Charles O'Conor. Lispenard, and Jumel will cases, and as sociated in the Mason will case. He was one of the principal counsel in the North American Trust and Banking cases, which present themselves in many phases in the New York reports. XHe was counsel for Mr. Tilden before the Electoral Commission. In the famous Almaden mine case, in the United States Supreme Court, he charged his largest fee, $50,000. This was when gold was at a premium of 250, and his clients sent him a check payable in gold for his bill, as they well might, for the pecuniary interests involved were enormous. Mr. James C. Carter, once his partner, informs me : "A case which I think he wanted very much to try and argue, but which never came on for trial, as you know, was the case of the in dictment of Jefferson Davis for treason. The Mason will case was another of the great will cases occurring thirty years ago, which I well remember, and I have a strong impres sion that he was engaged in that case. In the cases arising out of the Schuyler frauds — the fraudulent issue of stock of the N.Y. and New Haven Railroad, he was also en gaged, at least, in the last of them, in which he induced the Court of Appeals to some what withdraw from their prior decisions, and hold that a bona-fide holder of over issued stock had a claim." 'itylr. O'Conor left by will to the New York Law Institute two silver vases hereinafter more particularly mentioned, the sum of $20,000, and a scarcely less valuable gift, eighty bound volumes of his cases and arguments, which are pre served in the library of the Institute., A ref erence to these will convince any one that considering the number, variety, and import ance of his causes and the success which he attained, his career is unparalleled in Amer ican advocacy. / A good example of Mr. O'Conor's learn ing, mental force and literary style is his argument before the Court of Claims, at Washington, in the case of the Brig-of-war General Armstrong, involving a grave ques
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tion of international law and the right of the citizen to redress against his own govern ment. This is to be found, very intelligently reported, in Mr. Wm. L. Snyder's excellent compilation, " Great Speeches of Great Lawyers." THE FORREST CASE. The cause in which Mr. O'Conor ac quired most of his contemporary popular fame was the celebrated action of Mrs. Forrest against her husband, Edwin Forrest, the actor, for absolute divorce. This cause lasted a great many years, and in various phases went repeatedly through all the courts. It was defended with great persistence and skill by James T. Brady, a foeman in every way capable of testing Mr. O'Conor's mettle. For once at least the latter met his match, not only in the lawyer, but in the party, for Forrest himself was as resolute and pugna cious as the great lawyer himself, and fought the battle to the last ditch with an animosity and recklessness of expense unparalleled at that time in the history of our courts. After Mrs. Forrest obtained her decree, years were spent in contesting the question of alimony, and Forrest, like his favorite dramatic hero, did not yield until every horse in the stables had been killed under him, and he brandished his arms after they had been deprived of his sword. In this case Mr. O'Conor evinced the finest qualities of the advocate and of ad vocacy. He had however the popular side from the start, for he championed a wronged woman, and the defendant was a very un pleasant and unloved character. Out of this case eventually sprang a very exciting scandal touching Mr. O'Conor's conduct. The impression early went abroad, somehow, that he was to serve Mrs. Forrest gratui tously, and hence he was lauded and wor shipped by all the women in the States, and by all the ministers of the gospel, and by many of the men, for his " disinterested ness." There never was any foundation
