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abilities of
William Howe in court. A recent study of the 1897 murder of Willie Guldensuppe, and the 1898 trial of his killer Martin Thorne, gives clear proof of Howe's mastery of cross-examination. At the first trial of Thorne, his co-conspirator, Mrs. Augusta Nack, testified against Thorne. Howe's simple and direct cross-examination ripped her testimony apart on the stand, which led to the prosecution deciding not to use her again in a retrial. Nonetheless, even with Howe's efforts and skill, in the second trial Thorne was convicted and sentenced to be executed. Despite Howe's courtroom skills and Hummel's mastery of legal intricacies, it was ultimately the (mis)use of their talents that ultimately brought down the firm.
167:, objected on the ground that the question was immaterial. The objection was sustained. Howe was also asked if his license to practice medicine in England had been revoked. Hall again objected and was again sustained. The question may or may not have been material, but it seems unlikely that it would have been asked at all without some foundation ... Some other questions of interest were put to Howe at the Beaumont trial. He was asked if he was the same person as the William Frederick Howe wanted for murder in England. He said that he was not. He was asked if he was the same person as the William Frederick Howe convicted of forgery in Brooklyn a few years earlier. He denied that he was that person.
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black tie. He had a markedly florid rhetorical style, on one occasion delivering an entire summing-up, two hours, while on his knees before the jury box. One of his most remarked upon talents was an apparent ability to weep at will, although legal historian
Sadakat Kadri notes that his frequent opponent Francis L. Wellman "suspected that he used an onion-scented handkerchief to get in the mood". The less extrovert but more intelligent Hummel specialized in civil law and ran the firm's thriving
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surprise by asserting that Unger's little seven-year-old girl, at that moment on her father's knee, had done them. After tapping thus a wellspring of astonishment, Mr Howe turned the emotion dextrously into profound sympathy by explaining that it was the thought of the little girl which prompted Unger to conceal a deed done in the heat of passion. The jury convicted the confessed murderer of manslaughter only.
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1960s), they maintained a full-sized billboard atop their offices), and were much discussed in their day among the members of the legal profession. As such, many of the stories told about them have the aura of tall tales. Nevertheless, their decades of effective practice suggest that the partners were among the most effective and innovative
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trials in the course of his fifty-year career and winning a large but unstated proportion of them. He was noted for his extravagant dress, favoring bright waistcoats and large jeweled rings—although he steadily dressed down as a capital trial progressed, invariably ending it in a funereal suit and
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Howe and Hummel kept no records (the partners reportedly met at the end of each day and emptied their respective pockets onto the table and evenly divided the total pile), actively courted publicity (despite bar rules against lawyers advertising (which did not begin to be relaxed until the late
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was his sudden turn in the trial of Edward Unger, who confessed that he had killed a lodger, cut up the body, thrown part in the East River, and sent the rest in a box to
Baltimore. Mr Howe stupefied the courtroom by dramatically denying that Unger had done any of those things. He increased the
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headquarters on Centre Street, Howe and Hummel received fat retainers from a significant proportion of the criminals, brothel-keepers, and abortion care providers of New York. All 74 madams rounded up during a purity drive in 1884 named Howe and Hummel as their counsel, and at one time the firm
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Although nobody can deny a strong element of "sharp practice", including using suspect surprise witnesses in some trials, or suppressing adverse witness testimony by sending them out of state, all expenses paid, until the trial was over, there was genuine talent in the team, especially in the
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in a single day. On another occasion, the partners invoked a technicality that, had it been allowed, would have set free every prisoner awaiting trial, or recently convicted, of first degree murder in the State of New York, and made it impossible for the authorities to obtain further capital
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Bill Howe's persuasive abilities were the stuff of legend. Perhaps his most notable achievement was to get a client, Ella Nelson, acquitted on a charge of willful murder. Howe admitted that the girl had been armed with a revolver, but successfully persuaded a jury that her trigger finger had
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reporter, "It is a sight to see these two law partners together, Howe and Hummel. The distinguished prophet of criminal law, Mr Howe, kicks the scale at about 325 pounds and his partner, Mr Hummel, has the rare distinction of turning the balance at
147:-born and later naturalized American trial lawyer who had served 18 months in jail in Britain for false representation, and who was strongly suspected of possessing a more extensive criminal background. Prosecuted in 1874 by a pair of
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In 1869, Howe made a partner of
Abraham Hummel (July 27, 1850 – January 21, 1926), his former clerk and physical opposite, a runtish, rake-thin genius renowned for his ability to spot loopholes in the law.
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coverage of the case, which riveted New York for several months, identifies one
William F. Howe as Dolan's attorney. In a noticeable omission, it does not mention Dolan in its obituary for Howe.
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Howe's background was gone into at some length by the
Beaumonts' attorney, Thomas Dunphy. Howe was asked by Dunphy to tell the jury why he had left England. Howe's lawyer, ex-mayor
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225:, convicted in the murder of merchant James H. Noe. Despite a desperate legal battle to save his life, Dolan went to the gallows on April 21, 1875.
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Among Abe Hummel's most celebrated achievements was the discovery of an error in procedure that led to the release of 240 of the 300 prisoners on
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represented 23 out of the 25 prisoners awaiting trial for murder in the city's Tombs prison and had an undeclared interest in the twenty-fourth.
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racket, representing chorus girls and thwarted lovers, threatening married men with exposure and well-off young bachelors with suits for
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Scoundrels in Law: The Trials of Howe and Hummel, Lawyers to the
Gangsters, Cops, Starlets, and Rakes Who Made the Gilded Age
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The final collapse of the firm came in 1907, five years after Howe's death, when Hummel was convicted in New York of
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accidentally slipped not just once, but four times in the course of an argument with her married lover.
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The Murder of the
Century: The Gilded Age Crime that Scandalized a City & Sparked the Tabloid Wars
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by Arthur Cheney Train: Chapter X "Flight into Texas"—Detail of the firm's collapse
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Howe handled most of the firm's criminal work, participating in more than 600
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One of Howe's most notorious cases, however, may have been that of
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289:. The Old Bailey Proceedings Online Project. 2009. t18540918-997
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Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey
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Another of Howe's most spectacular defenses, according to the
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At its peak, operating from offices just across the road from
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True
Stories of Crime from the District Attorney's Office
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True
Stories of Crime From the District Attorney's Office
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convictions for murder for a period of several months.
458:, June 19, 1891, p. 3 & June 20, p. 4.
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The Trial: A History, from Socrates to O.J. Simpson
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
410:Howe and Hummel: Their True and Scandalous History
310:The True and Scandalous History of Howe and Hummel
808:Robinson, Silverman, Pearce, Aronsohn, and Berman
440:"William F. Howe, Dean of Criminal Bar, Dead".
352:"Howe and Hummel — Modern day criminal lawyers"
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874:Defunct companies based in New York (state)
833:Squadron, Ellenoff, Plesent & Sheinfeld
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643:Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander & Ferdon
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
16:Nineteenth century New York City law firm
447:"Decadence of New York's Criminal Bar".
143:(1828 – September 2, 1902), a corpulent
848:Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts
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879:Defunct law firms of the United States
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778:Hall Dickler Kent Goldstein & Wood
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793:Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps
583:Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine
325:, 6 September 1901. According to the
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350:Baca, Nathaniel (January 25, 2012).
47:adding citations to reliable sources
139:The senior partner in the firm was
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828:Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
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703:Waesche, Sheinbaum & O'Regan
451:, September 7, 1902, p. 34.
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838:Swidler Berlin Shereff Friedman
553:Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison
287:"Proceedings of the Old Bailey"
265:during the nineteenth century.
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678:Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault
593:Halleck, Peachy & Billings
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889:Law firms established in 1869
444:September 3, 1902, p. 9.
381:. New York: Crown Publishers.
191:breach of promise of marriage
426:Wellman, Francis L. (1924).
683:Thacher Proffitt & Wood
176:Criminal and civil practice
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803:Preston Gates & Ellis
618:Isham Lincoln & Beale
412:. London: Michael Joseph.
388:. New York: Random House.
753:Community Rights Council
538:Alexander & Catalano
484:Works by Howe and Hummel
308:Rovere, Richard (1948).
713:Webster & Sheffield
623:Jenkens & Gilchrist
421:Charles Scribner's Sons
384:Kadri, Sadakat (2005).
628:Keck, Mahin & Cate
430:. New York: Macmillan.
415:Train, Arthur (1908).
391:Morton, James (2001).
377:Collins, Paul (2011).
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428:Gentlemen of the Jury
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783:Hopkins & Sutter
653:Pennie & Edmonds
563:Cellino & Barnes
543:Altheimer & Gray
367:General bibliography
241:Collapse of the firm
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768:Faegre & Benson
738:Baker & Daniels
668:Steven J. Baum P.C.
633:Lord Day & Lord
573:Dewey & LeBoeuf
402:. New York: Harper.
261:to practice in the
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813:Rogers & Wells
773:Graham & James
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449:The New York Times
442:The New York Times
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356:Harvard University
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488:Project Gutenberg
395:. London: Virgin.
312:. Michael Joseph.
247:suborning perjury
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99:August 2020
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763:Dow Lohnes
688:Thelen LLP
293:17 October
223:John Dolan
158:Abe Hummel
69:newspapers
718:WolfBlock
273:Citations
259:attorneys
251:disbarred
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408:(1948).
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