Rensselaer Union, Volume 2, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1870 — How a Retainer was Lost. [ARTICLE]

How a Retainer was Lost.

Next to getting a retainer in cases pending before the it is perhaps most important to remember which side you are retainer for. One of the attorneys in the New Britain railroad case, a week or two ago, observing that a New London gentleman who was “ doing a little something tn the lobby,” had business which required him to spend a day in the company "of a member of the Railroad Committee, in the trial of a case, said to the New London gentleman, “You will be with Mr. all day Monday, and will have an excellent opportunity to talk with him about the New Britain Railroad 1 case, and yon may consider yourself re-, tained in it.” “ All right," said the other, “ I will attend to it? The next Tuesday, when the New London gentleman returned to New Haven, he was met by the railroad man with the inquiry: . * "Did you spend the day with Mr. “ Yes.” “Well, what did he say about our case?” “ Well; he didn’t seem inclined to talk about It very much.” “ Do you suppose he’s for us?” “I—l—l—well —I couldn’t quite make out.” “ You don’t think he’s against us, do you ?” “ N-n-o—l—l—d-o-n-t k n o-w as he is I couldn’t get much out of him about it." “ Well,” Mid the railroad man, “ von talked with him about it, didn’t you ? You sounded him ?” The New London man hesitated a moment, stammered a little, and then broke out into a laugh. “ The fact is,” said he, “ I didn’t say anything about it. I opened the subject by asking him if the case was concluded, and had got all ready to tackle him on the merits, when it occurred to me all at once that I didn’t know which side of the case you were on, and, of course, couldn’t tell which I was retained for, ana there I was.” “ Well, what did you do ?” “ Do ?” said the New Londoner, " what eo«M Ido? I dropped the subject right there. But never mind,” he added, “ I shan’t charge you anything for the work I did.” This is the most remarkable case I have yet heard of. Other members of the lobby are a good deal exercised over the New London man’s violation of all precedents in making no charge for his services.— Cor. Hartford, Conn., Pott.