The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-03-05

w oSLetu CuCQlGs AUUuL dOHol1 SUUU
and his brother Tom, and the two
Doughertys, and Hope Hull, and Junius
Hilyer, aud Basil II. OVERLY, and Judge
Jackson and Joseph Henry Lumpkin and
Judge Hutchius and Cincinnatus Peoples.
What a glorious galaxy of learned and
brilliant men-honorable men-men who
fought a fair fight, and scorned the tricks
of the lawyers trade. I have often won
dered at the measure of contempt they
would have felt for q lawyer who would
have stolen paper, or hid a set of inter-
rogstories, or bribed witness or juror,
or perjured himself to gain case. The
influence of a good man does not die
with him-whether he be a lawyer or a
doctor, or preacher, or merchant, or
q farmer or mechanic, it reaches and
affects the rising generation aDd per-
meates through society, and leaves it's
impress upon the community in which he
lives. Long time ago heard Rome
merchant say Communities have charac.
ters Just like individuals. My most relia-
bic trade is from the Alpine region in
Chattooga County. It is honorable with
that people to pay their debts-to perform
their promises. If their crops fails and
they can't do it, they will settle fairly and
pay the next year, and I don't need any
mortgage. Their word is their bond.
But here is another country not far away
where it is considered smart to'trick a
merchant out Of his money. They hide
behind trusts and homesteads and force
you to sue, and their lawyers are as mean
and tricky as they are, bnt it has got to
be so that even good, honest man from
that county can hardly get credit in
Rome."
Now all this comes from contamination.
It is just like any other immoral influ-
ence. know men who moved away
from town because The leading citizens
were immoral. They were not true to
their marriage VOWS, and the good men.
were afraid to raise their children there
If citizens immoral influence was con-
fined to his immediate family it would
not matter so much, but it does not stop
there. Bad conduct, bad habits, and bad
principles are catching, just like conta-
gious diseases. The tricks of one trades
man will be made an excuse for his na.
Dor to use the same methods. The villainy
of one artful lawyer will provoke another
to meet trick with trick to gain his case.
The responsibility of the lawyers to the
community is very great-greater even
than that of the preachers, for they are
more of them. I have not been in the
Western circuit since the war, but the
presiding judge told me not long ago that,
although the bar was not as gifted and
brainy as that of half century ago, yet
it had we'll maintained its high profes-
sional honor and integrity. 1t does not
take the brain work now to practice law
that it did half century ago when the
supreme court was in its infancy
and there we're no seventy volumes of
precedents established. 1t took more
brain work to establish them than it does
now to keep up with them. recall
with never-failing pleasure the great ar.
guments of those great men. How ne
we're charmed with their learning, their
pathos, their humor and could hardly
blame jury for giving their verdict in
favor of the last great speech that WAS
made. Hope Hull was the greatest
lawyer. The Doughertys were great ev-
cry way, but an advocate in case where
there was wife or widow or some
orphan children, I don't think Basil H.
OVERLY had an equal. recall the sweet
melody of his voice as he drew nearer
and nearer to the jury, and with teary
eyes and quivering lips he almost
whispered his tender pleadings in theie
ears.
There is one great advocate still left us
in this Cherokee region-Augustus r.
Wright is very much like overly in his
peculiar gihs. Too emotional to ever be
e great lawyer, he WAS thereby the
greater advocate. Not long ago I looked
at him and pondered. There he sat in
the COURTROOM, his battle ground for 40
years-the field of his many victories
victories of mind over human passions
his eyes still pleading aud penetrating in
their glance, his clear cut features, and
his abundant hair falling gracefully and
half concerning ar intellectual brow, his
heaving over-hanging eyebrow, and pa
triercnal beard and I wondered how
much of his life he had lived, hcw much
more than most Of US, even if he had
died twenty yearp ago. He, too, wanted
the right side of q pathetic case. If it
was the wrong side from q legal stand
point he did not care. His victory was
greater if the Court and law were against
him. He was giant before jury and
moulded them to hia will. He sued tue
Rome Railroad for $4,000 damages for
injuries done Colonel James Waddell.
There was no light at the depot when the
train arrived one dark night, and TIE
Colonel stepped of the platform and in
jured his spine by the fall. Ho fingered
for some weeks, and got we'll enough to
go about with crutches, aud offered to
settle with the rcsd for SIS, the amount
of his doctors bill. The road declined
to pay it, and Judge Wright vas employ.
ed. Colonel Waddell got worse. His
spinal troubles seemed to affect his mind,
aud the Judge raised his demand from
s90 000 to $40 600. and everybody smiled,