Scoundrels in Law: The Trials of Howe and Hummel, Lawyers to the Gangsters, Cops, Starlets, and Rakes Who Made the Gilded Age
The decades following the Civil War were characterized by explosive industrial expansion and virtually unchecked urban growth. Accompanying this growth was the emergence of a new moneyed class; many of these men operated on both sides of the law, protected by corrupt police and politicians. This was what Mark Twain called the “Gilded Age,“ where a gilt surface hid the rot underneath. Still, many of these men required legal representation, and among the most skilled (and unprincipled) New York lawyers were William Howe and Abrahm Hummel. Howe was a flamboyant, outrageous showman who flaunted courtroom decorum and excelled at playing on the heartstrings of jurors. Hummel was more restrained in court but a ruthless backroom operator. In Murphy's rendering, Howe and Hummel are fascinating and enjoyable characters when viewed at a distance, but she also sees them as worthy symbols of an age when amorality was elevated to a virtue. --Jay Freeman