TUT, TUT! MR. TUTT

by Arthur Cheney Train

“Next!” The dejected file of prisoners beneath the glaring windows stiffened and limped forward. There were twelve of them—the same number as the minor prophets, the apostles, the tribes of Israel and the officers of King Solomon—a bullet-headed negro in a red sweater, charged with vivisection during a crap game, bringing up the rear. The line humped along beside the iron grating like a caterpillar, those behind butting forward those in front, turned the corner by the jury box and disgorged two prisoners before the bar of judgment. It was the first Monday in January—pleading day. “Next!” repeated Phelan, the court captain, standing inside the rail, to McNamara, his whipper-in. “Lively now!” McNamara turned to the head of the line.

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1923

About the author

Arthur Cheney Train (1875-1945) was an American lawyer and legal thriller writer, particularly known for his novels of courtroom intrigue and the creation of the fictional lawyer Mr. Ephraim Tutt. In 1919, he created the popular character of Mr. Ephraim Tutt, a wiley old lawyer who supported the common man and always had a trick up his sleeve to right the law's injustices. He also coauthored the science fiction novel The Man Who Rocked the Earth (1915) with eminent physicist Robert W. Wood. After 1922, Train devoted himself to writing. His works include: The "Goldfish" (1914), Tutt and Mr. Tutt (1919) and By Advice of Counsel (1921). Robert Williams Wood (1868-1955) was an American physicist. He was a careful experimenter known for his many contributions to optics including infrared and ultraviolet photography, and the liquid mirror telescope. He was also a writer of science fiction and nonsense verse. He also authored non-technical works. In 1915, Wood co-authored a science fiction novel, The Man Who Rocked the Earth, with Arthur Train. He also wrote and illustrated a book of nonsense verse, How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers.

Father of Arthur Kissam Train

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very old-fashioned stories about a lawyer who wins cases by understanding people even more than the law.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Ephraim Tutt is a kindly old lawyer who uses his position to do good. He has a twinkle in his eye and a penchant for taking on the underdog as his clients. He wears a stovepipe hat and an old frock coat, but Arthur Train would have the reader believe it to be a suit of armor in disguise. This is a highly romanticized, early 20th Century collection, that is none-the-less quite entertaining. The book contains eight stories about Mr. Tutt that originally appeared in The Saturday Evening Post. The stories were so popular that Ephraim Tutt became known as the "best known lawyer in America." In this volume Mr. Tutt is up to his ancient neck in all sorts of devious legal battles in an effort to bring justice to the innocent and deserving. But we know that with Tutt on the trail, crime and skullduggery simply have no chance at all. Three and a half stars.

The stories included here are:

"The Bloodhound": In which Mr. Tutt lays a trap for his rival, the dishonest prosecutor "Bloodhound" O'Brien who thinks he has successfully framed an innocent man.

"Tut, Tut! Mr. Tutt": In which Mr. Tutt gets the better of a "new money" society matron who thinks she can railroad anyone she sees as her inferior.

"The Liberty of the Jail": In which Mr. Tutt uses his knowledge of human nature to earn his client a rightful settlement

"Hocus-Pocus": A little slight of hand allows Mr. Tutt to help a deserving young woman get her inheritance.

"Saving His Face": Mr. Tutt teaches a self-important man a little humility with the help of a determined notary and a little-known bit of law.

"In Witness Whereof": It pays to be sure who a lawyer's client really is....and you better be sure that you are Mr. Tutt's client if that wily lawyer is involved in your case.

"The Twelve Little Husbands": Despite what looks like an open & shut case against his client, Mr. Tutt proves that sometimes a poisoner isn't a poisoner.

"The Cloak of St. Martin": Will Mr. Tutt's "cloak" keep his clerk out of trouble?

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Richard Epstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before there was Erle Stanley Gardner (let alone John Grisham), there was Arthur Cheney Train. I first encountered Mr. Tutt in the parental bookcase, having no idea what or who he was, but hoping the book would be too old for me (the best way to find a book). He wasn't, and I no longer have any idea whether the Tutt books were any good or not. But I continue to be charmed by the notion that lawyer-heroes used to look like Mr. Tutt, rather than Gregory Peck and Robert Downey, Jr.