
JUvENIs.
Cincinnati, Nov. 3rd, 1879.
Senator Wade Hampton made a conserv-
ative speech at Greenville, S. c., the other
night, in the course of which he said: "If
we do not do some foolish things during
the next session of Congress-and admit
we sometimes do very foolish things-we
can elect a Democratic President next
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