Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-05-31
WHO rs sbAsGOwt

VINO rs glasgow
| somethinH About the Man WhS
welded the Probe In Philadelphia.
When the Interstate Commerce commits
/ sion announced some weeks ago that Il
would inquire into the relations Of the rail
roads and coal companies in Pennsylvania,
and that william A. Glasgow, Philadel-
phia attorney. would WELD the probe, in
terested circles were perplexed by the in
terrogation. who IL Glasgow" lie WASH
very well known to corporation lawyers
then They know him better now, and re-
fer to him, respectfully. as "Mr. Glasgow"
The manner and methods Of Mr.. Glasgow.
as well as his makeup, are thus sketched
by the Philadelphia North American:
For the last two years William A. Glas-
gov. jr.. has been living in Philadelphia
and ,practicing law every weekday, with
the exception OF short vacation in the
summer, at the bar OF the Philadelphia
courts. He Is the tail-ender member OF
the law firm Of Dickson McCouch Glas-
gov, which has offices In the Bulltt build
| ing His home is 9035 Walnut street
Mr.. Glasgow r. not a native Of Philadel-
pha He never knew Philadelphia, and
Philadelphia never knew him, until he
moved UP here with his family from vir-
GINA He was born in Virginia forty-one
years ago, and his father, who is 81 years
old, still lives there.
He began the practice OF law in Roam
oke, Va, and IL didn't take Roanoke Ions
to see that he was a young man OF parts.
Before he had got his law books well
thumbed he had become counsel for the
-.
was the first step in his unconscious prep
aration for the work that ne is now doing.
As counsel for the railway he learned
now railways were operated, how they
dealt with their patrons and how they
sometimes hid their lights under a bushel.
on the theory that It was not always wise
to let their right hand know what their
left hand was doing.
His fee from the railway company was
a pretty good income for Roanoke. but
the business did not require all Of his time.
and he worked up an excellent practice
in addition to his railway work
Circumstances seemed to be shaping Mr..
Glasgow into a regulation lawyer for the
corporations He was daily increasing his
knowledge Of corporation law and familiar
izing himself with it's intricacies.
The factor which interfered with his de-
She said she wished he would resign from
the Norfolk & Western.
but think Of the money it pays me-"
exclaimed Mr.. Glasgow.
At first he would not hear to the propo-
sition, but gradually, as the dropping Of
water wears away the stone, she prevailed
on him to cut loose from the railroads en-
tirely and to branch out for himself along
new lines.
For a while 1t was hard shedding. Mr..
Glasgow was worried, and so was Mrs.
Glasgow, although she would never admit
It until after the rocks were passed.
Then Providence took the next step in
the making Of Interstate Commerce Com
missioner Glasgow. One night he came
home and told his wife that he had been
retained by a large coal company at an
annual fee in excess OF that paid to him
by the Norfolk & Western Railway COM
pany Mrs. Glasgow FIRST breathed a sigh
OF relief and then she said. as any woman
would have said when such an excellent
opportunity offered:
i II told you So"
Being already well supplied with knowl-
edge about the railroads, Mr.. Glasgow now
became familiar with the trials and trlbu-
latiops of coal companies and with their
relations to the railroads. That is why he
knows what to ask the witnesses whom he
summons.
Until the Interstate Commerce commits
sion was instructed by congress to find
out something about the samese twinship
between the railroads and the coal com"
panies Mr.. Glasgow was an unknown
quantity in Philadelphia
When il was announced that the commits
sion had appointed William A. Glasgow
IT, as its special counsel in the investiga-
ton, everybody asked, '"who is Glasgow
The railroad officials said, who's Glss-
, gow?" and smiled. None of them thought
that Glasgow could do much HARM He
was new and untried and would be easily
blurred.
Presently things began to happen. From
the Interstate Commerce commission came
a fire of letters such as were new to rail-
road officers Questions reaching straight
to the heart of questionable arrangements
were put and answers not asked, but per-
emptorily demanded.
Information so requested was to be given
, by fixed dates. Before railroad officers had
time to think they received notice that
hearings in the investigation would begin,
and requiring attendance of these mag
mates. big and little, as witnesses. Hav-
, ing been started the investigation has
been a succession OF victorious forward
dashes.
Large in stature, with shock Of straight
black hair intermixed with gray Mr.. Glas-
gov is alert, prompt. direct. AS an ex-
: aiming lawyer he understands thoroughly
the art OF drawing the witness on until he
, finally gets him into place where he can
scarcely escape from telling what he
I knows.
} Now, tell us all about" is one OF the
, reassuring question: commands which on
, more than one occasion in this investiGR-
/ ton has Induced railroad officers TO d-
T vulge facts which they seemingly had for
gotten completely.
His voice possesses somewhat OF the soft
Z infection OF the southern, tone and his pro-
nunciation of many words reveals him as
I a native-born son of the Old Dominion.
Mr. Glasgow Ats into his clothes without
} being particular that they Mt him. In fact,
4 he seems quite indifferent to his attire.
I So is John c. Johnson, who holds that
I anything above $40 for a business suit lie
l..