St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-09-11
HALF-PRICE LAWYERS.
THE POLICE COURT SINISTER AND
HIS WHY METHODS.
RUSH FOR THE VICTIMS.

What the Tough Lawyers Dc
Not Attempt to Do, the Efforts
OF the Latter Being to Do Their
Victims.
Il find you guilty."
"l es, sir.''
"How much money have you?"
-Four dollars, SIR"
~ fine you So. That's dollar for you
to get home with"
"Yes, SIR"
This was in Justices court, says the
New York Recorder, and the justice
did not intend it for any more of joke
than most Of the other things he is in
the habit of doing. The theory was
that punishment should adjust itself to
the situation, that it was better for the
county to get So out of sinner than
undertake to support him for ten days.
New York's cheap lawyers generally
look at matters in the same way. 1t is
better. says the cheap lawyer, to make
IS a day scratching gravel" than to
starve on dignity, especially when you
haven't any dignity.
OUT FOR THE DUST.
He is ''Out for the dust" Like the
people in Mulberry street, he lives on
small profits. His sales are certainly
large. Most of his victims might be
labeled sold"
1t might be difficult to trace the origin
OF the designation by which the very
cheap lawyer is generally known, but
he certainly has for many years been
marked with the name "shyster." A
''shySter" or ''shyster lawyer is a
term perfectly familiar and entirely
descriptive to any one who is informed
upon the ways of the lower courts.
Thus 1t comes that man who does the
things habitual with the "shyster law
YER is said to be ''shystering." When
lawyer has lost his ambitions, has
adopted 'cheap and nasty" methods,
has dropped into catch-penny ways
and hangs around the entrances to the
coruts, his old friends and acQuaintauces
say. HE is shyStering now"
Somebody tried to fix the dividing line
between lawyer who is shyster and
LAWYER who is not by saying that a
man who would take fee OF less than
50 is SINISTER. But no financial divid-
ing line is safe. A shyster will take
anything from drink up. But there is
many an honest, fair-minded and rep
utable lawyer who takes very small fees
when business is poor and the clients
are also. Like the doctor. the lawyer
does good deal of work for nothing.
and-llke the doctor, again-gets very
little thanks for it sometimes. But the
true shyster does very little work of
this kind. He is not in the benevolent
line of trade.
IF you want law" he says. put up
the stuff"
THE SHYSTERS.
Every Justices court is the headquar-
tiers of special group of legal hangers
on. There are ShYSterS who do business
at various courts, but even these are
likely to be especially prominent at one
OF lhe courts. At some particular court
they are seen regularly in certain lines
of cases.
The cheapest of cheap lawyers hang
out In person and unassisted. They
stand in" or try to ''stand in" with the
policemen or special court officers who
serve warrants. 1t is well understood
that when policeman serves warrant
his confessed and bewldered prisoner
is very likely to ask whom he shall
get for a lawyer. The policeman
generally has a suggestion to make,
and sometimes becomes the go-between
In the case. Very often their going
between may amount to nothing more
than wink to some shabby legal gen
tleman in the hallway OF the court. The
shabby legal gentleman steps MP to the
prisoner. perhaps appears for him at
the bar during the preliminary arraign-
ment without having exchanged a word
with him, and then gets the prisoner in
corner to talk over finances.
WILL TAKE ANYTHING.
If the prisoner has no money he can
write note to somebody who will lend
him five or ten dollars in cash and
bring bail. If he has three or four dol
lars with him that goes as retainer
without more parley. In the first eX-
cltement OF being under arrest he is
willing to do anything, to promise any,
thing. 1t is the business of the shyster
to make the prospect look as gloomy as
possible. Very often the offense upon
which person has been arrested
would, If the prisoner was found guilty,
entail a fine of $40. But he does not
know this, and the Shyster does not adj
wise him of it. 1t is the business of the
shyster TO get SO out of the victim if he
can by permitting him to think that
something short of two years. imprisOn-
ment, with hard labor, will follow con-
viction.
To facilitate this business of "stand.
ing in" with policemen in general and
court officers in particular, and to watch
the field OF operations at the police
courts, class Of shySters have "rUn-
ners," hangerS-on who pick up business
for them. Sometimes these runners fill
the position of Office clerks. sometimes
they are mere rowing spectators who get
percentage of each fee.
"What does Jiggers' runner getP'
asked Recorder reporter of one who
knows the ropes.
lone dollar out of each fve."
How about the policemen?''
"Well, he probably gets another dollar
out of each five"
THAT leaves So out of each SIS for
Jiggers. unless the runner gets the job
direct"
Precisely"
RUNNER SYSTEM.
The runner system is not. of course,
confined to shyster circles. All police
court lawyers are likely to have them.
They are necessary in the arrangement
of the little details. They run the er.
rands and do the things that would not
be in good form" for the lawyer him.
self. Sometimes. for example, there are
! other mediums of exchange than money
Men put up" their watches against the
services of the lawyer. Bank books with
paltry accounts are handed over; artt
cles of Jewelry, especially stray dia-
| monds, are always useful.
Another agency in the go-betweer
business in New York and BROOKLYN il
| furnished by the interpreter. The shy
sters and the runners require to "stand
in' with the men who interpret Swed
| 1sh. Polish. Italian, German. ETC., in The
different courts. At various times un