Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-05-09

WOulu never allow HllnSeI W get lila
ed up in dishonest suit. Many years
ago man went to his Office in Spring
field and wanted him TO be his attorney
for a certain case. After Mr.. Lincoln
had studied all the facts he turned to
this man and said: MY friend, by
technicality of the law you can win
that case, but | will not argue 1t for
you. You are dishonest in your at
tempts to win that money. If | stood
before a jury to plead for you, every
word | uttered would seem to echo in
my mind this sentence: Abe, you are
pleading for an untruth; Abe, you are
n dishonest mani" John j. Crittenden,
The great senator, had marvellous pow
er with jury. Every Kentucklan
knew that Senator Crittenden would
not under any condition consciously
argue for a dishonest cause. Many
college lad has contracted habit
which has contaminated his whole fu-
ture by standing up in literary socl-
ETY. to champion wrong theme. There
fore. my legal friend, never under any
condition become a party to fraud by
advocating in a civil suit the dishonest
cause of a corrupt client
The honest lawyer never uses false
means to plead for justiiiable cause.
lie never produces false witnesses to
an alibi. no matter how much he may
believe in the innocence of the defend
ant. He never believes it honest to be
dishonest or to tell falsehood, no mat
ter how good the cause may be for
which that falsehood has been told.
The Lawyers Many Temptations.
But, though this may be all true, the
temptations before honest criminal
lawyers are very great. Believing IN
the innocence of their clients, they
know as no other class of men how
many innocent victims have been sent
to the penitentiary or the gallows
through an unbreakable chain of false
circumstantial evidence. In one of our
large cities of the east man was
aroused one night by a noise. with
lighted candle and cooked revolver, he
descended the stairs and was shot
dead. An ex-convict was arrested ana
charged with the crime. His lawyer
believed him to be innocent. He did
all in his power to save him. lie was
hanged Some years after the eXecu-
ton a dying convict confessed to that
crime and thus proved that an inno-
cent man had his life choked out by
false circumstantial evidence. In the
same way few years ago a woman
in the far west was murdered. An IN
nocent man. proved so by later deyel-
onments. was found to have suffered
for that crime once said to the
warden of Sing Sing penitentiary'
"Varden. do you believe there are any
J innocent men in this prison who have
been sent here unjustly by circumstan-
tial evidence| Lots Of them" he an
swered. Il believe there are lots or
them" "Now," says the honest law
YER 'T believe my client is innocent,
and vet this false chain of circumstan-
tial evidence will convict him unless |
break il. Is it not right to fight fraud
by fraud? Am | not justified in using
any means to deliver this innocent
MANI" In such a crisis the temptation
is overwhelming to present any evil
dence available, even though it Is
known TO be false. He argues himself
into this position because he believes
he is justified in doing wrong to win
a right.
But. my legal friend. two wrongs
never make right. No lawyer In any
capacity is called upon to lie. a false
hood is a falsehood, no matter how II
IS told. If you believe in Justice, your
own hands must be clean when they
touch hers. nor must you contaminate
your own lips when you would WOO her
TO protect the life of your client II
lawyer is willing to lie for good
cause the time will not be very faI
distant when he will be willing to tel
falsehood to win a bad cause.
The righteous lawyer tries to keeT
his client out of litigation if possible
That means he does for his client eX
actly what the honest doctor would &c
for his patient. The family physician
coming to the bedside of an Invalid
does not say. "How long can | EeeT
tbis man sick, so | can make as mucI
money out Of him as possible" He
saws: "How soon can make this mar
we'll? The sooner the better. Better
for me: better for the patient" Nel
ther does the honest lawyer try to force
his client into litigation. He knows
that often the best way to settle
legal difficulty is outside the court Id
stead of inside.
Some Illustrations.
Practical illustrations y man comes
TO his lawyer and says: Il have Deer
uniustly treated. and want 5000
damages. | want you to bring sui
ricbt away" What does that honest
lawyer do? He looks all over the de
tails of the case. Then. il he is con
scientious. he says to his client; My
friend. you have sufficient grounds fol
damage but. as your lawyer. an
going to advise you as | would my OWL
son. DO not get mixed up in this case
unless YOU must. The lawyers fees
NAV in the end cost more than yor
would make. Then there is no telling
what a jury may do You might LOSE
everything. | would compromise.
would take what could get and LEI
the rest 20. 1t will be cheaper In tn
end. That is my advice" This is tn
same kind of advice which John *