Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1883-11-01
he Young Lawyers First Case

The young lawyer conducting
his first case before a jury is wor~
thy of the deepest commisseration.
Take him, for instance, i'll the
criminal court, before which he
has a case. While the prosecuting
attorney is tying the first witness
in bowknOts and untying him
again. the amateur sits listening
but endeavoring to look as uncOn-
cerned as a marble statue in a
thunder storm. He throws in tim
id objections every time he sees a
hold, and as each one is %ovcrruled
by the courts he puts on a stern
look, as much as to say, I'll knock
the wind out of that in the II
preme court When the prosecu-
tor, usually an old, able attorney,
dryly says, Take the witness,
the youthful aspirant trembles a
little, and endeavors to swallow
something that is sticking in his
throat. He thinks that every eye
in the room is upon him and they
are as hot as stove lids.
He fires a few initatory questions
at the witness, and warns as he
proceeds, until he is brought up
standing by, sOh! your Honor, we
object to such irrelevant questions
followed by a few scathlng re-
marks from the prosecutor. The
court sustalns the objection, and
advises the young lawyer to keep
within bounds, which sets him to
thinking where in the thunder
the bounds are. Objection follows
objection, and each one is prompt
Iy sustained. He wonders why it,
is that Il free and independent
people will tolerate such ones
sided Justice. He plunges ahead
blindly now, until he becomes so
confused that he does not know
whether he Is a p%ractlcing attorney
with a gilt sigu, or a fly wheel on
a steam wOod-saw. Finally he,
runs out of questions, and with a
SIGH of relief or something tells the
witness, srhat's all SO he grinds
through, and at last the prosecu-
tor rises and proceeds to address
the Jury in a mastery STYLE AS
he progresses he picks up all the
evidence adduced by the defense
in particles fine enough to be in
corporated into Goldfish balls. The
youthful Blackstone wrestler
begins to feel uneasy as his mind
reverts to the fact that in q few
moments he must deliver his mai
den speech.
he wished the prosecutor would
hold his grip and keep it, until
time to adjourn court, feeling sat
lsfied that he could make a splen-
did speech next day after a nights
fighting on the evidence. He tries
to remember what the witness
S wore TO but cannot recall the ev-
idence to save his life. The pros
ecutor. finally winds up with a
grand peroration, and as he says,
sAnd in conclusion gentlemen of
the Jury the youth nervOusly fin
gers his moustache, 9nd wishes he
had never began the abomniable
business. Cold chills are fingers
ing 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 BanquO's
ghost, the lump IN his throat won't
90 down, by an obstinate major
ity, and he swallows 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 and moves to the front. He
dares not look at the audience,
and tries to imagine there is 40
one in the room but himself and
the twelve sphynx-like forms in
the Jury box The eyes of each
juror arc fixed upon him, and lie
would almost relinquish his hope
of heaven if some II would raise
a cry of fire to divert their atten-
ton until he gets a start.
Finally he shrugs his shoulders
and manages to remark, 'Gentle~
men of the (swallow) jury Very
good. He then surveys them a
moment, and every man in the
box thinks he is endeavoring to
read his thoughts. At last he
strikes out and goes for chem
about their intelligent looks, and
how he feels that his clients i'll
terests are safe in their hands. AT
the same time he feels serious
as to their 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 a secluded room to
chew tobacco, and ask each other
what they thought of it. 1t so
happens that the fimsy testimo-
nv against the accused warrants
a verdict of mot guilty. where-
upon the amateur grasps his Gil
| ent's hand and whispers, 1t was a
| hard fight bnt l got you out OF it!
Then he rises, loads up enough
law books to swamp a mud scow.
casts a triumphant look at the
prosecuting attorney, who smiles
pleasantly III return, and walks
slowly and majestically down the
| aisle to the door with as much dig
nifty as if he owned a Western
railroad. Oh, you can't deny it,
even you old yeterans-you've all
been there!
Postal Rates Ninety Years Ago.
Now that the two cent postage
law has gone into effect, the fol-
lowing provisions of the first law
of CONGRESS- on the subject will be