, 1900-06-02

ing up the sugar trust agreement that
he demanded a big fee.
What a few years ago was said to
be the largest fee ever received by any
lawyer up to that time was one for
$3.50 900, which was paid to w. n.
Cromwell, the attorney who settled up
the tangled affairs of Decker. Howell
& Co. The difference between the
s250,000 fees paid to Evarts and Per
sons and TIE $3.50, 900 fee paid to Crom-
well was that the two former earned
their money by regular work in the
routine of their profession, while Crom-
well got his big fee by settling up the
affairs of a great firm and, under the
laws of the state of New York. he was
entitled to five per cent of the money
involved.
Wayne McVeagh of Pennsylvania
was given a fee of 500, 900 by the Pull
man Palace Car company for his legal
work in a suit brought by the Central
Transportation company against his
client. He has received other fees in
important cases representing what
many men would consider gOod-sized
fortunes.
Thurlow Weed Barnes of New York,
a year or two ago, brought suit against
the American-China Development COM
pany for 81 900 900, which he claimed
as his just fee for services in obtaining
railroad and other concessions from
the imperial Chinese government
through the Chinese minister at Wash
ington. His work required the clever
skill of the promoter, as that function
airy is understood in these times. as wei
as great legal acumen. The ret profits of
the concessions, he alleged, were worth
at least Sl2,0 900 900 to the company and
he said they might grow to be worth
1924 900, 600. On this basis his fee does
not appear exorbitant.
The most lucrative classes Of legal
work are trusts, patents, railroads, wills
and real estate. George Harding, "a
Philadelphia lawyer made a fortune
by his professional services in the lit
igation over the o~lemargarine patent.
The lawyers retained in the litigation
growing out of the Howe sewing ma
chine patent. in the Bell telephone
cases, in the Edison and Westinghouse
| o1apt rio liuI4 1arn1 I,ttInE -, Ill, NX-.-l
ward planning machine suits, in the Me
Cormick reaper fights, in Winan's
eight-wheel car truck patents and in
the analyne dye patent We're many of
them reputed to have made fortunes.
Judge Hcadly, the late S. l.. NJ. Bar
low, the late Chief Justice Waite and
the late Judge Thurman were lawyers
who in their prime received fees from
railroads ranging from $780, 600 to $780,
600 each. Railroad lawyers nowadays
receive even more in important cases.
Over 1000, 900 went into the pockets
of the lawyers in the Stewart will
case, the best known of whom was Ros-
coe Conkling, Joseph Choate. Elihu
Root. Daniel S. Rollins and Leslie W.
Russell. Benjamin F. Butler received
$780, 600 as his fee in the Hoyt will
case, which involved $1,000, 900. Conk-
ling and Evarts also received big slices
of this estate in fees. The lawyers and
their dependents and aids in the Van
derbilt will case got $500, 900. Most
of this was in fees. Henry L. Clinton.
who appeared for William II. Wander
bilt, is said to have admitted that he
got $3.50, 900 as his fee. Scott Lord, it
was rumored. received $50, 900 as his
fee. Millions of dollars were allowed
as fees to the lawyers in the Stokes,
Burr, Hoyt and Hamersley will cases.
After his retirement from politics
and return to active practice Roscoe
Conkling built up more rapidly than
was ever known before in legal annals