WHO'S WHO?

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13874, 7 October 1908, Page 9

WHO'S WHO?

Mrs. Mar? Grace QiTmcxenbos, who has been appointed Assistant Attorney-Gene-ral to aid Mr. Bonaparte in curbing the American trusts, has the reputation of being the ' busiest ;woman] lawyer: in the United.States, a favourite alike with hundreds of poor clients , and with the magistrates ' before whom she appears. She is a. lady of independent means, and charges only nominal fees, according to the financial standing of her client. Americans, Germans, Italians, and Hebrews are on her books. She, has been applied to by a workman who wanted to bring an action for the recovery of a. pocket-knife worth 15 cents she has accepted a fee of half a dollar for taking up the case of a deserted wife ; and a sum of' 3000dols.; was recently paid to her for a big assessment in a property suit. There is a fine fearlessness about her actions which has brought her into bad odour with the more disreputable section of. New. York, and more than once Mrs. Quackenbos has had her life threatened. " a • '"•'■■•;;''.•;,

One of the most prominent American politicians is the millionaire "Fingy ' Conners, the chairman of the Democratic State Committee ■• of New, York., V His father bought a public-house .near the docks at Buffalo, in, the very centre of a large Irish colony. "Fingy" inherited the -saloon at an early age, and by the time he was twenty-five had made himself known as " the stoutest man in a free fight the merriest roysterer on a spree, the toughest keeper of, tough saloon, in all the dock region." How he won Jris nickname is thus related: He and a playmate were boasting, back and forth, of their nerve. ''Aw,. I bet you," said the playmate, ''yon ain't got the- r.oive to let me chop'you fingy." "I'll bet you ain't got the noive to chop it," said Conners. They got a cleaver; Couriers laid his hand on the block—and they both won. Down the street ran Jimmy Connors, waving .the. stump, and yelling..,.''He choppeel me fingy.! Ho chopped me fingy'" ''■ ' / '■■''S.i- '^■:' : '-S''' : :-' i^': S .-i ':'