Two Lawyers Who Lost Their Fees.

Otago Witness, Issue 2008, 18 August 1892, Page 46

Two Lawyers Who Lost Their Fees.

Speaking of law3 r ers' court-room quarrels and the friendliness which they afterwards display outside the court-room, I am always reminded of the experience of S. F. Nuckolls, a grocer here in thu early days, and the first delegate to Congress from the Territory. There existed a very bitter feud between Nuckolls and another man, and the matter got into court. One of the man retained A. J. Poppleton and the other J. M. Woohvorth, both from Omaha, and now two of the biggest lawj crs in Nebraska. Each client instructed his lawyer to rake the other jmrty to the suit over the coals in the livelitsl possible manner. Nuckolls, in telling tbe story, said : — "When my lawyer got up I settled comfortably back in ray seat ready to enjoy myself thoroughly. As my lawyer warmed to his work he ga\ c my opponent such a tongue-lash-ing that he seemed to flay him alive. When the lawyer sat down I thought it was proved to the satisfaction of everybody that the other fellow was the greatest skunk that ever infested the earth.

"When the opposing lawyer got up I wondered what he could have to say. I didn't have long to wait. He sailed into me and belted me all over the earth. Before he got half-way through he pictured me as the meanest scoundrel this side of Jericho, and I sneaked out of the court-room until the storm was over.

"After he was through speaking I came in again and sat down beside my lawyer.

" I took it for granted that the lawyers had as much personal feeling in the matter as their clients had. I was therefore very mu.-h surprised to see Poppleton hand a note across the table to Woohvorth, who opened and read it and then smiled back. This note he twisted up and threw under the table. I had the greatest curiosity iv the world to find out what was in it, and, after the court adjourned, remained behind. The note contained these words : ' What will we charge these two fools ?"

" I was mad. I took the note aud hunted up my friend, the enemy, and showed it to him. Then he was mad, and we both went to the court-house, had the suib withdrawn, settled the costs, renewed our broken friendship, and beat the two Omaha lawyers out of big fees.'' — Chej'enne Leader.