Morris Brothers
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Now I’d like to talk a little bit about a couple more things, and I’ll get off the stage and let you hear from some other people. My career has been very interesting, and I’ve enjoyed it. I think that I was very fortunate, very lucky. I didn’t always wear those clown suits to court. But in that case I didn’t think I could lose it anyway. And I was entertaining a family here down at Brennan’s, and we was waiting for lunch when we finished the argument. So I had to be dressed occasion — properly for that occasion down there, and that was the dress of the day for lunch at Brennan’s. The old place from New Orleans was here for several years.
And he put on a good case, but that witness of his was so bad, so vindictive. Boy, it was just — you couldn’t blame him for that. Nobody liked him. But you see, juries have a lot to do with cases. I learned that early in life. They decide — and when you pick a good jury with a halfway chance to win, if you don’t pick them, you exclude — get rid of the bad ones, then you’re halfway home. You’ve got a leg up. At least you’ve got a chance. But if you can take them here and there and take the wrong people like bankers in a robbery case, merchants in a theft case, preachers in a vice squad prostitution case, you’re not going to win. I mean, you’re starting off over the hill.
That case that I wanted to bring up now is some things I’ve missed because of my situation and social connections. I had a good client here, the Morris Brothers, all three of them in trouble all the time. Old man was tried — Jimmy, who had the Chateau Briand — for gambling. We were lucky enough to prevail on appeal on him. Nothing happened to him.
And the youngest boy — who is now deceased for a long time — was killed by his wife or girlfriend, whatever, at their house. And I beat the police there. And here’s a family we represented forever. We couldn’t get her out of jail; that would end our relationship. Therefore, there goes a big murder fee. Well, Alexander got over that case because we couldn’t handle it. We had all the jewelry there that she had, which was expensive. We turned that over to Bill. And the reason was, you know, you must not ever sue somebody you know socially. Some husband, you take his case against the wife you’be been out to eat with, that’s bad news. Don’t do it. Never sue your old client or represent somebody that you’re involved with that way because it will come back to haunt you.
Well, the reason I couldn’t handle that was not only that, but when I got there this lady had a fork sticking in her back side. I told her, “Don’t take that out till the police get here.” I’ve been accused ever since of sticking that fork in her. I didn’t do that, I assure you. My prints would have been on that fork. Anyway, they got there in a hurry and rescued her. And Alexander did her a good job; she was no-billed because she was being badly mistreated at the time by my good client. Things happen like that, and you get in the middle of things.