Omaha daily bee., 1915-05-20
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achieved
famous elsewhere. have been laid in Omaha and
among them for none who Keeps M closer CON
nection with the old stamping ground than Henry u
Estobrook in the forefront OF the bar IN Ne"
York City. Mr. Estsbrook IL constantly barking back
90 his associations and experiences while practcing
In omsha and his appraisements OF people are un-
usually keen, clear and just An article In case am
Comment" strictly lawyers magaEine, incorporates
into sketch OF Frank Irvine who likewise began to
climb the ladder Of I'm our midst testl-
monial OF Estsbrook's pointing the traits that spe
cially qualified Irvine for the responsible yet com
Portable. position the New York state Utilities
commission that he now occupies.
In the beginning Estabrook makes this half-vened
reference TO certain persons well known in there parts
AT least two Of my schooimates in the Omaha
High school (the only alma mater Of most OF us)
put off for Cornell university where they graduated
with all sorts OF nonors, and returned to Omaha
bringing in their train two Of their fellow students
at the university today world renowned spe-
cialist and the other Frank Irvine. This, should
say. about 1884. Young Irvine, who had lived
all his life in the east in Europe, found himself
in far western village with few acquaintance, very
little money. and not single client that he could
clasp TO his bosom and call his own"
Unless ] am mighty much mistaken, 1 can readily
Identify the two schoolmates Arthur c. wakeley
and Alfred Willard and the renowned specialist" az
DR. Harold clifford The fourth Cornell man Is men
toned by name. Frank Irvine. a nephew OF Justice
Samuel +. Miller OF the OF the United
states Justice Miller having been appointed from
Iowa, and including Nebraska in his circuit, which
doubtless helped to bring Irvine to choose Omaha
the field OF his early legal endeavors In this article
bstabrook declares that he was, and is OF the
very best lawyers ever knew" not popular
Jury lawyer "resourcefui and fertile In expedi-
ence and to illustrate this resourcefuness he pro-
ceeds in his Enthusiastically breezy fashion:
II recall at the moment one matter Irvine handled
during the years that / In partnership
with him that fairly illustrates these qualities
There lived in Omaha octagenarian minister
OF the gospel who was accounted very we'll
to-do He must have gotten his money by inheritance
rather than by way Of the contribution box: but
important thing that he had IT, and was a client
of mine whom / cajoed Irvine TO take off my hands
This old fellow had advertised for wife under the
highly romantic nom de of Otis Myrtle jr. He
caught tartar. ostensiby widow The reverberation
OF the happy wedding bells scarcely longer than
the marriage cermony Otis and the Tartar grew
to hate each other right royalty. She would disturb
him at his orsons che would shy an occasional plate
at bis venerable head He on his part claimed scrip
tural authority for osstizing her
otis Myrtle. jr,. sued for a divorce. and the de-
PENDANT counterclaimed the ground OF cruelty and
nonsupport While the suit was pending she prose-
cuted her in the police for assault and
battery. where Irvine defended hInn.-for purpose
He made the occasion a fishing expedition until
headed off by the police magistrate but not until he
had discovered that the fair dame a little haxy
ABOUT her late husbands death. She had merely
notice OF IL in the newspaper. incidentally re-
marked that she and her late husband had at
time lived in Penn Yam. N. Y. Whereupon Irvine
ASCeftaine0
that she and certain man whose name she had
sunned did live together there for short Irvine
chased them from Penn Yam TO Canandaigua, and
from Canandaigua 20 Rochester, where she sort Of
evaporated lie finally located the in Syracuse
and found him alive and well and presently kicking
Far be II from him to say aught against a perfect
woman, but really he and the Tartar had
thought OF being married Irvine wired to change
the sravamen OF our action and for annuInaent
or the marriage. the ground that the defendant
had husband living at the time of her marriage to
MyrflA l. Asr IL. 49,
she swore to marriage at Brighton suburb OF
Rochester. On the trial she swore that the man in
question took her in carriage TO Brighton to brick
house, where she introduced to the presumptive
occupant: he holding himself out and being held out
minister OF the gospel; and that a marriage cere-
mony then and there performed followed by
cohabitation Afterwards she discovered alas aiack,
ana wei-a-day. that the who performed the
not minister. and therefore she had never
been married. Irvine fancy. could have disproved
any attempt at marriage ceremony should he have
done so? Here " question for the committee en-
ethics What Irvine did do 10 prove that a COM
mon-law marriage valid In the state OF New York.
In other words the woman was beaten the very
fiction which she and her counsel had been such
pains 10 fabricate. and Otis Myrtle jr somewhat tho
worse for but still in the ring. was released
from the holy bonds OF matrimony with nothing 20
pay for his lively experience but 1rvines fees"
Such good story is surely worth repeating. and
besides repeat II for another reason that connects
the referred to, which is OF record, with The
the folks Involved are still in this vicinity and might
prefer not to have attention drawn to them, but I
not out OF order In adding the further information
that when the said Otis Myrtle. jr. wanted to let
II be known that despite hs advanced years he was
ready and eligible for matrimony he put this adver-
tisement in The Bee where II can be found in the
issue OF March 1884, follows:
Wanted: To correspond with a Christian lady OF
culture and refinement between the OF twenty
five and fifty. without children. who could unite
with genial husband to make his nice home in
Omaha one OF prosperity and happiness This is in
good faith and Il deemed proper method Of intro
auction Address. under an assumed name II pre-
ferred Otis Myrtle jr., Omaha Nebraska"
As may be gathered OF this apparently innocent
advertisement grew all the marital troubles which
Estabrook describes and from which Irvine extroated
the octogenerarian minister OF the gospel. The one
place where supplemental correction the account
Is called for lies in the statement that otis Myrtle
jr, was released from the holy bonds Of matrimony
with nothing to pay for his lively experience but
Irvtnes fees" because whole lot OF subsequent
litigation ensued alimOny and other property
rights, dragging through the for ten years or
more and furnishing lucrative employment to numer-
Gus other lawyers who doubtless needed the money
just a badly.