most of them live in daily terror of being found out
and the virtuous are equally fearful of being unjustly accused.
Every one knows how a breath of scandal originating out of nothing
can wither a family and drive strong men to desperation. The press
is always ready to print interesting stories about people, without
inquiring too closely into their authenticity. Curiously enough
we found that an invitation to call at our office usually availed
to bring the most exemplary citizens without delay. I can remember
not more than three who had the courage to refuse. Most came, as
it were, on the run. Others made a bluff at righteous indignation.
All, in the end, paid up--and paid well. Our reputation grew, and
in the course of a few years the terror of us stalked abroad through
the city.

Our staff was well organized, however disordered may have been the
physical appearance of our office. In the first place we had an
agent in every police court who instantly informed us whenever any
person was arrested who had sufficient means to make it worth our
while to come to his assistance. This agent was usually the clerk
or some other official who could delay the proceedings in such a
way as to give us time to appear upon the scene. We also had many
of the police in our pay and made it a practice to reward liberally
any officer who succeeded in throwing us any business. In this
way defendants sometimes acquired the erroneous idea that if they
followed the suggestion of the officer arresting them and employed
us as their attorneys, they would be let off through some collusion
between the officer and ourselves. Of course this idea was without
foundation, but it was the source of considerable financial profit
to us, and we did little to counteract the general impression that
had gone abroad that we "stood in" with the minions of the law and
were _personae gratae_ to the judges of the police courts.

After the telephone came into general use Gottlieb employed it in
many ingenious ways. He even had an unconnected set of apparatus
hanging on the wall of the office, through which he used to hold
imaginary conversations with judges and city officers for the
benefit of clients who were in search of "inflooence." It is a
common weakness of the layman to believe that more can be accomplished
through pull than through the merit of one's cause. Even litigants
who have the right on their side are quite as apt to desire an
attorney w