Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-09-24
WHOLE NO. 2, 800.


x'he Young Lawyers First unsc.
The young lawyer conducting his
first case before a jury Is worthy OF
the deepest commiseratiOn. Take
him, for Instance, in the Criminal
court, before which he has a case.
While the prosecuting attorney is
tying the first witness into bow
knots and untying him again, the
amateur sits listening, but endeav-
or1ng to look as uncOncerned as n
marble statue in a thunder storm.
He throws in timid objections every
time he thinks he sees a hold, and
rs each one is overruled hy the
court, he puts on a stern look. as
much as to say, "I'll knock tho
wind out of that In the Supreme
cOurt?' When the prosecutor. usu-
ally an old, able attorney, dryly
says, ''Take the witness.u the
youthful aspirant trembles a little
and endeavOrs TO swallow some
thing that is sticking in his throat.
He feels that every eve in tile room
is upon him and that they are as hot
as stove lids.
He fires a few initiatory questions
at the witness, and warns as he
proceedes, until he is brought up
standing by, "Ohl your Honor, we
object to such irrelevant questions y
followed by few scathing remarks
from the prosecutor. The court sus-
tains the objection, and advises the
young lawyer to keep within the
bounds, which sets him to wonder
ing where in the thunder the
bounds are. Objection follows OBJ
lection and each one is promptly
sustained. He wonders why IL Is
that free and independent people
will tolerate such one-sided Justice.
He lunges ahead blindly now, until
he becomes so confused that he does
not know whether he Is practic-
ing attorney with gilt sign, or a
hywheel on steam wood saw. FL
nally he runs out Of questions, and
with sigh of relief or something
tells the witness, "That's ALL" So
he grinds through, and at last the
prosecutor rises and proceeds to ad.
dress the jury in mastery style.
As he progresses he picks up the
evidence adduced by the defense in
to Goldfish balls. The youthful
Blackstone wrestler begins to feel
uneasy as his mind reverts 10 the
fact that in a few moments he
must deliver his maiden speech.
He wishes the prosecutor would
hold his grip and keep it, until time
to adjourn court. feeling satisfied
that he could make a splendid
speech the next day after a nights
on evidence. He tries to
remember what the witnesses swore
to, but can not recall the evidence 10
save his life. The prosecutor finally
winds up with a grand peroration,
and as he says: "And i'm conclusion
gentlemen of the jury" the youth
fingers his mustache, and
wishes he had never begun the
business, Cold chills
are lingering him all over the back
as if measuring him for a new shirt,
and his spinal column acts like il
was tired and wanted to sit down
awhile. Like Banquo's ghost the
lump in his throat won't stay down
by an obstinate majority, and he
swallows it and wonders what he Is
going to say and how long II will
take him to say 1t. AS the prose
cutor calmly takes his seat, the
young lawyer rises and moves 20 the
front. He dares not look at the au-
dience, and tries to imnagine there
is no one in the room but himself
and twelve sphynx like forms I'm
the jury box. The eyes of each ju-
ror are fixed upon him, and he
would almost relinquish his hope Of
heaven If some one would raise a cry
of fire to divert their attention until
he gets start.
Finally he shrugs his shoulders
and manages TO remark, "Gentle-
men of the (swallows) jury" Very
good. He then surveys them a mo-
ment, and every man in the box
thinks he is endeavoring 10 read
their thoughts; but he isn't. He is
to the gracious no could
read his own thoughts. At last he
strikes out and goes for them about
heir intelligent looks, and how he
feels that his clients interests are
safe in their hands. At the same
time he feels serious doubts as 10
their safety i'm his own hands. He
worries through his speech with an
average of two swallows at that
lump to the sentence. The prose-
sutor closes the argument, and the
,ase goes to the jury, who retire to
4 secluded room to chew tobacco,
and ask each other what they
thought of ii. IL 80 happened that
-he fiimsy testimony against the ac-
cused warrants a virdict of ''nOt
guilty." whereupOn the amateur
yrasps his clients hand and whis-
Ders: at was a hard fight, but ] got
you out of III" Then he rises, loads
lp enough law books to swamp
mud scow, castsa triumphant loOknt
The prosecuting attorney, whosmiled
in return, and walked
slowly and majastically down the
aisle to the door with as much Dig
lity as If he owned "A Western
railroad.