Evening journal., 1896-07-15
HE SAVED HIS CLIENT
HOW HE DUPED A MAGISTRATE AID
CHEATED JUSTICE.

! judge, was the student of an Oldtime
lawyer who was the wiliest old weasel
that ever hung out sign. He was strong
with the jury, and he was wonder for
shifts and schemes that often keen coses
from the - good men. I am reminded of
a confidence game he successfully worked
on the courts to the prejudice Of the adj
ministration of justice in Ohio One of his
clients came into the Office one dav very
/ palo and shaky. He looked about him
furtivcly and in a scared way, as o lost dog
takes sight up an alley.
" L am in q bad fix, said the man, and
/ want to put my affairs in shape in five
minutes and jump the town
"Then he told his story. He had been in
business about a year with a partner who
was not the easiest man in the world, and
they had frequent clashes We had rewrit-
ten their partnership agreement two or
three times and had patched up several
fights, 50 my preceptor was not surprised
to learn they had been engaged in another
small war. This one was serious. Our
client had taken a'knife and mortally cut
his business associate. The wounded man
had been taken to the hospital by two Of
the clerks in the store and they had re-
turned with the opinions of the doctors, to
the effect that death was matter of hours
The man might die In "a hours and he
could by nothing short of miraculous aid
survive more than 4S. The wound was in
the abdominal region. At the worst the
crime committed was murder in the second
degree and a matter of commitment for
| life Under the circumstances the offense
might be regarded as manslaughter only
and our man in that case would get but
n 20 years sentence Either event meant
social death and commercial ruin, where
| fore the unfortunate business man prefer
red to toss his business chances up in the
air and fly What he wished to do was to
transfer his property to my preceptor and
/ have tho proceeds of the sale sent to him.
Jameson win live "a hours, will hep
asked tho lawyer. Jameson was the name
of the man in the hospital Morgan was
our clients name.
Yes, replied Morgan, the physicians
said he might live two full days
One day is long enough, said the old
man. One day will do for our purposes.
You say no one knows of this affair but
/ your two clerls?'
"'They are the only ones. They heard
our discussion and know what my provo
cation was. They saw me stab him.
Here, Bill said my instructor in the
law go down TO Mr. Morgan's warehouse
and bring those two clerks here. Tell 'em
/ to lock up the place and come a-running
| Then he reached for Swans Treatise
valuable book for lawyers in Ohio and
| turned to the criminal forms
Il was back with the clerks in 10 min
utes and the old mon had an affidavit
drawn 1t charged James Morgan with
assault and battery upon the person Of
| Samuel Jameson 1 took the paper over
to a neighboring justice of the peace. He
was a man devoid of inquisitiveness, plain
and matter of fact He could be relied
upon not to ask too many questions, so
that his fees were beyond doubt. One Of
tho clerks went with me AID made oath
TO the charges. Tho justice at once issued
a warrant, and at my request also gave me
a subpoena for the other clerk as a wit
ness. The constable took the warrant and
| accompanied the complaining witness and
| myself to our Office. Morgan was arrested,
the other clerk subpmnaed, and the entire
party, with my crafty preceptor, went
back to the Office of the magistrate. Nor
I gan pleaded guilty, and the clerks were
examined as to the circumstances They
told of the dispute and said it had termi-
mated by the prisoner striking Jameson
two blows.
"They told the truth, but not all Of it.
/ The Justice with some perfunctory advice
| to Morgan to bride his temper in the fu-
} ture, fined him $40 and costs. The money
{ was paid, and my preceptor then made the
only departure from the customary pro-
cedure. Usually when "A client Is fined the
II lawyer does not exhibit any mad desire TO
see the fact spread on the record. This
Y time the lawyer, instead of leaving asked
the magistrate to make his docket entry Of
trial and judgment at once. The old JUS
4 q
| indisposition to labor and spread his min
utes on his Office record. lie signed them
and entered satisfaction Of fine and judg-
mont Three hours after Morgan had
mortally wounded Jameson he had been
tried and convicted Of assault and battery
1.-THE next day Jameson died. He had
no near relatives in the city, but thehos-
fpital authorities sent out TO make inquiry
of Morgan and the two clerks as TO the
manner in which the man had been hurt.
And they also notified the police. Morgan
| was arrested and was nt once indicted by
the grand jury, which was then in session.
The iails of Ohio were not bulging with
criminals, and the court dockets were not
months in arrears. Morgan was charged
with murder. His case came up for trial
in perhaps ten days Then my preceptor
astonished the court and the prosecuting
l dllOIutls AlR AhNNiIoo~A 90 RANtN VI 0NA>A
foits acquit (previous conviction) and
proved it by the justice of the peace and
his records There Is a provision of the
constitution which prevents prosecuting a
man more than once for the same offense,
and Morgan was discharged. The poor old
> magistrate got a warm talk from the court
and my old preceptor was also reproached
for sharp practice.
! "But that is neither good law nor prac-
tice objected listener
1T was good enough for Ohio at that
time, and it certainly satisfied the prison
, er," returned the narrator of the story.
"It might interest you to know, " he
concluded, that Morgan came to Chicago
after a short time 1t was not cheerful for
him in Ohio. All this took place 20 years
} ! ago, and Morgan is the head of q consider
able business house here now Chicago
! Times Herald.
, Caustic Criticism.
Charles Frederick Robinson Hayward, a