The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-03-05
TIE CID LAWYERS.
They Were Advocates, not Attorneys--Thsy
Put Their Hearts into Their Clients
Causes, Making Them
Their Own.


his seniors, especially if they be great
men and good men. 1t is the most
efectual and delightful education that
ne can get. Books are a good thing.
but it is better to be in daily commun-
ion with men who have read and
studied the books, and sifted from them
all the good that is In them. I was
Illuminating about the notable men Of
the olden time-the men to whom ]
looked up to with love and admiration
They are all gone, but they left their
impress upon the age in which they
lived and upon me. The bad is mingled
with the good in everything, and it was
sad to me to see these great men pass
away. One by one they fell before the
scythe ofthsreaper, and lam left alone.
Some Of my youthful companions are
left me, but the men I reverenced are
gone. How swiftly and surely they
60. was thinking about the great
lawyers Of the Western circuit. About
Howell Cobb and his brother Tom, and
the two Doughertys, and Hope Hull,
and Junius Hilyer, and Basil II. Over
by, and Judge Jackson, and Joseph
Henry Lumpkin, and Judge Hutchins,
and Cincinnatus Peoples. What a
glorious galaxy Of learned and brilliant
men-honorable men-men who fought
q 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 a lawyer who would
have stolen paper, or bid a set of
interrogatories, or bribed witness or a
juror. or perju-ed himself to gain his
case. The influence Of good man
: does not die with him-whether he be
lawyer or doctor, or preacher, or
merchant, or farmer or mechanic,
it reaches and affects the rising genera
ton, and permeates through society,
and leaves it's impress upon the CON-
mueity in which he lives. Long time
ago I heard q Rome merchant say
''communities have character just like
individuals. My most reliable trade is
from the Alpine region in Chattanooga
County. It is honorable with that peo-
pie to pay their debts-to perform their
promises. # their crop fails and they
can't do it, they will settle fairly and
pay the next year, and don't need
any mortgage. Their word is their
bond. But here is another county not
far away where it is considered smart
to trick merchant out of his money.
They hide behind trusts and home
steads and force you to sue and their
lawyers are as mean and tricky as they
are, and it has got to be so that even a
good, honest man from that county can
hardly get credit in Rome"
Now all this comes from contamina-
tion. 1t isjust like any other immoral
influence. know men who moved
away from town because the leading
citizens were immoral. They were not
true to their marriage vows, and the
men were afraid to raise their children
there. II a citizens immoral influence
was confined to his immediate family
it would not matter so much, but it
does not stop there. Bad conduct, bad
habits, bad principles are catching, just
like contagious diseases. The tricks of
one tradesman will be made an excuse
for his nabor 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 there 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 apd
brainy as that Of half century ago
yet it had we'll maintained its high
professional honor and integrity. It
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 were no seventy
volumes of precedents established. It
took more brain work to establish them
than it does now to keep up with them.
recall with never-failing pleasure the
great arguments of those great men.
How were we 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 every way, but
as an advocate in case where there
was wife or widow or some orphan
children, I don't think that Basil II.
OVERLY had an equal. I recall the sweet
melody Of his voice as he drew nearer
and nearer to the jury, and with teary
eyes and qulvering lips be almost
whispered his tender pleadings in their
ears.
There is one great advocate still left
US in this Cherokee region-Augustus
R. Wright is very much like Overby in
his peculiar gifts. Too emotional to
ever be a great lawyer, he wastaereby
the greater advocate. Not long ago 1
looked at him and pondered. There be,
sat in the courtroom, his battle ground
for forty yeacs-the field of his MANY
victories-victories of mind over human
rassions-his eyes still pleasing and
penetrating in their glance, his clear
cut features, his abundant hair falling
gracefully and half concealinc an III