The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-05
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

Did you ever worry about Judas 1s- cariot?
 Well, know man who did. He once lived in Birmingham. Many of the old time lawyers will remember him. He was a member of the firm of Lane, Taliaferro & Tabor. They had offices over the old Birmingham National bank, now known as the Norton corner. Judge Lane was the only one to stick to New York, not at the same time, but finally formed partnership They set up offices in the Equitable building under the name of Talaferro & Tabor and for awhile had quite a good practice until Tabor got to worrying about Judas.
 I happened to be living in New York at the time. It was rather strange that smithson. my old Birmingham law part ner, and former partner of Taliaferro was also living in New York.
 He was connected with big Building and Loan association as counsel. and I was head of a department in a noted Wall street law firm
 Both of us having been intimate in the old days in Birmingham with Taliaferro and Tabor saw a great deal of them dur ing our residence in New York both in business and in a social way.
 Tabor was quite literary, and also had the oratorical temperament. He also had a strong religious streak in his nature which came out in a strange and startling way during his story in New York.
 He got it into his head that Judas was a very much maligned man and he set about to clear up his character and to restore him to favor in theology.
 
 For awhile he made him the topic of conversation among his intimates, until they fought shy of him or when cornered joked him unmercifully.
 I had never heard him on his favorite topic until one night at the home of a mutual friend Smithson got him going I saw he was possessed with the idea of vindicating Judas.
 TJa SnOr took hiz coca into tbe p,,hIsc and lectured on his theme at Sunday schools and religious gatherings and went before ministers conferences to prove his contention.
 Not satisfied with this he wrote book in defense of Judas and got Dr. Park hurst, who was then in the limelight, to write a preface for it.
 Somehow business began to fall off for the firm of Taliaferro & Tabor. Soon the panic of 1902 was in full swing and they were hard put to make living.
 Tabor was obsessed by Judas Every client who visited the office was com pelled to hear the true story of the wronged apostle.
 As clients visits got rare and rarer, Taliaferro. who was the very flower of courtesy, felt obliged to hint to Tabor that he was hurting business with his Judas talk.
 Let an idea get hold of a man, and particularly religious one, and it's hard for him to let it go. It seems to domi- nate his every thought
 Tabor was true type of the old south ern gentleman and made promise after promise to keep Judas in the background whenever a client came to call. But he always fell from grace
 Finally it got on Talaferro's nerves His patience was worn threadbare His partner was driving away the remnant of his best paying clients. It was up to him to act.
 Here is what he did. Tabor" said he, Judas has been dead nearly 20O0 years. I'm willing to admit he never had a fair trial in his day and time and that his- tory has been unwilling to right it. But Tabor old fellow, Judas is dead and can't pay a fee. For the Lords sake hunt around and get live Jew, who needs a lawyer and maybe we can get a fee out of him.
 This was over a score of years ago, but every time I think of these chivalrous antebellum jurists I have good laugh over how at last Judas dead and buried. caused them to dissolve partnership.