The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-29
TWO PIECES OF REPORTING.
JUDGE SHAME THE VICTIM or
A STENOGRiPHER
his Testimony Mansled Wien lie First
Appeared In His own Defence Little
neld's Record breaking speech Well
Handled Four Hours. $1,000 Words.

WASHINGTON. Jan 2s-When Charles
+. Littleheld. Representative in Congress
from the Second district OF Maine, con-
cluded his argument in the House on Jan.
is against the adoption of the articles Of
Impeachment against Judge Swayue he
had spoken four hours and thirty-five
minutes and had thereby made one OF the
longest speeches delivered in that body in
many years.
1t was interrupted many times, by Bourke
Cochran, by Mr.. Lamar of Florida, by MIR.
Palmer OF Pennsylvania, and Of course
by that automatic interrupter of all House
debates, Mr.. Gaines Of Tennessee. as well
as by other members. In every case he had
replied to the question asked with clear
ness and verbal cayenne pepper, also with
argumentative horseradish and tabasco
sauce. Mr.. LittledeId ia LAWYER, trained
In the most merciless bar association OF all
New England, and his answers are not Of
the cushioned sort that turn away wrath.
But through all the questioning he had
kept rushing along the clear stream of his
lucid argument He talked just as he would
talk to jury that is TO say, he talked
in a conversational way. Every person
in the galleries could hear each word he
uttered, 80 powerful was his ringing voice.
One Of the remarkable things about his
long speech was the rapidity Of his utter
anoe. But within half an hour after he
had finished the official reporters delivered
10 him the typewriter manuscript of his
remarks, and he read It in time to revise
and have II printed in the Record on the
following morning.
The printed report shows that he spoke
an average of 1872 words a minute for the
entire four hours and thirty-hve minutes.
There were minutes in which. when he was
looking for quotations DC. his speed
dropped considerably. There were other
minutes in which, when engaged in vocal
fitting matches with Mr. Cochran and Mr.,
Palmer, he spoke more than 400 words a
minute.
The entire piece OF work made probably
a record case OF speed in speaking and re-
porting for 20 great a length Of time. Few
reporters in the country besides the highly
specialized House corps, which contains
some Of the best stenogpphers in the world,
could have made u clean verbatim report
OF this speech.
In violent contrast with the workmanlike
III WHICH llillfLtAQ was re-
ported was the butchery to which Judge
swayns was subjected when he appeared
for the first time in his own behalf before
the subcommittee OF the Judiciary Com
mittee OF the House which investigated
the charges made against him.
There are about six grades Of steno-
graphic skill among those who make their
living by writing shorthand The lowest
grade ia made up OF stenographers 10 whom
one has TO dictate in measured tones and
spell all the hard words.
Even among stenographers who can
honestly keep pace with a speaker without
emitting anything, there is great difference
in skill Some stenographers are able to
take verbatim the narratives OF witnesses
who describe a street car accident, bu. fail
utterly with the medical experts or on q
closely reasoned, abstruAe legal argument.