The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-06-18
THE STUDY OF MANNERIsMs
A Lawyer Tells How He Won a Case by
Forecasting His Opponents.


Forecasting His Opponents.
The elderly lawyer was giving the
young one some advice.
"Of course" he said, good logical
argument is all well enough, but some
times it won't do with a jury, as well as
bit of humor, and, as a last resort,
young man, touch of burlesque beats
everything. A little burlesque of your
opponents mannerisms may ruin his
entire. speech and give you a victory.
''What if he hasn't any, did you say?
But he has. There isn't man alive who
speaks frequently in public who hasn't
mannerisms. He may not know it
probably he doesn't-but he has them.
didn't know 1 had any until woke
up one morning and found some of them
in print. Then l recognized them.
know another lawyer who got up to
find his handling of a pencil during a
speech described. It was mannerism,
and he recognized it.
Now, young man, if a reporter can
find all these things, why can't a law
yer? That's the way l figured it, and
when l was pitted against good strong
lawyer next l studied him. He didn't
have any noticeable nannerisms, but he
did have peculiar way of emphasizing
his points with the index finger of his
right hand You would never notice it
unless your attention was called to it.
Then you wouldn't notice anything else.
The right hand raised, and with the in
dex finger moving slowly backward and
forward, meant strong point the index
finger pointed at the jury-box meant
stronger point, and the index finger of
the right hand crossed over the index
finger of the left meant "a clincher'
simple, wasn't it?. But, young man,
| those three gestures won me my case
He had the closing argument and 1 was
| afraid of him. | couldn't anticipate his
points, but l could his gestures. / told
| the jury that l was afraid of him; that
he was powerful speaker and could
sway men. Then illustrated his ges-
lures and described the Importance of
each. 1 told the jury to look out espec-
tally for him when he crossed his fingers,
as he was trying to exercise the evil
spirits within him. A poor joke, but
the jury laughed. said that when he
crossed his fingers the third time the
climax of his speech would be reached
well, he started in with the deter
mination that he would not use any Of
| those gestures or mannerisms, and it
| became painfully apparent in the course
of the first five minutes that he was
thinking more of his gestures than he
was of his argument. He was strug-
Cling against habit, and the jury be-
came interested in the struggle.
Then he got mad, warmed up to his
| subject, and the first thing he knew he
had used one of the gestures l had de-
scribed. The jurymen grinned. A mo-
| ment later he had crossed his index
fingers and every jurymen counted
Once You could see their lips move
He pulled those fingers apart as though
each had struck a hot iron.
"Well, when he finished he had made
the poorest speech of his life, was per-
spring as though he had run a foot
race, and the jury was trying to keep
from laughing outright. Idon't believe
it had heard word of his argument,
but it had followed every gesture.
by the way, he did cross his fingers
! just three times in the course of the
speech as had prophesied. The third
time he got mad and cut his talk short.
1t was two months before he forgave
me.
| but l won the case Wherefore /
say, young man, study your opponents
mannerisms. 1t may be of advantage
to you. Chicago Tribune.