Arthur Cheney Train (September 6, 1875 – December 22, 1945), also called Arthur Chesney Train, was an American
lawyer and writer of
legal thrillers, particularly known for his novels of
courtroom intrigue and the creation of the fictional lawyer Mr. Ephraim Tutt.[1]
Early life
Train was born in
Boston, Massachusetts on September 6, 1875. His father was lawyer
Charles Russell Train, who served for many years as attorney general of Massachusetts, and his mother was Sara Maria Cheney.[1] His much older half-brother was Rear Admiral
Charles Jackson Train.
In January 1901, Train became assistant in the office of the
New York County District Attorney. In 1904 he started his literary career with the publication of the
short story "The Maximilian Diamond" in Leslie's Monthly. He ran the two careers in parallel until 1908 when he left the District Attorney's office to open a general law practice in the Mutual Life Building at 34 Nassau Street in New York City.[2] His 1907 novel, Mortmain, was one of the earliest works in the
alien hand syndrome genre and was adapted into a 1915 film of the same name that is now
lost.[3] Several other works by Train were filmed, including Illusion (1929), His Children's Children (1923), and The Blind Goddess (1926).[4]
In 1912, Train, who as a former assistant to New York County District Attorney
William Travers Jerome had dealt with Italian criminals who emigrated to the United States and the
Black Hand, attended the
Cuocolo Trial in Italy against the
Camorra, studying that
Mafia-type organisation and the functioning of Italian justice.[5]
From 1915 to 1922, Train was in private practice as a lawyer with
Charles Albert Perkins while continuing to write, not just novels but short stories, plays, and
journalism. In 1919, he created the popular character of Mr. Ephraim Tutt, a wily old lawyer who supported the common man and always had a trick up his sleeve to right the law's injustices.[2]
Train wrote dozens of stories about Tutt in the Saturday Evening Post. The fictional Ephraim Tutt became "the best known lawyer in America," particularly after the appearance of Yankee Lawyer, an immensely popular book that purported to be Tutt's autobiography. Train also coauthored two
science fiction novels with eminent
physicistRobert W. Wood.[6] After 1922, he devoted himself to writing.[2][7]
Train, A. C. (1918). The Earthquake. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Describes the shock to ordinary life following America's entry into the
First World War.
Train, A. C. (2005) [1919]. Tutt and Mr. Tutt. Alan Rodgers Books.
ISBN1598186647.
Train, A. C. (1919). By Advice of Counsel (2nd. Mr. Tutt novel). The Curtis Publishing Co.
Train, A. C. (1920). The Hermit Of Turkey Hollow. (3rd. Mr. Tutt novel) The Curtis Publishing Co.
Train, A. C. (1923a). His Children's Children. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1923b). Tut, Tut! Mr. Tutt. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1924). The Needle's Eye. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1925). The Blind Goddess. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1926). Page Mr. Tutt. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1927). When Tutt Meets Tutt. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1928). The Horns of Ramadan. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (2005) [1928]. Ambition. Kessinger Publishing.
ISBN1417934050.
Train, A. C. (1929). Illusion. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1930). The Adventures of Ephraim Tutt, Attorney and Counsellor-at-Law. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1930). Paper Profits: A Novel of Wall Street. New York.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
Train, A. C. (1936). Mr. Tutt Takes the Stand. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1937). Mr. Tutt's Case Book Being a Collection of His Most Celebrated Trials as Reported and Compiled. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1939). My Day in Court. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1940). Tassels On Her Boots. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1941). Mr. Tutt Comes Home. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1943). Yankee lawyer: The Autobiography of Ephraim Tutt. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1945). Mr. Tutt Finds a Way. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Train, A. C. (1961). Mr. Tutt at his Best: A Collection of his Most Famous Cases. Kessinger Publishing.
ISBN0891905839.