and innovative attorneys to practice in the United States during the nineteenth century. 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 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. Citations General bibliography Books Collins, Paul (2011). The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime that Scandalized a City & Sparked the Tabloid Wars. New York: Crown Publishers. Kadri, Sadakat (2005). The Trial: A History, from Socrates to O.J. Simpson. New York: Random House. Morton, James (2001). Gangland: The Lawyers. London: Virgin. Murphy, Cait (2011). Scoundrels in Law: The Trials of Howe and Hummel, Lawyers to the Gangsters, Cops, Starlets, and Rakes Who Made the Gilded Age. New York: Harper. Rovere, Richard H. (1948). Howe and Hummel: Their True and Scandalous History. London: Michael Joseph. Train, Arthur (1908). True Stories of Crime From the District Attorney's Office. New York: Charles Scribner%27s Sons. Wellman, Francis L. (1924). Gentlemen of the Jury. New York: Macmillan. Articles "William F. Howe, Dean of Criminal Bar, Dead". The New York Times September 3, 1902, p. 9. "Decadence of New York's Criminal Bar". The New York Times, September 7, 1902, p. 34. [Accounts of Ella Nelson trial]. New York Herald, June 19, 1891, p. 3 & June 20, p. 4. Further reading True Stories of Crime from the District Attorney's Office by Arthur Cheney Train: Chapter X "Flight into Texas"—Detail of the firm's collapse External links Law firms disestablished in 1907 Defunct companies based in New York (state) Defunct law firms of the United States Law firms based in