Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-23
FORENSIC ACUTENESS.

IN no way can barristers better display
their acuteness than by seeing at glance
the character of the witnesses they are
about to examine and by treating them &C
cordingly. Erskine was famous at this. In
a case in which he was engaged, a CONNER
cial traveller came into the witness box
dressed in tho height of fashion, and wear
ing a starched white necktie folded in the
"Brummel fold" In an instant. says q
writer in the London Illustrated Ne,os,
Erslzine knew his man, though he had never
seen him before, and said to him, with an
air of careless amusement, "You were born
and bred in Manchester, perceivef" Greatly
astonished at this opening remark, the man
admitted that he was. Exactly" observed
the great cross-examiner, in converse
tional tone, "I knew it from the absurd tie
of your neck-cloth." The roars of laughter
coming from every person in court, with
the single exception of the unfortunate wit
ness-which followed this rejoinder COM
pletely effected Erskine's purpose, which
was to put the witness in q state Of agitation
and confusion before touching on the facts
concerning which he had come to give evi.
dence.
EQUALLY effective was the sharp ques-
tion put quickly by the same lawyer to the
witness who, in an action for payment of q
tailor's bill, swore that q certain dresscoat
was badly made, one of the sleeves being
longer than the other. "You WILL" raid
Erskine, slowly, having risen to cross-exam-
ine. "swear-that one Of the sleeves was
fash of indignation. sThen, sir, / am to
understand that you positively deny that
one of the sleeves was shorter than the
other?" Startled in to a selfcontradiction by
the suddenness and inIpetuosity of this
thrust, the witness said: 81 do deny it"
81 Id wv1fn
laughter died away. "Thank you, sir; don't
want to trouble you with another question" !"
SOMETIMES witnesses have been so irri-
tated by barristers that they have tried to
revenge themselves, but they have seldom
been able to cope with the acuteness of
their tormentors. In trial at York that
had arisen from a horserace it was stated in
evidence that one of the conditions of the
race required that 'each horse should be
ridden by gentleman" The race having
been run, the holders refused to pay the
stakes to the winner on the ground that he
was not a gentleman; whereupon the eques-
trian whose gentility was thus called in
question brought an action for the money.
After humorous inquiry, which terminated
challenged the defendants counsel, Messrs.
Scott and Law, for maintaining that he was
no gentleman; to which invitation the chal-
fighting one who had been found no gentle
man by the solemn verdict of - Of his coun-
trymen."
WE used to read of the pistol and bowie
knife being mentioned by barristers in the
far West of America to impress the minds of
foremen of juries, and it is related that
at the bar OF one OF our Australian
colonies a barrister concluded his speech
thus: CAT great length, gentlemen of the
Jury, have stated the reasons which cause
me to believe in the prisoners innocence
and to regard him rs a personal friend.
Gentlemen, the prisoner in the dock is my
vero dear personal friend, and if he falls by
your hands 1 will avenge his honor and my
loss As a gentleman of an ould Irish family,
who can snuff candles with O revolver at IL
PAGES, 1 call upon you to place my friend
right in the eyes of society. 1 leave the
case in your hands, feeling satisfied that you
will not accuse me of employing tho
language of menace when I have done no
more than hint at some of the natural conse-
quences of a verdict adverse to my conscien-
tious opinion"