Daily Republican., 1882-03-10
EMBARRASSING.
A YOUNG LAWYERS FEELINGS UPON
HIS FIRST APPEARANCE.

|
The young lawyer conducting his
/ first case before jury Is worthy of the
deepest COMMUNICATION. Take him, for
instance, in the criminal court, before
which he has c ise. While the prose-
cutting attorney is tying the first wit
again the amateur sits listening, but
endeavoring to look az uncon ,erned as
a marble statue In a thunder storm. He
throws in timid objections every time
he think he sees hole, and as each
one is ovrrruled by the court, he puts
on stern look, AS much as to say,
'I'll knock the wind out of that in the
Supreme Court" When the prosecu.
tor, usually an Old, able attorney, dryly
says, Take the witness" the youth
full aspirdnt tremb es little and en-
deavors TO swallow something that is
sticking in his throat. He feels that
every evein the room is upon him, and
| that they are as hot "a stove lids.
He tiresa few initiatOry questions at
| the witness, and warns as ne proceeds
until he is brought up standing by con
your Honor, We obje ito such irrrleva t
questions followed by few Scathlrg
remarks from the pros .cutor. The court
sustains the objection, and advises the
young lawyer to keep with in bounds,
which sets him to wondering where in
| thunder the bounds are. Objection fol-
lows objection and each one is prompt
| y sustained. He wonders why it is
that free and Independent people will
! tolerate such one sided Justice. He
| lnnges on blindly row, until he becomes
| so confused that he does not know
whether he is practicing attorney
with gilt sign, or a tiy-wheel on a
steam wood saw, Finally he runs out
Of questions, and with a sigh of relief
on ,mething, tells the witness, CHATS
all" So he grinds through, and at last
the prosecutor rises and proceeds to adj
dress the jury in mastery style. AS
| he progresses he picks the evidence
adducei By the defence into PARTICLES
fine enough to be incorporated into cod
fish balls. The youthful Blackstone
wrestler begins to feel uneasy as his
mind reverts to fact that in few min
ute8 he must deliver his maiden speech.
He wishes the prosecutor would hold
his grip and keep it til time o adjourn
lCtl'uS fdIlSllOl bIltU no CUllu
make splendid speech the next day,
after nights fighting on the evidence.
He tries to remember what tie witness
ses swore to, but cannot recall the evil
dence to save his life. The prosecutor
finally winds up with a grand perora-
ton, and as he says "And, in con-
clusi'n, gentlemen Of the jury" the
youth nervouSly fingers his mustache,
and wishes he had never begun the
abominable business. Cold chills are
lingering him all over the back as if
measuring him for a new shirt, and his
spinal column acts as if it was tired
and wanted to sit down awhile. Like
Ban1uO's ghost, the lump in his throat
will not stay down, by an obstinate
minority, and he sw allows it and Won
ders what he is going to say and how
long it will take him to say it.
AS The prosecutor calmly takes his
seat the young lawyer rises aud moves
to the front. He dares not look at the
audience and tries to imagine there is
no one in the room but himself and the
twelve sphynX-like forms in the jury
box. The eyes OF each juror are fixed
on him, and hs would almost relinquish
his hope of heaven if some one would
only raise cry OF fire to divert their
attention until he gets start.
Finally he shrugs his shoulders and
manages to remark, Gentlemen of the
(swallows) jury" Very good He
then surveys them moment, and every
man in the box thinks he is endeavor.
ing to read their thoughts, but he ism I.
He is wishing to gracious he could read
his own thoughts. At last he strikes
out and goes for them about their intel
ligent looks, and how he feels that his
clients interests are safe in their hands
as to the safety in his own hands. He
worries through his speech with an
average OF two swallows at that lump
to the sentence. The prosecutor closes
the argument, and the case goes to the
jury, who retire to secluded room to
chew tobacco, and ask each other what
they thought of it. 1t so happened that
the tiImsy testimony against the aCcus.
ed warrants a verdict o. mot guilty."
whereupOn the amateur grasps his
clients hand and whispers st was a
hard fight, but | got you out of it !"
Then he rises, loads up enough law
books to load a mud sCow casts a trium-
plant look at the prosecuting attorney,
who smiles. pleasantly in return, and
walks slowly and majesti1ally down
the aisle to the door with as much dig
nifty as if he owned % western railroad.
Oh, you can't deny it, even you Old