The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-06-02
THE GRATITUDE OF A CLIENT,

Wanted.
 Bob Ingersoll once said, Gratitude is
 the fairest flower that sheds its perfume
 OCT the garden of the heart, or some
 thing like that" remarked Judge Ed
 win R. Mckee of the First district Of
 Missouri to a small gathering of barris-
 ters in a hotel office at Macon, Mo-, re-
 gently. when he was holding a special
 term to try some cases for Judge Shel-
 ton. The lawyers tilted their chairs against the wall and waited for what was to follow.
 i've thought of that several times in
 connection with an incident of the days when 1 was practlcing and looking ea- l gerly for clients" Judge Mckee went
 on 'The start of the story was about | fifteen years ago. and 1t was in my home town, Memphis. fellow called
 on me one day and iHtroduced himself
 as one Ensign. I forgot his first name.
 He said he had got into trouble over
 small matter and wanted me to help
 him out. Guess you boys have had ex-
 perience with these small matter cases. Well, his trivial affair was that he had
 been arrested for stealing drove of fine cattle from well-todo farmer out
 in the country a ways He began his
 narrative by telling he had been over
 hauled by the sheriff while driving the
 cattle along the highway. but he said he had bought them from three men, whose
 names he gave as Smith, Jones and
 Brown! Lord. I nearly fell off the chair. What jury on earth would sWal- low that combination? l gently sug gested that to him, but he declared those were the identical names the men had given him, and that he was telling the truth. He said the day the cattle were said to have been stolen he was in the northeastern part of the state, but at the first trial we were unable to get anybody there to prove the alibi. l think the case was tried four times all together. There were several mistrials, conviction and then the case was re- versed. I became pretty badly worked up over the matter and neglected lots Of good business to gee the fight through l had doubts about my man ait first, but he was always so candid, hopeful and energetic that I began to like him. and was as anxious to hoist him out of the hole as he was to get out. Before go- ing into the last trial I questioned him closer about the alibi matter, and we de- cided to take a trip over to the little town where he said he was stopping the day the cattle were stolen. The lady with whom he ate dinner remembered distinctly of his being there. but to save her life, she could not fix the date. During a pause in our talk one of the children, who was drawing pictures on a slate over in the corner, looked up languidly and said:
 Nav, didn't you go over to Missus Hobbses that night?
 The lady said she did, and casually remarked that Mrs. Hobbs had been ill that night, but that didn't help the date matter any. Having nothing better to say, I inquired what had been the mat ter with Mrs. Hobbs. She reddened q bit, and said a brand-new little Hobbs had been ushered into the world on that occasion. l grabbed for my hat, and told her to point out the Hobbs mansion. In less than three minutes afterward I was copying from the old family Bible the entry: George Washington Hobbs, born January -, 1884 We had Mrs. Hobbs and her family Bible on hand, together with the lady who had fed my client that day. and the state couldn't beat the combination.
 After the jury had acquitted. Ensign, he rushed up to me and hugged me like a long-lost brother. When he left town some days afterward, he called on me, and at parting said; If you ever want 1 me for anything, Mac, just say, | Come" you won't have to explain.
 Ensign went to Nebraska, got into 1 business, and was soon prominent and | influential citizen He drifted into pol | tics and got to be postmaster of his | town. l heard from him occasionally, 1 md then he dropped out of my mind | lntil-Well, this is the other end of the | story. Some years later I took a breach | >f promise case for young lady. The | defendant had plenty of money and friends but a full investigation of the ,ase showed he had treated the plain- tiff most cruelty. I felt the circum- stances justified suing for twenty-five thousand dollars, and I filed our peti- ] ion for that sum. The young lady )lalntitf was modest and of an ex- remely retiring disposition. I don't be- ieve she would have faced the ordeal of ! trial If her friends hadn't felt she had )een badly treated, and insisted on her redress. We got our evil ence in in fine shape, and made con- 'inclng case, but during the defendants estimony they began attacking my lients character by intimation Knowing he had left the country they ought by innuendo to mix her up with lnsign, with whom she had some sort f business transaction a one time. I and kept objecting, but the ourt overruled me, and I knew the de- ense had thrown a doubt over the case which. if not removed, was bound to re- ut in hung jury, or verdict for the efendant.
 At the noon recess telegraphed En- ign to come on first train. There was o explanation. Then I began to play or time. l knew the court wouldn't gree to wait for a witness from that istance. 1 led the witnesses out over pparently interminable ground, and 'heneVer the court would reprove me.