The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1918-02-21
AN EXILED IRISH LAWYER
The Brilliant Career in America of
Thomas Adds Emmett. Pickney's
Bitter Personal Attack, En-
NETS Eloquent Reply.

NETS Eloquent Reply.
Editor Pilot:
send you this sketch of Thomas
Adds Emmett, an older brother Of
Robert Emmett who was executed for
high treason in Dublin, in Sept. 1903,
and whose matchless address to the
court which sentenced him, has long
been the admiration of the lovers of
oratory.
Thomas Adds Emmett was distin-
guished not only for the depth Of his
learning, and his strong, severe rea-
soning powers, but the peculiar brill
liancy of his wit, the graceful vivacity
of his eloquence, and the still rarer
power of keeping those qualities sub
ordinate to a well balanced judgment.
He too was arrested in 1903 for
treason to England, as his brother
had been, but after year imprison-
ment in Fort George in Scotland, he
was released, on condition that he
would leave forever England and her
dominions; and he came to this coun-
try and settled in New York city, soon
made application to be admitted to
the bar of New York state, was ad-
mitted and soon met in the trial OF
actions and showed he was the equal
as a lawyer Of such eminent men as
Writ, Pinkney, Randolph and Hoffman,
then the leaders Of the New York
bar, if not of the bar of the whole
country. In the United States SUI
preme court, before Marshall, Brock
hoist Livingston, Brushrod Washing
ton, and their associates, he soon
shone conspicuously in the argument
of the great causes which, in those
days, occupied the attention Of the
federal court. There he met VIM. M.
Pinkney of Maryland, an exambassa-
dor to Great Britain, and who then
stood haughtily at the head of the bar
of this country. Their first encounter
was in January 1915, in the argument
of the great case of the ship Nereide
before the supreme court Of the Unit
ed States Chief Justice Marshall pre-
siding.
send you this sketch, the argu
ments and decision Of our highest
court now because it shows the bril-
liancy of Emmett and it also shows
that our supreme court in its decision
in this case established forever as
early as 1915, by its decision, that a
neutral person has the legal right by
international law to ship his goods
and travel unmolested even on an
armed vessel, so long as such neutral
person took no part in arming her and
took no part in the battle later with
vessel Of this country which captur-
ed the Nereide and brought her, her
crew and Manuel Pinto the neutral,
and his goods worth thousands to a
port in this country, she was libeled
and as part Of her cargo belonged to
British subjects, with which country
the United States was then at war,
the Nereide and The part Of the cargo
owned by Englishmen were condemned
and sold by our government.
Manuel Pinto of Buenos Ayres,
claimed his goods exempt, that he was
a neutral, and employed Thomas Ad-
dis Emmett as his lawyer in the case.
The district court of New York held
against Pinto and ordered his goods
sold, and appeal was taken to the U.
S. circuit court where the decision of
the lower court was sustained, and an
appeal was then taken by Pinto to the
United States Supreme Court.
William Pinkney Of Maryland and
George NJ. Dallas of Pennsylvania,
later vice president Of this country,
appeared for the government, and
Thomas Adds Emmet appeared for
Manuel Pinto, the neutral stranger.
Pinkey had been ambassador to Eng
land and Russia, great lawyer, for
long time stood at the head of the
bar of this country, brilliant, eloquent
and sarcastic, an ex-congressman and
an orator not less renowned than Clay,
Calhoun or Webster His long emf
hence made Pinkney have an over
ing ambition, conceit, and impotence
weening ambition conceit, and impati
ence Of contradiction, an insatiate de-
sire for success.
Pinlmey, like Rufus King, while
minister to the court of St. James,
his mind had been prejudiced by the
British ministry against Mr.. Emmett.
Mr. Emmet's reputation as a lawyer
was not as extended as was Mr.. Pink
neys; he was known only as a lawyec
but in the general judgment of the
profession, and in the conforming
opinion Of the public, there were few
lawyers who, in the magnitude of
causes, in the greatness Of their pub
lie character, or in the authority which
their manner of forensic eloquence,
produced in courts, and over courts,
could claim superiority over him.
The interest in the argument of this
great case and the questions involved