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THE GREEN BAG
and city officials and their deputies, and at once became a factor in local politics and of influence in the selection of candidates of his party for public office. In January, 1881, Miller Outcalt, then Prosecuting Attorney, afterwards Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, appointed Mr. Taft his assistant. For fourteen months the entire charge of the prosecution of felonies was in the hands of these two young men. The way in which Mr. Taft handled this work soon attracted the attention of the community. His industry and thorough ness were marked; he was constantly in the trial of cases, many hard fought, and often against criminal lawyers of great reputation as such. It was here and in his work as reporter and in his experience in politics that his wonderful knowledge of human nature, of so great value to him ever after wards, was accumulating rapidly. From this office he was called, in March, 1882, by President Arthur, to the collectorship of Internal Revenue at Cincinnati. He soon saw that continuance in such service would lead him into political life, and away from the law, in which alone his ambitions lay. He resigned, there fore, in the same year, and in January, 1883, entered into partnership with Major H. P. Lloyd, who had been his father's partner, and began his first experience in the general practice of the law. The practice of the firm was substantial and afforded opportunity for growth in the knowledge of the law and in establishing the reputation he had already acquired as a thorough lawyer. It was in the discharge of his duties as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney that he first came in contact with T. C. Campbell, a criminal lawyer of ability, reputed to be utterly unscrupulous, and in league with all the evil elements in society, and whose influence in local poli tics had grown so strong as to be felt, it was said, on the Bench. It was Campbell's boast that no client of his, indicted for murder in the first degree, was
ever convicted. He was believed generally to be a suborner of perjury and a "jury fixer. " The people were shocked by mis carriages of justice. A number of atrocious murderers in jail were awaiting trial, and when, in March, 1884, one Berner, a redhanded murderer, was convicted only of manslaughter in a trial in which Campbell was his attorney, an indignation meeting was called at Music Hall by leading citizens. Well meant but intemperate speeches roused the mob spirit in the audience and a great crowd of men and boys, shouting "Clean out the jail," "Hang the murderers," pro ceeded to the County Jail, attacked it and besieged it that night and the next day. The Sheriff and local militia were strong enough to protect the jail, but could not, or did not, disperse the crowd. The next night the city was subjected to the disgrace of a Court House burned by its own citizens, a mob of irresponsible men and boys, mostly of the criminal class. That night, by the direction of Governor Hoadly, militia from other parts of the state arrived and soon controlled the situation, but not until many persons had been killed. Soon afterwards the Bar Association appointed a committee to prefer charges against Campbell, seeking his disbarment. A number of leading lawyers volunteered, the prosecution was put in the charge of E. W. Kittredge and William M. Ramsey, who, and the Bar generally, looked to Mr. Taft to perform the difficult service of preparing the case for trial. During the entire summer of 1884, and well into the fall, he, with John R. Holmes, traveled to many cities in a number of states taking depositions, and a case was presented gen erally satisfying the Bar and the public that Campbell ought to be disbarred. After a trial consuming more than twenty days, the three Judges before whom the case was tried, took the view, generally believed by lawyers to be erroneous, that the proof in such a case should be as strong as in criminal cases. Two of the Judges held that the proof on
