The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-12-26
PROFESSIONAL COMPROMISES

PROFESSIONAL COMPROMISED
Is q Valuable Man on the Official
Staff Of a Big Railroad-How One
Of Them spellbound Man With
Money.
New Orleans Times-Democrat "a
professional compromiser who under
stands his business is a most valuable
man on the staff OF any big railroad"
said o New Orleans lawyer. ut Is a
great art" he continued. land I had the
fact impressed on me by something un-
usual that happened early in my career.
II had been in practice only year.
or 80, as remember, when I was en-
gagged by a certain railroad company, to
represent It in damage suit brought
by m old fellow who had been hurt at
a crossing. got the Job because the
regular attorney and regular assistant
attorney were out Of town on bigger az
fairs, and I threw myself Into It with
unlimited enthusiasm. A little investi-
CATION convinced me, however, that the
company didn't have leg to stand on,
and neither, for that matter, did the
claimant, both of 'em having been bro
ken off above the knee. So I advised q
compromise. and was told to settle 1t.
If I could. for q thousand dollars. That
fixed limit discouraged me, because the
suit had been brought for $4,000, and I
knew the opposition lawyers had been
filling their client with rosy hopes, but
I thought up q scheme that seemed
promising.
Discouraging Experience.
"The claimant was an ignorant old
fellow, who had been a laborer for
years. and took 1t for granted that he
had never had, as much as 500. at any
one time In his life. I'll just hypnotic
him. I said to myself, and going to q
bank, got q brand new $1,000 bill.
Then hurried of to his boarding house
and found him in q dirty little back
room. and made my proposition for set
tlement.- Just as anticipated, he de-
clined 1t Indignantly. Very WE'LL said
l, pulling out the bill with studied
carelcssness; lin that case I'll have TO
return this money. But, by the way 7
added, did you ever happen to see a
thousand-dollar bill7 It's quite hand
some bit of paper!' To be candid, was
rather awed by the thing myself and
expected him to finger 1t like piece Of
the true cross; but, to my amazement.
he took it indifferently. glanced at it
with no apparent interest, and handed
it back. It's very pretty he said stol-
Idly, and went on smoking his pipe.
IA few days after this dlscouraging
experience" the lawyer went on. "Mr.
Andrews, the claim agent Of the line,
happened to be In town and dropped in
to Inquire about the case. He was q
veteran in the business, but he always
impressed me US being a man totally
destitute OF tact, and I never could un-
derstand how he held his job. He
chuckled when he heard my story. My
dear boy, he said, you simply over
played yourself. You expected that old
man to drop dead at the sight Of q
| fbn,icn nd -Hn11o--
soul, he didn't know what It meant It
was beyond the Outposts OF his imagi-
nation. He was like you yourself, when
you hear I'm astronomer talk about ten
billion miles. The figure conveys no
idea to your mind, It is too big. But
come with me- he added, and I'll give
you an object lesson
How Success Came. 80
| ~ was surprised and nlqued, but I
went along and the first thing Andrews
did was to get 1000 one-dollar bills at
the bank. He cut the slips that held
them together. stacked them up In n
loose heap and wrapped them in u
newspaper. Then he went to the
boarding house and found the old man
sitting in his little back room, SIN
smoking his pipe. He CIdn't seem to
have moved since was there before.
We'll. Connally,' said the claim agent,
after q few general remarks, I've
brought around that thousand dollars
and want you to sign receipt in full
The old man got angry Immediately.
IN not do IT, he yelled: III take what
I sued for and not cent less!' You're
foolish said Andrews, calmly; no jury
VIII give you over a thousand. and your
lawyers will get half Of that. You'd
better do business with NO.
He had been holding the package Of
bills on his knee while he was talking,
and Just then he made an awkward
gesture and knocked 1t of. He grabbed
at 1t wildly as 1t fell, and with one
scoop scattered the money all over the
floor, chairs, table, bed and some Of 1t
even went into the washbowl. Dog
gone the luck! he shouted. Here Con-
nally! lend n hand. will you, and help
me gather up this stuff!' The old man
made no reply, but sat speeches. and
transflLed. while his pipe slowly slid out
OF his mouth and fell into his ZAP.
Meanwhile Andrews seized broom and
bnpnn eusppIpr I'm tho bItI, ,1,,o i,,,