The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-21

SCI LEM BER Il, 1890.
els there any particular place in the store
| you usually occupy"
~ am always in front of the store when not
| behind the coun ter"
"From your position can you look out and
see ssy who Il. Is Passing?"
ais the door kept open or closed?'
alt is always open in the day time."
"Does 1t open inside or outsider"
"Inside'
it?''
at looks very similar to the one worn by the
defendant that morning."
"And this hat. hand your"
"That is like the hat he wore?"
"What is the width of your door?"
ABOUT two feet"
Mr.. Dickinson then began the cross-ex-
animation.
care there any marks on that ring by which
you can identity it?"
81 know that is the ring because there was
never such ring in my store before"
Dickinson-I ask that be stricken out as not
responsive to the question.
The court-That may be stricken out. You
must answer the question, Mr.. Oppenheimer
WitneSS-There is no mark on it, but re-
member it because of its peculiar make.
"Have you never seen one s1milarY
"No, sir"
"Whv?"
"There was never one brought to my store
| like it,"
"Then you have never seen rings only in
your store?"
mot ring like that"
GLOW long have you been in the business?"
"About seven years."
"What was your business before you became
pawnbrokerw
81 kept an employment-bureau on Geary
street"
"Were you ever engaged in the cigar business
as manufacturer or retailer?"
mo, sir"
"Now. you have seen great deal of
jewelry?"
"And yet you never saw ring like this be-
fore?"
''No, sir"
"What is that ring WORTH"
"Not much.''
care they not manufactured in quantities.
eyes, sir; suppose So"
"And why do you suppose so?"
because it is not handmade ring"
"They are made by machinery"
eyes sr?"
"And are not rings of that kind turned out
by the dozen and CROSSE"
81 suppose So"
"And you never saw a ring like it before?'
mo, SIR"
GLOW do you fix the dates between which
this occurrence took placer"
"Well, it was my birthday on the 9th. re-
member it by that"
"The 9Th was also my birthday. Was it be-
fore the Sth?"
81 rather think So"
''Now, was it ON the 7th?'
al can't remember"
"On the 6th?"
'I can't remember
"On the 5th?"
'I can't remember"
"Well you say you saw this ringT
al saw the ring"
"What is the name of the book you were
reading?"
at was novel; I don't remember; read so
many novels"
yrrr fasr ,y@1a @f
DicKinson's cross-eXamination, not only of
this witness, but of most of the others.
This stretches out the proceedings good
deal and gives employment to the stem
ographers, but it hardly makes interesting
reading, and it rather bores the audience.
But Mr.. Dickinson goes on, oblivious to
all. He wanted to know the width of the
store. 1t is eight or ten feet. He got the
witness to say that the book he was read
ing was probably that of Russian poet,
whose name he could not translate
that the witness did not know a
man named Phillips; that he had
not conversed with any one about
his testimony since the preliminary ex-
animation; that he had met Detective Sey-
mour once or twice; that he had received
letter promising him $500 if he would be
uncertain about his Identification of Dur
rant; that he had visited the City Hall
two or three times; that his neighbor, the
barber, subscribed for THE CALL, and his
neighbor, the shooting-gallery man, took
| the Chronicle, and that he read the Ex-
aminer at the grocery-store on the corner
AT this last point Mr.. Dickinson offered
in evidence copy of the Examiner in
which were published the pictures of the
rings of Blanche Lamont. Under direc
ton of the court the picture was cut out
and pasted on a cardboard, and then ad
mitted as evidence.
Had you seen the defendants picture in the
paper?" asked Mr.. Dickinson, taking a new
tack.
Eyes, SIR"
"Did yosg, read that he wore an overcoat and
mo, sir; don't think that did"
when you read about the rings what did
II had previously talked to my wife about ii. u
"Did you read about the Coroner's inquest?''
81 knew it was going on, but did not read
| the testimony"
"To whom next did you speak aboutit9"
"To the officer on the beat. do not know
| his name"
"Was this after the inquest?"
eyes, sir; I could not say how long after"
! "What did you say to the oficer?"
| al told him to tell Detective Gibson to come
and see me- for thought had seen the ring
published in the paper before"
.'Did Detective Gibson come to see your"
"No, SIR"
There was lull in the proceedings for a
| moment. Then Mr.. Dickinson asked the
| witness what time it was by his watch.
| Witness put his watch rather close to
his face in answering the question.
"Let me see the dial of that watch" said
Dickinson. He looked at it and then said ::
ait is rather plain dial, isn't it?"
eyes, sir.'
''Do you always have to put your watch to
your eyes in that manner"
"No, sir"
"why did you do it thenq
at is merely habit"
care you not nearsightedW
"Not very"
81 ask that the dial of that watch be shown
to the jury"
The court-Oh, 1 think that is unnecessary.
You may test his eyesight in other ways.
But Mr.. Dickinson did not care to con-
tinue the test. The witness certainly had
not the manner of a near-sighted man.
Perhaps it would not have been judicious
to press the matter any further.
Presently the astute attorney from