The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-10-05
Selrst 5Niseellany,
WOMAN AND LAW.

Hon. j. Y. Cofey, Judge of the probate
court of San Francisco, although, if We
mistake not, a bachelor, is as learned in
the ways of women as he is in the law. He
makes the remarkable statement that at
law women are ''unrcliablc suspicious, un-
reasonable and ungratcful" Like the
sound lawyer that he is. the able iurist
gives reasons for his opinions Here are
Judge Cotfey's words:
Women, if they think a thing ought to
be true, will declare it to he true 50 often
that they will end by believing it. No one
who has seen women in the witness box
will deny that there is some ground for
the charge. When woman is summoned
into court, she generally has made up her
mind how the case should 20, and all her
evidence will he shaped to conduce to that
end. In ordinary life she may be truthful
and honest; hut as a witness, she will, as
rule. suppress facts and distort her state
ments :" as to give them Il color to suit
her hopes.
That women are suspicious is merely
another way of sayin = that they are women.
They have been under subicction, for gen
erations. and all subject races are prone to
suspicion, says Judge Colfcy. Even in
our day, when woman is admitted to be
as good rs man, and Il little better, too,
men are constantly setting traps to en-
snare cGntidin" maidcnS and huXom ma
irons, and il bchooycS them to see that
there is not snap-catch to the boquet of
flowers or the box of bon-hons Bred in
such habits they carry their suspicious ma
ture into court. They imagine they see a
trap in the simplest question. They detect
trickery in the plaineSt form of pleading,
they suspect every one, from the judge on
not understand the motive of this question
or that objection. and they fancy there is
something concealed which bodies them no
good When Il lawyer spends day in
he has to devote an hour or two in his
Office to explaining why he did this and
did not do that \ male client would trust
that he had done what was right and
proper.
1T is almost impossible to make a woman
see that eases in court must be conducted
according to the rules of law. For good
and substantial reasons, the law of cvi-
dence forbd> 4 lawyer from putting GER
tain questions to Il witness.
When these questions would have eli:
cited answers more favorable to the
woman,S side she can not hc made to
understand why they were not put. She
suspects the judge of being prcjudiced
against her, ana suspects her own counsel
of weakness, for not sitting down on the
judge. She does not see why the code and
the statute. should stand in the way of her
getting Justice She is capable of bclicv-
ing that they were framed especially for
the purpose of wron@in@ her sex.
But it is in dealing with her own law
her most vivid colors. When a woman has
Il lawsuit She as Il rule, mentally selects Il
LAWYER to conhuct her case If, on apply
inc to him. she finds, as She often does,
entS. and he SAYS that he is so really over
whcmed with work that he is taking no
new cases, She becomes more convinced
than ever that he Is the only lawyer to
whom She cal con!idc her interests. and
she half suspects that his reluctance to act
for her is part of 4 conspiracy against her
rights. She insists implorcs, hcsccchcS,
cntrcats. with tears and >obS, and, in the
From that hour his pcac" of mind is at an
end She is AT his office daily and hourly.
She insists ON confdin@ in him matters
which have no hearing on the case. She
puts hypothetical questions to him out of
his wits She oycrWhclms him with sug
gcstons and objections to the course he
proposes to pursue. She lntcrfcrcS with
him in court and almost takes the case
and is either won or lost. If ii is won She
hclicvcS that il is won ON its intrinsic mcr-
its, in spite of his bIUnucring. If it is lost,
it is lost through his mismanagcmcnt.
Whichever happens, She is in no mind
to pay him his fee. 1t is only by threatening
her with legal proceedings that he can col
lcct his costs and hnnorarium. Home
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