The advocate., 1895-08-28
CHAPTER 1

makes me fairly heartsick to know hlS
sase is hopeless. -
Mr.. Hildreth said it, looking with
compassionate eyes after his departing
Silent. His partner, Major Vance, half
turned in his swivel chair, gave an ex-
tra long pull at his pipe and said over
the top of "Greenleaf on Evidence:"
"Why let it be hopeless? Isn't it your
business and mine to persuade one very
bad man or twelve good and true ones
that the right is always with our side?"
Certainly, but i'll this case l should
have to persuade them to 90 against law
and fact in order to do what I believe to
be right" Mr.. Hildreth said, making
himself horizontal by putting his heels
upon his desk and tipping his chair as
far back as possible. Again Major Vance
spoke through his blue veil
'Tell me all about it, Your client
looked as though he came out of the ark.
Has he got q claim for damages against
Noah ct al Or is it q matter Of line
eences?"
Neither. You must have heard all
about it. It's one Of our celebrated cases
--the Overton claim"
"Whatl Is that the man who has been
legal gold mine these last so years?"
'"The very same-Francis Overton,
ESQ. No better blood in the state. "
''Tell me about the claim. OF course
I've heard Of it nebulously. I'd like to
know the story Of it with circumstantial
exactness +"
tits a pitiful one, and my father al
ways insisted begun in a romance back
ia Carolina. He knew both the Over
tons and Fauntleroys there. The heirs
oG each house, it seems, fell in love with
the same young woman--an heiress and
great belle-who preferred young Over
ton. If the other man swore vengeance
against his successful rival, nobody ever
heard Of it, but everybody knew that
tho warm friendship once existing be.
tween the two families was utterly dead.
Ii fact, il was felt to be q good thing
when, few years after his wedding,
young Overton moved with all his be-
longings to middle Tennessee.
''Here he prospered amazingly, Com
ing in when pretty well all the state lay
virgin, he bought half county Of the
richest land at a price that was next to
nothing. Besides he got possession Of
Che best ore banks in the state, and as
soon as he had got fair sized planta-
6on open, set about building furnaces
and making iron. He was essentially q
man Of big enterprises, one who did
nothing ON a small scale. Into this new
venture he put a deal Of money-the
most Of it, unluckily for him, not his
own. There were half q dozen blast fur
naCes, a forge, a rolling mill, heaven
Knows what besides, but if the money
went out in d stream it looked to be
certain that twould come in in food.
Indeed my father always maintained
that Mr.. Overton went at least $50, 900
ia debt simply to oblige lenders who
crced their cash upon him. For three
years everything went we'll. No man
stood 30 high, was rated so happy. Then
carne sea of troubles. His wife died
his children, all save one, the eldest boy
-ny client of today. Before people
were done talking over their funerals
there was a bigger sensation. Peyton
Eauntleroy attorney had come out from
North Carolina and laid claim to all the
iron land in Mr.. Overton's possession.
Though he laughed the claim 70 sCorn,
& made 4 fine hOw-d.Zs-dO among part