Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-06-17
REED LEFT A
BIG FORTUNE
Friends Of the E%x.speaker Surprised
at the Value Of His Estate,
Recently Probated.
HIS SERVICES CAME HIeI
Charged Fat Fees for Legal Advice
Lectures or Contributions to
the Press.

Chicago, June 4,-Wllllam Il. Cur
tbs, in a Washington special to the
Record.Herald, says:
The friends of the late Thomas ID.
Reed in Washington, wereastonished
to read a dispatch in the morning pa
pers stating that according to the Of
fetal report of his administrator he
left a personal estate valued at $43l,.
900 net, after the payment of all debts
and obligations and all fees of ad.
ministration. This fortune was found
invested in gilt edge stock and bonds.
Mr.. Reed always pretended to be
very poor, but some Of his intimate
friends we're convinced long ago that
his poverty was an affectation, because
they knew of large fees received by
him from time to time for legal SER
vices and literary work. He never
wrote a line nor made a speech for
nothing. Each of the many articles
which from time to time appeared in
the magazines from his pen brought
1ll1H tOVN, anu Il huoW vi ohC ihotoitt
at least In which he received 500
from a New York newspaper for an
interview he prepared with himself
upon a current topic. His lectures
brought him $500 a night, and occa.
sionally in large cities like New York
and Boston he received $1,000. The
year before he left congress he de-
livered five lectures in n week for
which he received a check for 81
500.
His Fees Were High.
He estimated his legal services at
a very high value, and unless his
clients made a bargain with him In
advance they were sure to be surprls'
| ed when they received his bills. There
is a story that while in London some
time ago, he charged John V. and G,
B. Farwell, of Chicago, 5000 for Civ
ing some information to their English
solicitor about the laws Of the United
States bearing on the sale of their
| Texas lands, and l know where he
made a life enemy of m Of his clos
est friends by sending him a bill fol-
advice given OF a legal question In
what was supposed to be a friendly
conversation.
In discussing that instance and the
Farwell affair Mr.. Reed took the
ground that If he had been a tailor
and a friend had asked him for a suit
| of clothes he would certainly have eS
pected pay for the material and tn:
work, and his legal knowledge having
been acquired by hard labor and
study, could not be given away, as he
expressed it, like salvation" He was
the subject of a great deal of criti
cism in this respect. He was called
avaricious and penurious, but never
dishonest, and in 1896, when he was
making a campaign for the presiden
tial nomination, there was some IN
favorable comment about his aeeep
friends when there was really no ex
cuse for him to incur any expenses
or spend any money. Mr.. Reed ex
planned. however, that he had NJ
source of income except his salary
which, as speaker, was $4,000 a yeai
He lived in such a quiet way that !
was said he spent more thai
half of it.
Those who we're most familiar will
his affairs would have been SURPRISED
If his estate had turned out rs mucl
as $780, 00. The general estimas,
varied from 100000 to 5000, 900, al
though it was known that his bris
connection with the law firmof Simp
son, Thacher e Barnum had been IN
usually profitable.
speculations Were Lucky.
The fact that he had 1 1000 casl
on deposit with his brokers at tn
time of his death indicated the source
of a considerable part Of his money
He enjoyed an intimate Acquaintance
with several of the heaviest operal
ors on Wall street, and his speculd
tions must have been very fortunate
II was also a surprise that he hal
retired from his law partnership be
fore his death. No announcement
had been made Of the fact, and nom
Of his friends in this city were awar
that he no longer retained the pro
fessional connection which had BEEF
so extensively advertised. This con
firms, however. the story that he In
tended to leave New York and return
to Washington to reside. He tol,
me that he was thinking of doing s,
because the atmosphere was more con
genial here and the expense of liv