Omaha daily bee., 1888-04-08
MILLIONS EATEN UP.
How Vast Estates Vanish in Lawyers
Fees.

New York Journal: "Ah! how many
are rioting on dead mems millions!i
This was the exclamation of con-
servative lawyer of prominence in
speaking of the management of large
estates which the machinery of the
courts is invoked to settle.
Behind the names of Stevens, Stokes.
Cutting, Stewart, Anderson. Hamers-
ley, Jumel, Colah. Hoyt, Wood, Soutter,
Tilden, Gilman, Paine, LenoX and Shell
don lie recitals of more enhancing in
terest and of strange situations than any
portrayed by the novelist.
Property valued at tens of millions of
dollars is at present in litigation in the
surrogate's court. Lawyers will not
openly acknowledge that they desire to
prolong this legal strife, but that this
purpose is close at their hearts is well
known. The estate pays the expenses
of litigation, and while anything is left
the conscientious attorney finds that it
is necessary TO make some further move
"in the interest of his client"
1t is the old story of dividing the oys-
ter-each litIgant takes shell and the
lawyer takes the meat. When man
dies, leaving his heirs $1,000 to fight
over, the proper division of the estate
according to the legal conscience is al
most as follows: Legal fees and costs,
800, 600; disbursements and incidentals,
81 900; heirs, $1,000.
The heirs are not always as fortunate
as this extreme case would indicate.
Facts from the record will show this:
An Oriental merchant, who reioiced
in the picturesque name of Bomanjce
Byranjee Colah, visited in this city
eighteen years ago. He went on a spree
and got locked up in cell. The police
found $40, 900 in paper money and gold
on his person, and an examination of
his room in the Hoffman house showed
that he had an additiodal $4,000 there.
He was n stranger in a strange land
and fair game for the lawyers. They
charged that the Parsee merchant was
a lunatic, and that IL was necessary to
appoint committee to take charge of
himself and his money. Nathaniel
Jarvis, jr., who is lawyer in addition
to being clerk Of the court OF common
pleas, was the man who got the 800, 600
in charge. The Parsee was sent TO
Bombay, where he died, at cost OF
S25, 200. Mr.. Jarvis reported to the
court that the balance he had on hand
was exactly $500.
Samuel Wood, after whom the town
OF Woodsburg, l.. l., is named, died in
1910, leaving fortune estimated AT
S2,OOO,O0 BY specific bequests he left
1921 900, to relatives, and the balance
was to be expended in founding a col
lege of music, The college will never
be founded, for two good reasons-the
bequest has been declared illegal and
the money has been eaten up by eX-
penses. The little Item of 81 400 900 of
the estate has vanished Eight differ
ent attorneys and as many eminent
counsel have been operating on the es-
tate ''in the interest Of the college of
music" for ten years past, and this fact
tells the story,
Jesse Hoyt, tie famous produce mer-
chant of this city, died in 1882, leaving
$4,000, 900. He left the income of
ST. ,25O, 900 for the use of his widow dur
ing life, and the same sum to his eccen-
trio daughtsr, Mary Irene. They were
dissatisfied and half o dozen lawyers
We're called in, among them General
Benjamin f. Butler and Roscoe Conk-
ling. A young attorney named Aaron
Kahn, who was in the case, rendered a
little bill for $40, 1868, but how much