Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

LAW REPORTS.
ATTORNEYS.

Mr. Wood moved the Court for a rule to shew cause why an Attorney, whom he did not name, should not be struck off the roll, or answer the matters of the said affidavit. The circumstances of this case was shortly these. The servant of a grocer in the country having received some bodily injury while in his master's service, applied to a surgeon, who soon cured him; for which he brought in a small bill of 16s. 6d. which the servant's master refused to pay. The surgeon sued him in a Court Baron, and the attorney, against whom this application was made, was employed by the grocer to defend the action. Before the day of trial, the attorney, together with his client, called upon a woman who was to give evidence for the plaintiff, and asked her what she would swear on the trial. She told him she would swear she heard the defendant promise to pay the surgeon. They asked her if she did not recollect that the defendant only said he would SEE HIM PAID, but that would not do, and after several unsuccessful attempts to make this woman commit perjury, they at length prevailed on her not to attend the trial.—The attorney gave her a guinea, and his client half a guinea. The Steward, in consequence of her absence, postponed the trial of the cause, on the plaintiff's paying the costs of the day, and this attorney, who had bribed this woman to keep out of the way, had the audacity to oppose putting off the trial to a future day. The steward, however, put it off on paying the costs.

Lord Kenyon—"Take a rule to shew why this attorney should not answer the matters of the affidavit. Is the defendant a man of property? We cannot get at him by the summary process of the court."

Mr. Justice Grose—"I am glad this motion has been made. These applications, endeavoring to find out what adverse witnesses have to say, have grown to a most enormous evil." Rule to shew cause granted.