The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-14

said 10 Have Got 100000 in "A Sim
Gle case. While Lawyer Cromwell
was Awarded $25O,OOO by the
Court.
From the Philadelphia Record.
New York. July 24.-The fees which
LAWYERS receive are Of interest usually
oniv TO the brethren Of their profession
and those who pay him. Sometimes when
men gain fame. as conBlng did in politics
and charles o'Conor did at the bar, there
: popular interest in these earnings, as
Is also the case when a fee Of unusual
size is paid. When the Fayerweather win
was offered for probate, and announce
nent was made Of a contest, the impress
sion was that the opportunity for the
earning Of fees which because of their size
would become traditional would be sure
to be taken speedy advantage of. Some
Of the most distinguished lawyers in this
city and a few from other towns ap-
peared in the court room at the time Of
the FIRST hearing. that one in which Fred
eric Coudert denounced the will as a fraud
upon its face, and thereby, inferentially
at least, making accusation against one
Of the suspicious members of the bar.
Gen. Woodford's partner. Thomas d.
Ritch. Not far from six millions Of dol
lars was the appraised value of Mr.. Few
erweather's estate. He left no children.
and his widow was an invalid, whose
days, according to the physicians, were
numbered. There were collateral heirs,
and some twenty colleges which had been
unexpectedly enriched by this will of a
Raan who was not estimated before his
death to be even millionaire excepting
by few of his closest friends
The htigations have extended now over
period of four years. and distinguished
counsel have continued in the case The
executors have disposed of some millions.
and they have some millions in their
hands, and yesterday In proceedings in
court information of some of the counsel
fees was made public. For instance, John
T. Parsons, whose friends say that he is
fond Of the repute which he has in having
the hnest practice at the English speak
ing bar received Sl5OO0. and ex-Judge
Arnoux the same amount for services as
counsel to the executors. This does not
represent all of their earnings. for be-
lore this last accounting Judge Arnoux
had received $4,000 upon one occasion for
services, and Mr.. Parsons $4,000, and then
again a second time these two counsel di-
Vlded $4,000 between them for later ser
vice So far, then, it appears that Parsons
and Arnoux have received $4,000.
Other lawyers Of less conspicuous rela-
lions to the case have received proper
uonately less sums, but ii is understood
by members of the bar here that not far
from $4,000 have been the reward of the
lawyers up to this time for their fortu-
nate association with this single case. and
there is a disposition on the part of some
OF the counsel who represent the Fayer-
weather heirs to make a contest against
the payment of any more fees of this kind
MIR. Parsons fine remuneration for the
very able counsel which he has given does
not begin to match another fee which he,
according to the reports, was paid not
many years ago. When the Havemeyerg.
desiring to initiate the RockefeiIers.
sought to establish a sugar trust they
retained Mr.. Parsons for that difficult
ana delicate work. The precise amount
OF the retainer and fees of course he and
they. alone know, but 1t has always been
the belief of members of the bar here
that Mr.. Parsons was paid the largest
sum ever received by a lawyer in Ney,
york city for a single service. Reports
nave differed as to the precise amount.
Some lawyers have said that Mr.. Parsons
In all earned not far from $4,000. Others
say that his fees We're 100000, and tina.
he earned considerably more by the APP
probation of the securities Of the sugar
trust. The bricks with which he con
structed the sugar trust were made with
out straw, for the attorney general of this
state by one short, swift litigation de-
stroyed that structure and the sugar trust
was no more than a name
The largest fee ever awarded by our
Moe -,
a few years ago for his services as the
receiver and .econstructor of a financial
institution which was hit very hard at
the time of the Barings' collapse Mr..
Cromwell gave but a few months time
TO this work, and for that reason his fee
seemed to be unduly great. 1t was in the
neighborhood of $25000O and, large as If
was, it was regarded both by the bar
and the court as having been fairly earn
ca, because Mr.. CromwelTs management
saved the property and indirectly was in
strumental in giving renewed confidence
to the market
veteran judge, who is now retired
from the bench, while speaking of these
large fees in connection with the Fayer-
weather litigation, told an interesting an
ecdote of the late Charles O'Conor. He
SAID Mr.. OConOr had so managed a case
involving a large sum of money as to
give the highest satisfaction to his clients,
saving for them a great property which
was in peril. 1t was an estate and his
clients were the executors. After the ter
mlnation of the litigation the executors
asked Mr.. OConor for his bill, and not
getting it, they were compelled to the
very unusual course of dunning the great
lawyer for the bill. At last they got
II, and were surprised to find that it was
Ior only $1,000 and a check was sent to
Mr.. OConor for that amount
Some months later, when making up
their accounts, the executors found that
their books did not agree with the state
ment of the bank in which the money
they controlled was kept. The bank cred
tied them with $1,000 more than their
own books showed they had on deposit
After investigation it was discovered that
MI. OConor had never presented the
cneck for collection. When one of the
executors sought him for an explana-
tlon Mr.. O'Conor admitted that he still
mad the check, and in fact took it from
MS poeketbook. He had been in no hurry
10 present it, he said, although as a law
yer he knew that the courts held that a
check must be presented within a reason
able time. 1t was more than year after
mat check was sent to him before he
presented it for payment and he only
l..