The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-08-31
BEN. HILL DYING POOR.
Making an Immense Fortune and
Losing II Again.


Ionce heard lawyer of judgment |
assert that Mr.. Hill made more |
money by the practice of his profess
sion, considering the years he was
engaged in the practice, than any
other lawyer i'll America. He cited
the case of Judge Curtis, of the
supreme court, who was held to have
the most lucrative practice, and
who made 100000 in ten years.
NJ. Hill himself told me that he
made $4,000 a year for the first
fifteen years of his practice, Judge
Sam Harris says he has authority
for saving that Mr.. Hill made $780,
600 at the law up to 1860. AS
this allowed him fourteen years
years of law practice, the
average was about $4,000 a year.
During that time he made a canvass
for congress, for governor, twice as
elector, and served two terms in the
Legislature. Treasurer Dan Speer
knew Mr.. Hill intimately all his life.
There was no bank in LaGrange in
the old days and Mr.. Hill used to
deposit his fees in the safe in DR..
MOreland's office, where Mr.. Speer
was. He says that his income from
fees as shown by his deposits were
enormous, and that the cash on hand
was frequently large. Mr.. Hill was
in every important case in western
Georgia, and later in nearly
every big case in the state.
He named his own fees. He
bought negroes and lands with
alx haA
than he could possibly use. lie lost
his negroes and much other pro-
perty by the war, and yet was worth
about 100000 when he left La
Grange in 1869.
Since that time Mr.. Hill has never
gwen his whole time 10 the practice,
but he has made an enormous
amount of money. He made in 1868
one fee in a case in East Tennessee of
| 100000 in Confederate money,
equal to about $60,000 in gold. In
1865 he had fee of $4,000 in the
famous Metcalf case, but only COL
lected about 100000. The balance
he failed to sue to judgment. Mr..
Metcalf dying he failed to get his
balance, when other judgments
against the estate were paid, being
barred by limitation. His fee in
the Western and Atlantic lease
case was a share in the lease
and lease bonds that paid him about
$125,000. He received one share of
the lease as his originally. He
bought with Mr.. Nutting one other
share, each taking half. He took one
more share from Mr.. Kimball as a
fee, paying off a small mortgage on
it. This gave him two and half
shares. On these he drew 100000
of income bonds, they being issued
at the rate of $4,000 to each share.
Shortly afterward he sold the shares
for $50,000 to Mr.. Walters. He,
therefore, drew $150,000 from lease
shares. The expenses on the Kim
ball shares and the one he bought
with Nutting amounted 10 about
$25, 200, leaving him net $125,000.
His fee in the kimball House case
was an interest in the hotel, which he
sold, after deriving considerable rent
for $25, 900, George Adair and Mrs.
KimbalI buying 1t. He drew one
fee of $12,500 from the lease COM
pany, and another of $4,000 that L
know of. A care in New York paid
him $4,000, and he had many $4,000
fees. 1t is certainly safe to say that
he has made 81, 100000 by his tongue
and brain as fees by the time he was
fifty years old. This record is
without parallel, the nearest ap-
proach probably being Henry Ward
Beecher, who, as lecturer, preacher
and writer, is said to have made
81, 100000 up to his sixty-fourth
year, equal to what Mr.. Hill made
in one profession up to his fiftieth
year. When we consider that Mr.
Hill spent ten of those years at best
principally in politics, while Mr.
Beecher gave all of his to profes-
sional work, the difference is the
more striking.
1t seems incredible that Mr.. Hill
should have spent all his princely in
come-and yet he dies a poor man
The explanation is easy. He never
made a good investment in his life
and never cared to. His first invest.
ment in LaGrange was $3.50 il
a patent washing machine, which ht
lost. He never invested in property
that gave him an income. He spent
lavishly, bought lavishly, made easy
and gave freely. He never denied
his family or any member of it th'
slightest whim or caprice. His home
| in LAGRANGE was q princely one.