Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-06-12
Nothing 20 SIP sak OF.

From the NewburypOrt Herald.l
1t was at the Essex bar that Rufus
Choate first appeared His business
confined him there but few years, his
reputation and success as an advocate
sending him to all the courts in the
State, aid giving him name wherever
eloquence had power. We never knew
him to have case which, before it was
concluded, he did not give the peculiar
cast Of his genius, and for which, bow
ever apparently insignificant, by his
management he did not secure a place
among those reckoned " the great
cases" In one instance, in our court
house in the Mall, a witness was put
upon the stand by the government, from
whom, as Mr.. Choate evidently con-
cluded, evidence had been drawn fatal
TO the interest of his client, unless in
some way it could be invalidated. In
his questions he scarcely referred to the
point that so much troubled him, but
brought out every other, putting the
county attorney to his trumps. At last
he touched upon the personal habits of
the witness, asking him if he drank any
liquor, to which he replied, T" Nothing
to speak Of" No, said Mr.. Choate,
" of course not; we all take little, and
it's all very we'll But" inquired he,
when do you first drink during the
day?" when | first go out" was the
answer. You need il" said Mr.. c.,
ITO give you an appetite for your break
fast Then | suppose you need glass
to settle your breakfastY' was the next
question, to which was smillingly re-
sponded YES" And when next do
YOU drink?" mot till eleven, unless
some of the boys come along, and some
one of us has TO treat. " Then there
must be treat in return before you sep
arate?" Yes" again was the answer.
And how often would such treats occur
before eleven?" 4" 1t might be once, and
it might be three or four times, said the
witness. "You would need little
something to sharpen your appetite for
dinner; and then, / suppose, as after
breakfast, to help digestion. / suppose
the afternoon would pass off much as the
fereuo Yes, again was the an
swer and as Mr.. c. put the question
how about supper?-the court interposed
and said, why, Mr.. Choate, you have
no TlgnJ Juub W QueStiOn INC mitHOeo.
He answered, with a smile, know it,
your honor, but if the witness does not
object, certainly do not.
Witness took his seat, and Mr.. Choate
arose to address the jury At length he
reached the point on which the county
attorney relied. Said he, the last wit
ness told you so and so, giving the sub
stance of his testimony. "This," he
went on to say, would be fatal to his
client, If the witness could be believed.
But" said he, gentlemen, / saw in your
very expression you did not believe him,
and saw too that the court did not
credit word he said. And how could
either of you, after hearing that he drank
but, nothing to speak Off Mr.. G.
then went on to show the significance of
the term. He made out fifteen times
before tea, land then, said he, if the
court had not interposed, | would have
added fifteen times more from his own
statements, as his practice before he
went to bed; and all nothing 20 speak of,
in the estimation of the witness; and
this is the man by whom the government
proposes to send my client to State
prison" Mr.. Choate took his seat,
looked defiance at the county attorney,
who made but a feeble argument. 1t
need not be added that MIR. Choate's
client was rescued from a sentence to
the State prison, which all, before Mr..
C.'s review of the evidence, thought
awaited him.