Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-01-21


cover cross, generally cut out 81 white
paper and pasted on. smeumes a stuel-
fix Is placed upon Il. which the witness,
after the oath Is recited. kisses when
there Is any suspicion In the mind Of me
president Of the court marital OF IN tnas
Of any Of It's members The witness, u
a Roman Catholic, after kissing me cross
Is frequently directed to cross hiipsei.
For convenience the oaths 70 De nl-
ministered by the president OF me court
to the judge advocate Of the court and TO
the witnesses that are called before II 10
give testimony are often written out on
paper and pasted on one Of tue covers OF
the Bible, so as to be nj hand 10 refresh
the memory of him whose duty II IL 10
adminlster the oaths.
The Hebrews are customarily sworn by
the i've books OF Moses and the great
God OF Israel, that the evidence they
give shall be the truth, the whole truth
and nothing but the truth. Frequently,
however, there is no departure in tho
methods used with this race from that
which ordinarily obtains.
The statutes In the time Of George w.
King Of England. contain several sections
In relation to the administration OF the
oath IN various cases, and among them
nre one or two referring 10 the Quakers
rs well as to the MOravihna. These stat
utes have been embraced by our own
methods Of procedure, and they allow
people OF the scots named solemnly, sin
cere,y and truly 70 declare aud Affirm
that the evidence which they give shall
be the truth, the whole truth, and 50
forth
The Scotch coycnauters have always
held that holding up the right hand il
sufficiently binding consequently they
do not think 1t at all necessary either 10
place tho hand upon the Bible or TO kiss
the holy book.
Nlohamedans think the oath only posi-
lively binding when they are sworn upon
the koran, while the Hindoo prefers to
swear By touching with his hand the foot
Of q Bu Imam.
IN this country the Chinese do not in
slst on the same methods that were once
in force. Very likely the chlnaware deal
ems wish they did, as they are 20 much
more numerous than whom the following
was their custom; In England, at the
Old Bailey prison, n Chinaman WIS pre-
senied as q witness IN an important case,
and for some time the nature Of an oath
and al that II implied could not be inn
pressed upon him. Neither could the nu-
thoriiic5 quite mako out just what the
Monaghan did consider binding. Finally,
through the aid Of nn Interpreter, II was
decided TO break saucer over the head
| Of the proposed witness. when this was
done the Chnuman appealed TO the SUI
preme Being whom ne vorshipcd. pray
! ing that his own body might be broken
| into ~ many pieces us the Gnuccr II the
| iestimonry he was about TO give should
not be- the entire truth.
As a general things In courls martial
hold In foreign waters, whore native wit
uesses are required 10 give evidence, aud
| particularly where such persons are moi
| Of the Christian faith. care Is taken Ia
| ascertain aud adopt the ceremony Of the
| religions Of the witnesses respectively
| u is also considered wise plan. e-pec,
| inlly n Important cases Tint a priest oil
| the creed Of the witness bo present wher
the oath Is administered in order to Civ,
IL greater force aud saucity.