One of the remarkable characteristics displayed by Charles E. Hughes
in the conduct of his important lawsuits conducted against great
corporations on behalf of the people was his complete mastery of the
facts entering into the cases. In regard to this characteristic, the
following is illuminating as showing his painstaking preparation for
his cases:
His habit of thorough preparation made him one of the most
formidable trial lawyers in New York. When he went into court,
he could usually defeat his adversary not only on the point
directly at issue, but upon dozens of others that might come
up correlatively. In his search for information he never
limited his investigations to law-books. He was once called
upon to defend a patent held by a company manufacturing a
mechanical piano-player. He mastered all the law points
involved, and then began to work on the mechanism itself.
He had an instrument moved up to his house, and spent many
hours playing upon it, taking it apart, and becoming entirely
familiar with its mechanical details. When Mr. Hughes appeared
in court, he confounded the experts by his familiarity with the
technicalities involved and easily won his case.
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