Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-25

wanted his rival bound over to keep the
peace. Lamar succeeded in doing this, and
received as his fee two jugs OF handmade
whisky.
The late Sunset Cox got S25 for his first
law case and Henry Clay's first fee amounted
to just 10 shillings. Representative Hol-
man, the noted economist, learned how to
skimp the Government by skimping his
stomach to fit the size of country Hoosier's s
legal salary, and John Allen, the funny
man from Mississippi, made his first Jokes
before the bar. Speaking of the Investments
of legal earnings some of the big fortunes
have come from fees in kind which have
been retained and have grown into millions.
The late David Davis died a millionaire.
The bulk of his fortune came from some
lands about Chicago, which he was given
for legal services which he got when he was
a young man and when the lands were sup
posed to be worth practically nothing. He
held to them. and the city grew and the
lands grew with it until they brought him
in hundreds thousands of dollars instead
OF few hundred dollars.
PATENTS AND LANDS AS FEES.
1t is so with many of the cases that come
be ore many Of the Washington courts, and
before the departments. Patent lawyers ac-
cept sometimes interests in the patents they
secure, and one OF the rich men of Washing
ton is a patent lawyer named Anthony
Pollock, who manages the Goodyear rubber
patents. The land claims that come before
Congress amount to millions of dollars, and
when lobby lawyer gets one through on
the condition that he is to receive one-half
or one-third he makes big strike or
nothing.
When the electoral commission was settled
tuas le tal oh hnnt he ip foo
that Senator Evarts received for his argu-
ment before the commission. The people
supposed it to be thousands of dollars, and
the truth is that Evarts did the work for
nothing. Zach Chandler, who was then
Chairman of the Republican National Com
mittee, called upon him and asked him to
take charge and select his own assistants
He then asked him what he would charge,
saying that the Republican Committee was
poor and they could not offer him very
large retainer. Evarts replied that as the
matter was a public one be would make no
charge, and Mr.. Chandler told him he must
at least allow him to pay his hotel expenses.
He was at Washington at the time Chand-
Ter came to see him and was stopping at
Wormley's Hotel.
He remained 30 days to try the case, and
his bill for this time amounted to $500, as he
was presented to the National Committee,
but Chandler was not present and it WAS not
honored. When Evarts was told this he
said he would pay the bill himself and he
did so. Zach Chandler wanted to make it
right, but Evarts would not hear of it, and
the result was that he got $500 less than
nothing for making one OF the greatest legal
arguments of history.
MANY THANK-YoU JOBS.
One Of the most constant practitioners be-
fore the Supreme Court at Washington is
Ben Butler, and he probably makes more
money there than any other lawyer in the
country. He does an immense amount of
thank-you business, and is always assisting
some poor young man or some poor woman
for nothing. Not long ago the boy of one of
the brightest widows OF the Interior Depart
ment was seriously injured in railroad ac-
cident. The accident was due TO the care
lessness OF the officials and the railroad COM
pany was asked 10 make some compensation.
This they refused to do, and the woman was
in despair. She called upon Ben Butler at
his office here and stated her case. He took
it, tried it for her and got her heavy damages
and would not accept q cent OF pay. This is
an instance that came under my personal
vision, but it is only a sample OF many
others of which have heard.
1t was the same with Roscoe Conkling.
He charged the millionaires, but worked
for nothing for the door, A highly cul-
tured widow Of Washington whose property
was tied up and was being unjustly sppro-
priated by others through a supposed legal
technicality, met Mr.. Conkling in New
York, and presented her case. he offered
to take it up, but she told him she could not
pay him. In the gentlest manner Conkling
told her be would do it for nothing, and he
then set the machinery of law in motion,
which gave her back her little fortune. It
did not cost her cent.
FRANK G. CARPENTER,