"Yes," Simpson shot back. "He was of counsel to Billy the Kid."
It was true. William Lee Simpson, father and grandfather of U.S. senators, was the lawyer for notorious bankrobber William Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid.
Not all agreed with Al Simpson but all found that he could disagree without being disagreeable. That is why as much as he could irk those farther to the right than him, he never had much trouble in his trips to the polls as state legislator and then senator.
And the same people who disagreed with him now mourn and honor Al Simpson.