Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1870-05-12
Mrs. Calhoun upon the Stand.
from The y Y. World, May .


The call OF Mrs. Runkie." after the
uninieresting testimony OF an ex-a.-i-t-
amt provost marshal, was announced
by buzz of surprise. succeeded bv "A
hush of expectation: presently slight
female iigare was seen slowly working
it, way from the remote corner Of the
bar allotted TO ladies through the file-
of chairs within the enclosure to the
witness stand. Mrs. Calhoun was
neatly dressed in black silk. IA black
velvet sacgue, round straw hat, or
Jockey" a. the techinal name is under
stood To be. with brown feathers and
ribbons. She rested her head upon her
hand. gloved in brown. and prepared
to receive cavalry. which in court does
not mean chivalry, though in etymologv
ii does. Mrs. Runklc has "A very ex
pressive face. flushed with natural ex-
element YESTERDAY. with large. dark
eyes. which -he kept fixed upon her
legal in'erlocuior except when she
turned them inquirinsly towards the
Judge al doubtful questions. Her voice
l. soft and low, 80 low that al first she
had to be asked to raise it in order To
reach the Jury. and with Il slight lisp in
il. and she gave her testimony ia "A
I liOdt-i- loi anu
responsive manner. the reverse OF that
of the usual incoIisecutive female it
ness who j. the despair OF LAWYERS.
which conciliated the sympathy of every
person who heard her. Not at all the
sort OF person who would be apt TO head
"A conspiracy. one would say.-Like all
examinations in keenly contested cases.
this one was composed OF about nine
! parts lawyer TO one part witness. 1t
was for tenth perhaps of il duration
a colloquy between the witness and
her examiner. The other 'nine-tenths
was a legal logic-chopping, only endur-
able to a layman for the abilities aud
characteristics it exhibited in the par
| Elephants.
The contest of wits Yesterday was not
| only between counsel. but between Mr..
Graham and Mrs. Runklc. 1t was the
general opinion that the witness was
abundantly able TO take care of herself,
and that she had rather the best Of il i.
| AT least, if Mr.. Graham had intended
to make u systematic and protracted
demolition of her, he was disappointed
for he was barely half an hour at it.,
| with no visible results. She was perfect
| " self possessed, said what she meant
in the shortest possible way, and was
not TO be coaxed or driven into saving
anything more or less than that. This
is the perfection OF the art of bearing
testimony. Once when she was de-
piciing a scene between Mr. and Mrs
Mcfarland. with one or two vivaciOus
touches, Mr.. Graham snapped his
:. 'biect.'
"Why." remarked the other counsel,
"may she not tell what she has heard p
yes" responded the disguised Mr..
Graham, but object to her doing it
in that graphic way Whereupon an
universal chuckle, repressed with anger
from the bench.
Again Mr.. Graham brandished his
arms. in an endeavOr to weaken her
statement that Mcfarland knew and ap-
proved his wife's intention to go upon
the stage, and exclaimed, in loud and
defiant voice, do you wish the court
and jury to understand, madam, that
Mr.. Mcfarland was delighted with the
prospect of his wife playing a subOrii-
nate part, where she had only twenty
lines to speak-a part usually given to
raw nOvicesw
81 wish the court and jury to under
stand" was the answer, in q perfectly
calm tone, precisely what Mr.. McFar-
land said to me about it,"
Clearly not much was to be made out
of such witness, and Mrs. Runkle was
dismissed. 1t il not amiss, considering
what has been said and written about
her, to say that she induced in almost