Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-13
FUNNY MOOT COURT.
The Law Students Conduct a Trial
Before Judge Fetterman,
RESULTING IN AMUSING TILTs.
The Plaintiff Tangled, Led to Lie and
Forced to Swear to 1t.
A MURDER CASE NEXT ON THE DOCKET

The first mock trial of the Winter series
of the Law Students Association OF the
Allegheny County Bar was held yesterday
in room 21 of the Court House. A trial
will be held every Saturday, and all kinds
of cases will be argued. The young men
have secured the cooperation and approoa-
tion of the oldest attorneys at the bar, and
they expect to derive q great amount OF
practical experience through the trials.
The trial yesterday was presided over by
Judge Fetterman, who impaired wise and
patriarchial appearance to the youthful
court. 1. Morgan Silvey acted as clerk.
The attorneys for the plaintiff were Messrs.
Dunn, Lewis and McCirdy, and the defense
was represented by Messrs. Goss, Challender
and Johnston. The title of the case was
Ashworth versus Schlegel. 1t was an action
on promissory note drawn by the defendant
in favor of plaintiff. the payment being re-
fused. The jury was drawn from the large
crowd of spectators.
The opening address was made by Mr..
McCirdy, and the closing argument by Mr..
Challender. A number of ludicrous state
ments were made by the witnesses, and
every now and then the Court had to "sit
down" very hard on some of the ambitious
young attorneys. The latter asked
ALL SORTS OF QUESTIONS,
and secured more contradictory questions
than could be heard at the naturalization of
a Celtic would-be policeman on account of
illness.
The plaintiff, Mr.. Ashworth, was not
present, and F. V. McMullin appeared in
his stead One of the attorneys for the de-
fense, in his cross-examination, asked the
plaintiff what time he went to New York.
Plaintiff went to New York before the
note became due.
Attorney-Did you 90 to New York be-
fore or after the maturity of the note?
Plaintiff-Before the maturity of the
note.
Attorney-Were you not in Pittsburg
on the day your store was burned, which
was a week after the note became due?
Plaintif-Yes, sir.
The witness here became confused, and
the attorney again asked the question: did
you go to New York before the burning of
your store or afterward?"
Plaintiff say-I mean to say-I went
to New York after the burning of my store,
anu nOt DelOTe Luc VI thC hObC.
Attorney-Then you mean to say that
what you have testified previous to this is
untrue, and that you have told lie?
Plaintif-Yes, sir.
Attorney-Then you are a falsifer, and
you have not told the truth in the matter?
TOUGH ADMISSION.
The witness grew read, stammered several
times, and finally confessed that he had not
told the truth. At this there was ripple
of laughter from the audience.
Rev. DR.. Lindsay, pastor of the United
Presbyterian Church, was called to testify
for the plaintiff. In describing the location
of his church he also got very much mixed
up. Under the cross fire of the attorneys for
the defense he stammered and said his
church was at the corner Of Ferry street and
Second avenue.
The defense had rude map of McKees-
port, and tried to make the plaintiff show
where his store in that place was situated.
The plaintiff, when put upon the stand
the second time, was asked how he could be
certain that he had received S100 note, as
this transaction occurred about ten years
ago? The plaintiff replied that he could
remember such an occurrence, especially as
it was an unpaid note. This caused a smile
from the Court, and boisterous laughter from
the spectators. "
The trial consumed nearly the whole
and, at 4;30 o'clock, the court ad-
iourned to meet Saturday next. The
murder trial of the Commonwealth VS. White
will then be taken up. The trial is
to be the result of a supposed murder COM
mitted in this county in May, 1888. The
will be represented by
NJ essrs Lindsay, Ashworth and McMullin,
and Messrs. Ammon, Briel, Ritchie and
Schlegel will appear for the defense. 1t is
expected that Thomas NJ. Marshall, Esq,
will sit on the bench during the trial.
The following Saturday suit for loss of |
life against the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and
Chicago Railroad will be tried. The ac-
,ident is supposed to have occurred at
Bellevue.