The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-14
WITNESSES AT SCHOOL.
Courts for the Purpose of Instructing
People in Leg Procedure.
A. No. vnrIr Journal

People in Leg % Procedure
From the New York Journal.
A school for instructing witnesses IN
the art of giving testimony in court Is
at present in successful operation IN
New York. Every detail Of court trials
is carefully rehearsrd in this novel IN
stitution. and witnesses are fitted to ap-
pear at trials 10y experienced instruct
ors for so much per hour. This school
Is not intended to train witnesses TO
give manufactured evidence. The IN
struction given is strictly lawful. IL Is
principally intended for very green wit
nesses who are not familiar with court
procedure. An experienced lawyer stu
dies the case which is to be presented,
and teaches his strange pupil the ways
of lawyers and fits him as wen as pos
sible to repeat il without the slightest
contradiction under the sharpest cross
examination.
This novel court room is furnished as
nearly as possible in the same way as
the ordinary courts. The resemblance
is carried out in almost every detail.
The object of all is to make the witness
under instruction so familiar with the
ARRANGEMENTS of the bar that he viii
feel perfectly at home in court and very
much at his ease. This sham court room
/ is, of course, rather smaller than its
| original in the criminal courts building
| The green witness, who Is to be IN
structed in the mysteries of the court
/ is placed first in chair on an eleNat-
| ed stand, exactly as he sits In court
| A row of chairs Is placed on his LETT
| hand to represent the wise jury. The
| would-be witness sits partly facing the
! chairs and while under examination IS
very careful to speak SO that the chairs
| may not lose a single word he says.
The witness learns how to treat the
! straight row Of chairs in a courteous
I q -, 10 act a
! manner of turning to this mute jury
| at critical points, in order to impress
| them with some particular point OF ms
testimony. As he learns in measure
how to scan the faces of his jury and
detect signs of approval or contempt
To the right of the witness stand is the
Judges throne. The witness has also
considerable to gain from the company
of this empty seat Throughout his tes'
timony he is ware that a searching
pair of eyes are directed upon hin
from the side. He learns how TO turn
to the judge when necessary TO protect
him against and improper question
from the opposing counsel, or wheT
any question is put by the judge tn
witness will be so familiar with thi
sham Judge that there will be no dan
| ger OF his becoming at all ratified.
one OF the most important lesson
the empty jury bench and the JudGa
| chair nave 10 tedCh Is the net INA
= the witness is completely surrounde,
: by people who are watching him Yer,
closely. The empty chairs. Therefore
teach him TO be reserved and digniiie
? throughout the trial. Besides this set
r ting. which is always carefully arrang
f; ed. the miniature court is also provide
= with a bar exactly like the one whic
1 Z separates the witness from his examin
= er and cross-eXaminer.
e The witnesses who take advantage q
q this course Of instruction are usual
: those who are summoned TO testify ]
e accident cases or suits for damage
: against railroads. Lawyers have fOun
Y the instructions of the utmost impOr
h ance for such witnesses. 1t general
r happens that in these trials the lawyer
e who conduct the cross-examination al
n employed by rich corporations and al
Y the shrewdest men 10 be found. tt
h discrimination In such cases
= therefore. very trying to the witnes
r II also often happens that thes" wi
= nasses are ignorant people who ha'
a never been in court in their lives ar
Ie easily confused by clever cross-eNaH
81 D nation.