instances the injured parties would instantly take
this means of insuring that no further publications of such a
character should appear. The stock usually cost about ten thousand
dollars, which went into the pocket of the "General," as he was
called; and from that time on none but the most pleasing reflections
could be found in the columns of his paper in regard to its new
stockholder.

Unfortunately for all parties, however, the "General" took exception
to the size of one of our bills and we parted with mutual
recriminations, although he had paid us many thousands of dollars
in fees and we had saved him many more in judgments. He still owed
us a large sum of money, but Gottlieb had tied up his property in
such a fashion that the old fellow was judgment-proof. He was thus
able to snap his fingers in our faces, a fact that naturally
intensified our hard feelings against him. We cherished our anger
until an appropriate occasion should present itself for getting
even with him, which occurred sooner than any of us, least of all
the "General," expected.

It so happened that one of the victims, having failed to "come
across" substantially enough, discovered very shortly another
libelous paragraph, which reflected very seriously upon his young
and attractive wife; and as it was pretty generally known at the
time that the "General" and ourselves had parted company, the
husband forthwith came to us for advice.

"Of course," said he ruefully, "I can't thrash a white-haired
villain who is old enough to be my grandfather, even if I could
get to him, which is unlikely. You know he has an inner office
'way off from the rest and sneaks in and out, up and down the back
stairs. A suit for libel wouldn't do any good and the publicity
would hurt more than the satisfaction I might get out of a verdict.
But vengeance I'll have--at any cost. How can I get it?"

Gottlieb pondered the matter for several days and at last sent for
his new client, at the same time making an appointment at our office
with a well-known feather-weight prize-fighter.

"If you will leave this matter to me I'll guarantee--for a thousand
dollars--that the 'General' shall receive as severe a pounding as
his old carcass can stand."

The client joyfully wrote out a check to our order and an hour
later Hennessey, the celebrated bantam, arrayed in the uniform of
an overgrown messenger boy, called with a letter at the "General's"
office and asked to see him.