Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-04
A GENUINE ORATOR
Is Bourke Cochran, Whose
Two Great Speeches at
Chicago Are Cited
ASSAMPLES OF HIS POWER.
An Interesting Biography of a Rising
Young Self-Made Man.
A RIBBON COUNTER ABANDONED
For the Bar, and That Used as Stepping
Stone 10 Politics.
A SHINING STAR AMONG ALL ORATORS
ASSAMPLES OF HIS POWER.
A RIBBON COUNTER ABANDONED
For the Bar, and That Used as Stepping.
Stone 10 Politics.
A SHINING STAR AMONG ALL ORATORS
rnos A STAFF CORRESPONDENT,

rrRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT
NEW YORK, July 3.-The history of tn
rise Of William Bourke Cochran is not onl,
interesting-it is instructive, curious, ex
traordinary. 1t illustrates the grand posi-
bilities of American life; the scope of in
dividual achievement where brains an,
bulldog pertinacity are united with tn
divine gift of eloquence.
Bourke Cockran-for few designate hin
in any other way-is an Irish lad. Had b,
remained in the land of his nativity hi
oratorical powers might have been recog
nized Just the same. His name may hav,
been listed with the long line of Irisf
orators revered by Irishmen and honorec
the world over; but in this turbulent era o.
Ireland's checkered history it would more
likely have been coupled with English jails
and the disgraceful factional rotten-egg
club-lime- -paving-stone weapons with which
Irishmen are in these modern times wont to
greet their leaders who disagree with them.
For Bourke Cochran bears in his broad
bosom the spirit of the fighter, the un-
daunted soul that glories in opposition and
gains strength by the bitterness of the an.
tagonism.
Man of Great Courage and Power.
saw him in the midst of the intellectual
battle of 1884, at the convention of the
national Democracy held in Chicego-I saw
him in the great struggle at the Chicago
convention of ten days ago. Two things
were prominent in my mind-one. the Won
derful courage and power of this man in
the face of bitterly hostile audience; the
other, the triumph of peaceful tolerance in
that audience. four-ftths of whom were
radically opposed to that which the speaker
advocated.
The political leaders of the earth who
would face such an audience for cause al
ways desperate, and at the moment already
lost, are probably few and yet, other than
Bourke Cochran, 1 cannot name any of
them. The country where such an audience
of %, 900 excited people could be held to-
gether in peace to listen to q man under
such circumstances is not within my geo.
graphical knowledge.
Born in County Sligo, ireland, educated
in France-a young and penniless emigrant
a drygoods clerk-a schoolmaster-a poor
law student-living practically from hand
to mouth always-so short a time ago that
1t seems to those who know him but yester-
day, he stands now at the head of the New
York bar, rich, the lawyer of big cases and
big fees, the idol of the governing power of
New York, and an orator whose name and
fame are coequal with the length and
breadth of the land
His Head Not Yet Unbalanced.
Such success is enough to turn the head of
ANYBODY but an extraordinary man. But
Bourke Cochran is an extraordinary man,
and his head is still we'll balanced He is
yet young, being only SO, and what is left
of The great world for him to conquer is still
ahead of him. He was turned II when he
came to this country, SO he is but 81 years
an American. He was being educated for
the priesthood at Lille, Franse, when he
concluded that he would rather be an Amer
ican citizen and take his chances with
Americans than be pillar of the church.
He is a thorough classical scholar, and
speaks Partisan like a native.
Wholly without means when he arrived
here he went to work for A. T. Stewart. 1t
was the first thing that turned up. But the
ribbon counter didn't agree with him and
he soon changed this for more intellectual,
If not more remunerative employment-
teaching school. Many a bright American
boy who has since distinguished himself
began by teaching school. And, Just as
with these American boys, school teaching
was to him but the best available means to
higher end. He studied law and studied
hard His intellectual diet was Blackstone
for breakfast, Chitty on Contracts for lunch
and Court Reports for supper-between
which he wrestled with the perverse and
crooked young idea
The Ferule Dropped for the Law
About the time when the whole national
Democracy was ablaze with the unsatis-
factory results of the Tilden campaign
Cochran concluded to drop the ferule and
risk the law. He had enioyed the friend
ship of Judge A. B. Tappen, a lawyer of
some note and red-hot politician, and had
also had the advantage of the Judges
library and counsel, and felt that he was
sufficiently well equipped to enter the legal
field on his own account. With character
istic daring the young lawyer cast his eyes
longingly on the metropolis
'That is my field" he said to himself,
f'and there I must 60" But his means,
carefully husbanded from school teaching.
did not admit of so great a risk at once. He
got as near to the cherished idea as he |
could, however, and opened an office in the |
beautiful suburb Of Mount Vernon. This |
wise step put him in the way of making |
New York friends and professional con- |
nectlons while he was cutting his legal |
teeth. Whether he then dreamed of $40, 600 |
and S2O 600 retainers in the near future is not |
known; but $40 was dream for some time |
and dollar was cartwheel of reality, His |
frst case of any real Importance was a mur-
der case, and his mark in tnat case not onlv |
secured him paying practice in the |
little village, but brought his name and |
abilities to the attention of the New York |
bar. He had not set out for criminal |
lawyer, but took anything that came along
Particularly Desperate Case
This was particularly desperate case,
and no other lawyer cared to Undertake it
A man had called another man to his cabin
door and mad deliberately shot him down in
cold blood. He was morally sure to hang.
and there was no money in it one wav or
the other. But young Cochran has always
had penchant for desperate cases-mark
his convention experience-and he under
took to defend the murderer. The result
was verdict of murder in the second de-
gree. He saved the mans life
Cockran's impasslonate address to the
jury moved even the stern judge and
brought tears to the eyes of counsel, The
orator was quite youthful in appearance as
he was in years, and the effect was still
more remarkable on that account This was
his entree into the New York papers, which
had strongly urged the capital punishment
of the man, but among members of his pro-
fession the young lawyer was highly praised.
They advised him to come to New York.
He came. Still poor, and with that cautious
ness that came from bitter experience, he
took a little back Office on the fourth floor
on lower Broadway and put out his shingle
He now found himself verv small toad in
a very big puddle and had to skimp and
scheme to get enough to keep soul and body
together. But he was making friends. He
everybody like him, and still retains it