The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-01-03
Webster's Method Of Examining Wit.
neSSeS.

Mr.. WEBsTER's method of examining
witnesses may be Judged from the fol-
lowing scene which occurred in a dis
puted will case. Among the witnesses
was bank cashier, to whom Mr.. Web
ster said:
You say you think this is not Mr..
Tufts signature?''
81 was cashier of the bank of which
he was President, and used to see his
signature in all forms; and very often
to obligations and notes and bills.''
And you think this is not his sigma
tureP Please to point out, if you will,
where-there is Discrepancy"
81 do not know as l can tell"
''But sensible man can tell why he
thinks one thing is not like another
"Weil examining the note),, in the
the top used to be closed.''
Gentlemen of the jury, you hear:
The top was closed. Go on"
"The at the end of his name was
usually kept above the horizontal line;
this is below"
"Well; any other?'
"Not any other"
Mr.. Webster then took one of the
forty genuine signatures which were in
the Court, and stating to the jurors that
it was admitted to be genuine, showed
them that the very things the witness
had testified Mr.. Tufts never did, were
to be found in this signature, and in
nearly every instance.
The witness looked chop-fallen and
took his seat; and nearly all the wit
nesses were f1oored in the same way.
At last they came to William P. Win
chester. He sat opposite to me and
looked at Mr.. Webster with an air that
said, You won't getany such answers
out of me-" He took the stand and
testified that he did not think the sig
nature genuine.
"Whyp" asked Mr.. Webster.
"I can't tel" !" was the reply.
"But, Col. Winchester. an intelligent
man can give reason for his opinion.
Pray, don't give such statement as
that without offerings reason for it. !"
81 can't give q reason; but if you
will allow me to make an illustration /
will doso."
Certainly"
Suppose, said Mr.. Winchester,
"some distinguished man at home or
abroad should be seen walking on
Change; suppose you were there at
high Change; it would be very natural
to point out Daniel Webster and say,
There goes the defender Of the Con-
stitutionr Everybody would mark him,
and nobody could mistake his identity.
They would always know him after
ward. But if, in the afternoon, some
man brought me head and two legs
and two arms on a platter and asked
me to identify them separately as be-
longing to Daniel Webster, l could not
swear to them. In the same way there
is something about this signature that
does not look genuine; but could not
swear to the particulars" Mr.. Web
ster smiled at this reply and told the
witness that he might be excused
Harveys "Reminiscences of Daniel Web
ster. Z.
Several children were feeding q
pet bear with corn at Austin, Tex. An
ear was dropped out Of the reach Of
the bear, and little girl handed it to
him. The bear sportively pulled her to
him, when house-dog, believing the
child to be in danger, sprang upon the
bear. Bruin then carried the child to
the further part Of the ho9shead In
which he slept, and returned to fight
the dog, under the Impression that the
dog would hurt the child. A party Of
negroes tried to protect the child from
her other protectors. but the little one
did not escape until her mother had
killed b0th haay and dnu With a vnua.