Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1898 — A Deliberate Opinton. [ARTICLE]

A Deliberate Opinton.

Chief Justice Waite, who delighted to tell legal stories, says the Chicago Times-Herald, once told this story about Evarts and Conkling: Roscoe Conkling came into Mr. Evarts’ office one day when he was a young lawyer, in quite a nervous state. “You seem to be very much excited, Mr. Conkling,” said Mr. Evarts, as Roscoe walked up and down the room. “Yes, I’m provoked—l am provoked,” said Mr. Conkling. “I never had a client dissatisfies about my fee before.” “We,ll, what’s the matter?” asked Mr. Evarts. “Why, I defended Gibbons for arson, you know. He was convicted, but I did hard work for him. I took him to the Superior Court and he was'convicted, then on to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court confirmed the judgment and gave him ten years in the penitentiary. I charged him three thousand dollars, and now Gibbons is grumbling about It—says it is too much. Now, Mr. Evarts, I ask you, If I really charged too much?” “Well,” said Mr. Evarts, very deliberately, “of course you did a good deal of work, and three thousand dollars Is not a very big fee, but to be frank with you, Mr. Conkling,, my deliberate opinion is that—he— might—have— been—convicted—for—less—money.”