St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-02
WHY 1T WAS DONE.
The Reasons of 'sIhe Gau.1 for
Making Away with the Great

The Reasons of s5Jhe Gau.1 for
Making Away With the Great
Lawyer.
For score of years prior to his death.
Mr.. StOrrs had stood in the front rank of
his profession. He was profoundly versed
i'll all the quipS and quirEs of the law; he
had vast knowledge of everything which
goes toward the arming of an advocate for
a battle in the court room: authorities on
disputed points were to him as much a
matter of memory as they are to the gen.
eral class of attorneys matter of research;
he was a profound student of human
nature, and could pass judgment on the
bench or the inclinations of a juror with
swift and almost erroreSS accuracy: he
was probably the best off hand orator of his
time. When warmed to the work of legal
contest, his usually dull eyes would flash
with supernatural fire. and his smaI. frame
would seem to swell with the dignity and
power of man whose giant intellect, self
poised and self-centered, was
THE MONARCH OF A REALM
where none could dispute its power or deny
its sway. The magic of his persuasive
tongue was matchless, and before the
mingled torrent of invective. sarcasm. en-
treaty. wit and beautiful and timely SMILES
that he was accustomed to pour forth, the
jury or audience which he CHANGED to adj
dress would sit spell-bound and entranced.
So gifted and so able, man could not be
without an army of clients eager and
anxious to enlist the might of genius on
their side of a cause. He figured in such
great legal contests as the BabcOck con-
Spiracy case in st. Louis the contested
election case for Incorporation of the city
of Chicago under the general election law,
the famous Michigan university case. the
duty Of railroads to deliver grain to eleva-
tors to which it was consigned the uniform
taxation case. and cases involving the
cOnStitutionality of the law providing for
the erection of new state house. and also
of the Lincoln and South park statutes in
vOlving the question of the power of munich
palitieS to impose taxes without consent.
His fine abilities as criminal lawyer were
amply demonstrated in the famous Sulli-
van, Ransom and COchrane murder cases,
as we'll as his mastery defense of Wilkie
and Flynn at Belvidere who were under
indictment for conspiracy. This was his
record up to 1882; brilliant and unequaled
one. He had come under the
FAVORABLE NOTICE OF THE GANG''
through his appearance as the attorney for
Jere Dunn, the sporting man who murdered
Elliott, the prize tighter, in Appetite Bill'
Langdon'S saloon and restaurant on Dear
born street. between Madison and WASH
ington, Chicago. The killing was I'M
dOubtedly premeditated affair. for
Dunn entered the place pistol in hand
and sought out his victim with his eye
glancing down the leVeled barrel of the
weapon of death. The assassin was duly
arrested. jailed and indicted. Witnesses
against him mysterOusly disappeared for
awhile, or if they took the stand, testified
in favor of the defendant. The case of the
state was shaken by a series of croSS-eX-
aminatiOns which sent honest men from the
court room doubtful whether they had seen
the fight, or if they had seen it, if they had
not committed perjury in swearing on the
stand that Dunn acted in any manner other
than was necessary to save his own life
Storrs made plea which was miracle
of ingenuity and eloquence. The jury re-
tired and soon brought in a verdict of
acquittal. The released assassin and his
friends that night held high revel They
secured hacks, hunted up Storrs, and all
together went to Clayton'S Drum saloon on
Madison street. where for hours
CHAMPAGNE FLOWED LIKE WATER.
So when Mackin's little plan to secure
state senator for the North side of the city
of Chicago for whom the people had not
voted, was exposed and the case was be-
ginning to look particularly dirty, Storrs
was sought out to undertake the hercuIean
task of clearing the local Warwick. Two
Democrats and one Republican were al
legged to be the principals in the fraud.
StOrrs had been always Republican. Had
the ballot box swindle worked, it would
have sent Democrat to the legislature.
Although in receipt of an unusually large in
come Mr.. Storrs was a poor man. Money
slipped through his hands like water
through a sieve. He lived luxuriOusIv as a
recompense for .toiling like slave and
could never turn deaf ear to an appeal
for charity. He hesitated about identify
ing himself with the case. but finally
agreed to undertake it on condition that his
fee should be SO. 900 and that it should be
guaranteed. There was some hesitation on
the part of Mackin's hackers and then
THE PRISONER DECLARED HIMSELF"
He knew more of the dark and under.
handed work of the gang" than any liv-
ing man. He had been the trusted. capable
and INSCRIPTIONS lieutenant of Mike Nc
Donald, Mike Corcoran, Carter Harrison,
George Everhart. and the great cotere of
gamblers who depended on the bosses for
immunity. Mackin asserted that if protec-
ton and financial aid were not forthcoming
he would utilize enough of his power and
information TO send few other men besides
himself to the penitentiary. Storrs came
high, but Storrs he would have, or the con-