The Irish standard., 1900-09-01
THE LATE CHIEF JUSTICE.
How He Conducted the :..case....of ithe
Parnell Commission.

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the famous Parnell case against the
London Times has the following to say
of Lord Charles Russell in the Dublin
Freeman's Journal:
Numerous recol1ectlons OF Lord Rus
sell of Killowen as he was during the
Parnel commission will occur to
those who were present when the IA.
nous inquiry was in progress. He ap-
peared when most successful to be
| unaware that he had scored triumph,
when after Il brief discrimination
he had utterly discredited a witness.
No sign of satisfaction passed over his
face when he raised legal objection
which was ruled in his favor, and to
the passing success of the moment he
was absolutely unconscious. The enc.
was what he looked to, and no sud,
den turn in the events had for him a
personal interest, intent, as he was, on
every point. This strange quiet and
confidence of manner made him by far
the most remarkable figure in the
court. He appeared to stand up like
Norman tower, Indifferent of attack,
and facing four square sides to the
storms. This attitude of power lost
nothing because of the ready, genial
Irish wit, which he sometimes mingled
with his intleXible manner.
With the three judges he had many
ges-at-arms, in which he never
for a moment forgot that it was his
| right to insist against the prerogative
| of the bench in the interests of the
| cause which he advocated. OF all
| lawyers he was the most terse, and his
| cross-eNamilltiOn was so direct that
| even in this discursive inquiry it al
lowed no opportunity for the witness
| for eXtraneous explanations. Now and
tagain he paused as he fixed his glass
es, but it did not appear as if any
thing more was passing through his
mind than certain amount of refec.
ton on the frame of mind which had
actuated Il witness in making a par
ticular answer. He waited most pa
tiently for reply, and when an an,
swer was given not relevant to the
question asked, ne said, in a most
| good-tempered manner, "Well, we'll;
but what 1 wanted to know was-.''
Witnesses treated in such a confiden-
tial and friendly way as rule ceased
to fence. Then was the moment when
the advantage was followed up with
lightning-lille rapidity, yet without
suggesting that the ross-examination
was in the slightest degree in n hurry
So mastcrful was his manner that the
court remained silent, and without &
throb the witness left the stand I'M
conscious whether he had scored fol
the Times or not, as Sir Charles Rus
sell scrubbed n few notes on the bach
of his brief, or turned to make sug
gestion to his colleagues around him
The one strange effect of his work was
that it appeared to be without effort
it was. indeed, an exhibition of thai
art Which conceals art. A few time.
he paused to make what was appar
emily an Involuntary description of the
status of the witness he was about tt
examine: then, although always com
plimentary, the impression was con
veyed that he did not know he was
giving articulate vent to the feelings
which We're passing through his mind
The only time when he displayed ar
inclination. to be impatient was wher
he had already refused suggestions
either from counsel or from the clients
whom he represented. Sir George
Lewis, who sat for great part Of the
time on the seat Immediately in front
of Sir Charles, never ventured on q
suggestion. for he knew too we'll the
moods Of the great advocate; but Mr.
Parnell several times pressed that par.
ticular questions should be put. This
was at the early stage of the commits
sion, and on each occasion Sir Charles
declined. sometimes with a gesture of
dissent, and sometimes with verbal
protest, emphatic and direct. At one
period Sir Charles insisted that an
article by the late Mr.. Matthew Har-
ris, NJ. T., should be read, in which
outrages were denounced with great
power and in language which wanted
nothing in literary skill. When this
had been read, Sir Charles Russell
turned and looked at the three judges,
and said that it had been written in a
country town in Ireland by a man who
had never the opportunity Of higher
education, and the effect was strange
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