The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-22
roRTURING THE WITNESS
-,ow NEW YORK LAWYERS PER
FORM THE OPERATION.

49,. Methods of Chate, Evarts,
parsons, Shafer, Marsa and Other
r,,inent Men-A Rsorm in the
,,a.ter of Bulldozipg- and
pitfalls tor the Unway.
vvw YORK, Jan. 2l.I'Bulldozing the
-rtress is a thing of the tast, a relic of
,arbarism. so far as it exiss at all, said an
eminent New York lawyei
rbad lust asked him a question bearing
.ha science of cross-exanination, and the
Methods employed by tn greatest legal
In,rinaries of the metropolis, and be pref
- his remarks as above l was glad to
r.o- Il for nv own opinDn used to be that
,rin,;raI LAWYERS were valuable in proper
,ion 70 their power to sare truthful wit
nssses into lying and falls ones into telling
the truth,
oTn the last few yeas continued the
LAWYER. there has beena great change in
his matter. 1t is only exceptionally that
}o,d and violent methOos are employed in
Wv Work courts. and tie lawyer who adopts
mem now stands gre!5 chance of injuring
his case. A quiet demsanor, whether Ill the
otttempt to assist witness in presenting
FACT which he is perfectly willing to make
Known or in discreditAg lying witness, is
always the best ,.,,..,
''Who are the mot skllltul IN handling
witnesses" [ asked
~ know of no onewho can excel Luther
p Marsh" he repli.d. He is the most
elegant gentleman Imaginable, and he is
never boisterous or nude, but he can be very
severe upon a witness when he wants to.
M Marsh has been n big cases ever Since
The fugitive slave dats. He is over 20 now,
but healthy and as straight as an arrow
He is a little above medium height, slender
and elegant in build, and has an intellectual
face with clear cut FEATURES and keen gray
ewes He attributes BIS good health to his
practice OF eating a sandwich and two big
apples for lunch every day, and he fire.
onentlv urges the gastronomic claim Of
apples upon the young men of his acquain-
lance, In court he is alert and active. He
ALWAYS impresses the witness with a great
fear of some knowledge held in reserve, and
he can scare d man to t!eath in quiet way
as readily as need be. | remember a very
amusing scene between him and q witness.
The man on the stand was quite intimately
ACQUAINTED with Marsh, and was called by
the opposite side. When it became time to
cross-examine him Mr. Marsh started in in
the usual way. He transfxed the man with
a look: advanced to within three PAGES;
Strengthened up, ran his hand through his
hair; let his long eyelashes fall over his
ewes as if putting them in ambush, and then
said in a hard tone: "What is your name,
SIR The witness was of course confused al
this from a man he knew so well, and he
gave his name as if he wasn't sure that he
had right to it.
"'Where do you live, sirH asked Marsh
sill more severely. The with IS gave his
address.
Didn't you walk down Broadway this
morning. L did, sir Didn't you meet Mr..
Blank on the corner of Fulton street and
Broadway l did, faltered the witness.
Didn't YOU converse with him, sirn said
Mr. Marsh in the sternest tones. Yes, sir
said the witness, as if he were confessing
the drest of crimes. Well said Mr.. Marsh
with placid smile, how was my friend
Mr.. Blank, anyway The witness nearly
tainted away with relief, and it was a week
before be could get up courage enough to
laugh at the joke that had been put upon
him The incident is a key to the man he
is willy and impenetrab!e, and the more
serious plots which he concoctS against "a
witness peace of mind are as shrewdly
cloaked as his joke was.