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"CATCH 'EM AND CHEAT 'EM."
The lawyers on the circuit traveled by Lincoln got together one night
and tried him on the charge of accepting fees which tended to lower
the established rates. It was the understood rule that a lawyer should
accept all the client could be induced to pay. The tribunal was known as
"The Ogmathorial Court."
Ward Lamon, his law partner at the time, tells about it:
"Lincoln was found guilty and fined for his awful crime against the
pockets of his brethren of the bar. The fine he paid with great good
humor, and then kept the crowd of lawyers in uproarious laughter until
after midnight.
"He persisted in his revolt, however, declaring that with his consent
his firm should never during its life, or after its dissolution, deserve
the reputation enjoyed by those shining lights of the profession, 'Catch
'em and Cheat 'em.'"
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Stories and Anecdotes About the Life of Abraham Lincoln
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