The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-26
and friends. Periured witnesses sworf

and friends. Periured witnesses swore
to the most extraordinary tales, which
fell to pieces under skillful cross-exam-
nation. Dr.. Shine fumed and swore
and even threatened counsel in open
court. 1t was all to no purpose. Har-
rold and his counsel hung on with the
utmost pertinacity. The courts one af-
ter another ruled against the company,
and finally the original court which
tried the case ordered the money, now
amounting with costs, interest, ETC., to
$3.50, 40, to be paid.
But now arose another difficulty. It
is customary to pay money recovered
in law suits to the attorney of record, as
he is called, to guarantee him first of
all payment for services and disburs6-
ments. In the very beginning Major
Harold had employed Chauncey
Shatfer as his attorney on contract
which expressed that Mr.. Shaffer was
to be paid "a reasonable sum- for his
services and disbursements. There is
popular belief that what lawyers con-
slider in all such suits to be q reasona-
Bile sum for services is the total of the
verdict, together with the interest and
costs, the plaintiff to have the vindica-
ton. The legend of the lawyer who
divided the shells between the litigants
and ate the oyster himself is no ''ancient
saw" on the contrary, it is quite "a
modern (and frequently instance"
After some futile negotiations for settle
ment between MIR. Shaffer and Major
Harold, the matter was taken for
decision to a Judge, who, after hearing
the facts, awarded counsel S17,229. 10
fees and disbursements, and 1904 ad-
vances and interest, thus leaving Major
Harold besides his vindication as a
man of veracity in swearing that he had
been injured and made helpless inva-
lid for life, the snug sum, although the
lesser half of the verdict, of S14, 315. 21.
That is to say,,,it would have left him
| that sum if another obstacle had not in
tervened. In the course of the long
litigation Major Harold had employed
no less than seven physicians to restore
| his health, some of whom were also
used as expert witnesses to sustain the
| plaintiff in his statement that he had
been really injured and not sham
ming Mr.. Shaffer was very solicitous
of Mr.. Harrold's reputation for truth
and veracity and suggested to him to
introduce still another expert in the
person of his family physician, Doctor
Robert S, Newton, now dead; but
Major Harold would not hear of any
more physicians. Mr.. Shaffer, however,
took the old doctor along one day for a
| friendly visit to his sick client and sub
sequently the two called again, accom-
| panied by the son of tho doctor, also
a physician. On the trial the young
doctor was examined as an expert; all
of this being done, as Major Harold
claims, on the part of Mr.. Shaffer and
against his directions not to employ OF
call any more doctors So, when the
young doctor put in bill of So, 800 for
himself and 81 900 for his dead father,
Major Harold disputed it; Mr.. Shaffe1
would not pay it; and when, therefore,
they put out their hands to grasp the
S36, 57S.40 in the trust company they
found an injunction restraining the
company from paying out any of the
funds until the reasonable fee" OF the
TWO doctors was PAID. ms injunction
was finally modified so far as to allow
the withdrawal of the full sum less the
IS, 800 claimed; but thus far neither the
lawyer nor Major Harold has received
a single dollar of the Judgment. There
is now pending the question of the cor
rectness of the elaine Of the Drs. New
ton, and this money cannot be drawn
by anybody until it is decided who il
to pay the doctors bill, if found tru'
one. Meanwhile Major Harold has t.
pay seven other doctors for attending
him in sickness and testifying in cour
that he was not shamming, At thi
rate he will get away" with abou
$4,000 and beautifully decorated oyste
shell with the motto, Fully yindi
; Gated. w !. I'ribNne.