Unnamed Memphis Lawyer

The first time this lawyer is mentioned in Sanctuary is in an antisemitic rant by Clarence Snopes about "a Memphis jew lawyer" (266). He appears in person on the day Temple testifies in court; he sits "picking his teeth" at the prosecution's table. There Horace refers to him as "a Jew lawyer from Memphis" (282). The narrative's description is less overtly hostile, but phrases like "his skull was capped closely by tight-curled black hair" and "he had a long, pale nose" (281) do emphasize his ethnicity. His connection with Memphis suggests he represents Popeye's interests. Since we know that Clarence has sold him information about Temple's whereabouts, it seems likely that he is responsible for bringing her to Yoknapatawpha, and may even be responsible for the lies she tells on the stand. But none of that is said directly. When this same "Memphis lawyer" is referred to in the later novel Requiem for a Nun there is no mention of his ethnicity (101).