The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-07-17
DRAWING OUT THE FACTS.
The Experience OF "a 1ruihFuI W fine
Dna5er at= = BILE Lawyer.
FHafro RpIIaffu

The ExperfeHee OF "A 7rrufhFuI " sfs,pa
Unser ~. abIs Lawyer.
[Cairo BaIIetin.l
The manner In which attorneys ouese
ton witnesses is eEssperating to the intel
ligent listener, beyond expression. The
great purpose of the average criminal
lawyer, for instance, Is 20 draw from the
witness al the facts in his possession, ex-
cepting the facts touching the case under
confederation. A countrYmsn ehopping
down tree, stePs his WORK. and buries
bis az up TO the eye in the brain of his
brother-in-law. The witness who saw
the whole bloody transaction is brought
into court, and his examination runs
about thus; You say that the prisoner
was chOpping tree down. Now will
you please tell the court and jury where
ne bought the AK" You don't know
very well, sir, wen see about that"
Now, sir, look at the jury-don't stare
In that helpless manner at ne-hOR, sir,
do you say, upon yocF oath, that the de-
fendant stole the ak before he left Pa
dacah? You do say so, an? Well,
now mark me, sir. How many feet was
it from the tree the defendant was chops
ping to the neafest gfistmill9 You can't
say? Was it ten feet7' " Certainly,
good deal more" q Well then. was it
q thousand miles % go, certainly not. !"
The court and the jury will please
observe the stubbornness OF this witness.
1t is manifestly his purpose to keep
from the jury the facts that they ought
to know"
Now, sir, who owned that mill ?"
The witness very innocently inquiries,
What mill ?" but soon repents it.
g TIE jury will please observe the exc
| sspeTating contumaciouaness of this wit.
ness, his evasion, and his manifest pur>
pose to confuse your minds as to the
facts involved In this terrible murder. -
Now, sir, look me in the face. You
have solemnly sworn that the man was
chnpPing near a mill. Will you now
dare say-look at the jury, sir4-that
there was no mill within one thousand
miles of the tree the defendant Was fell.
ing7
don't cay anything of the kind"
The jury will please note that an.
swer."
Now, see here, my friend, we've had
about enough of this. You first de-
clared that there was no mill, and now
you brasenly aYOw that there was a mill
near the Noodchopper--"
" said there was no mill within ten
fee"
Never do you mind what you said
l know what you said, and the iury
knows; and now, sir, listen to me- Who
made your boots? You don't know
Is there anything under Gods heavens
that you do know. There, there Loob
at the jury, not at me. And now per
hsps you can tell the. Jury what your
name is 2"
The witness tells his namo.
Now, sir, look at the jury l-hoW
long did you live there p
The witness timidly asks, "Lived
where ?" when the attorney springs to
his feet.
"May Il please the court and Jury, !
find this witness utterly incorrigible-
stubborn, mulish and bent upon keeping
back the very facts the jury must have.
Ee has clearly been tempered with, and
comes here with the manifest intention
of bTowbeating and worrying both the
jury and the bar. I have temporized
with him, 1 have led him gently from
point to point, in the hope of beguiIing
him into true recital of the facts cons
neeted with this dreadful murder: and
what is my reward for this considerste
kindness and fUrbearance2 Speaking
under the sanctity of an oath, he tells
this court and jury he doesn't know
where he lives, and has asked me to tell
him Great God can sucn things be,
and not overcome us like a-.Iike-and
not overcome Usf ask, your honor,
that this witness be ent to Jail for con~
tumscy, to remain there until he ex-
presses q willingness to tell what he
knows about this dreadful murder"
The court then admOnishes the wit
ness that further trifiDg will not be
permitted that he must answer the
gentleman's questions, or he'll certainly
feel called upon to commit him to
prison.
The witness by this time is Devil
dered, scared, dazed, and INDUCES in
| contradictions and absurdities as fast
a0d as often as the attorney requires
him to and, finally, leaving the stand,
it is quarter of an hour at least before
he can recall his own name or fix his
own identity. The attorney then gets
upon his feet, tears the wretched witness
contradictory and foolish rigr1arole all
to tatters, and asks the court that it be
excluded from the jury as false and non,
sensical.
And that Is one of the ways many Of
our average criminal lawyers adopt
" to draw out the facts" in great murder
cases.