The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-10-12
FOWL SW EARRING.
Novel Scene in Court A Chinese Witness
Sworn by the Dooaptation Of q Chicken,
IHnn Francisco FDet.l

Tho All PAX Chinese hdheaa corpus case. an
application To release Slug flung, young
Chinawomnn, from the clutches OF u mug
known as ST Que IN whose custody sile was
alleged to be, was resumed In the county court
this morning. The announcement made sev-
eral DAYS ago TINT the ceremony q swearing
the Witness would be- performed 10 tho Chinese
| fashion, attracted quite u crowd 70 tho court.
II. Cummings appeared Tor respondent ana
w. H. Chnmberliu for the petitioner. Mr..
Cummings argued MT length against the
barbarous method or swearing witnesses pro
posed by the counsel, and quoted extensively
from "Charabers's Encyclopedia to show
that almost every nation. modern and an
cient, invariably insisted on people Of other
nntiunalites conforming to their mode 81 al
ministertng onths Toward the end OF his
quotation Mr.. Cummings got q fearful set
buck when he quoted that 1t had been always
tue custOm among tho nations TO- prescribe
any form of oath which would make II more
solemn or obligatory upon the witness. While
Mr.. Cummings was pegging away aud stuit-
ing the court ana spectators with encyclo-
pedic lore, he frequently stopped to comment.
Judge Wright had been 80 tuany years hnv-
ing law from tho dryest Of statutes and do
cisions fired at him, that Mr.. Cnmmings's
encyclopedia afforded him ii great literary
treat and he requested Mr. Cummings TO
coatine himself to the text. or course Mr.
Cummings at once increased tho number of
his nterjectlOns, until Mt last II sentence
from the encyclopedia was not turned tllHt
Mr. Cummings did not fire off In his COM
ments.
Although frequently requested to contine
himself to the text, the counsel could not be
got to do IT, Finally the Judge said. "Mr
Clerk, enter q fine of $50 against the counsel
for contempt Of court" Mr.. Cummings closed
Ing word Judge Wright then directed
Counselor Chamberlain to bring on his oath
or something to that effect, and In response
the attorney made dive for the roar Of the
courtroom and In moment returned with a
bucket, q huge butcherknlte and O sack male
Of mating. from which emanated decidedly
lively cacklinR.
'Your honor" said Mr.. Chamberlain, 1--WE
don't want to spatter the blood around.
How'll we prevent thatr
Il don't know" responded tho court, draw
Ing away out Of range.
1t was decided to cut open tho bag, lay the
mating Oh the iloor near the Witness stand,
and then place the Ratchet over IT.
"A lively colloquy ensued between the Chi
nese interpreter. the witness and tho China
man. who Insisted upon being sworn In the
Oriental fashion. What 1t was all about was
wholly incomprehensible to the court and the
other barbarians present, but the manner OF
holding the pullet, OF which there Were three
In the bag, about to BE- sacrificed to the inter
est OF truth, appeared to have something to
do with it. Tho woman, VINO at first did not
want to be sworn In the genuine heather
style at all, finally concluded TO decapltate
the rooster, provided one OF the Cinnamon
held 1t. This modification Of the orthodox
method, which requires tho party affirming to
touch the chicken before the deCapitation,
was accepted and, after some further discus
sion, In which there was still further conceS-
sion that the chickens neck should BE- hold
against the rim of the bucket. the woman was
sworn, the clerk propounding the following
oath, which was translated by the interpreter
"You do solemnly swear that tho evidence
you will give in the issue now pending shall
be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but
the truth, and, If l tell n lie, may my life be
as this chicken"
The response was stroke of the knife,
which only partially severed tho chicken $
Ii al, whereupon the woman dropped the
knife Thecrowd Of Cinnamon earnestly GEES
properly administered and the woman WAS
compelled to repeat the stroke, the second
time performing the decapltation. The Chi
naman who held the chicken ranmed 1t into n
bucket, and held 1t there until its struggles
had ceased. The woman then mounted the
stand, but skillful fire or cross-qnestions
failed to elicit anything moro than at the pre-
vious examination. She knew nothing OF the
where abonts Of Ling Fung, the missing
maiden. Some or the questions She pretended
not to understand, and in such cases She In
Me take him Melica mans sWearee, me cut
tic chickees head Off; me tell him damlie; mo
20 down stairs sabbe." The interpreter In
the case was accused BY the indignant Mr..
Cummings OF being sleuth-hOnnd and m
accomplished highlander. As he did not give
satisfaction 1t was decided to postpone the
case until October "A, at 3. m. During the
decapitatiOn scene the fine imposed On Mr..
Cummings was renttted.