Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1908-04-03

BEWARE A
WOMAN ON
WITNESS STAND
Oath Means Nothing; IT'S Love
or Vengeance, Says Former
Congressman Lewis-"0ALa-
dies" Especially DANGEROUS to
lawyers" Women Are Ex-
pected to cajole and Deceive
to Gain Their Ends" Says
Fair One.

coast, look the breath away from TWO
hundred students of the Northwest
ern University Law School, writes
the Chicago correspondent of the
New York World.
"A woman always comes to testi-
fly as a witness for one of two rea-
sons" he sad, either she comes
through a sense of affection or duty
to those whom she loves or she comes
TO satisfy what she regards as per-
fectly legitimate feeling of resent
ment.
IF it is the first of these she will
come through fire and water to testify
and she will see things as her friend
views them. Sincerely and earnestly
she will testify that things are as she
thinks they ought to be and you may
cross-examine until you have exhaust
ed the vocabulary and you will get
nothing from her but her ideas or
what they ought to be. A woman
has no idea of the sanctitv At an oatn
and a woman will repeat when on
oath anything which she will say
when not on oath.
Let Her Go-Quickly.
eff she comes as your witness, i'm.
PEELED by feeling of resentment, be
careful not to let her tell why she
came. Get your main point out OF
her as expeditiously as possible and
let her go. Do not branch of into
collateral matters or she will take the
first opportunity to vindicate herself
for appearing by telling the grudgs
she has against the defendant.
"On the other hand II you are
cross-examining her, be careful not
to let her state the grievance that
has brought her in as a witness
against your client, unless you are
sure OF what 1t is, for, no matter
what a women does, II 1t be An act
impelled by natural and legitimate
affection, the world will ever forgive
her."
Above all, remember that woman
is a strange. animal and never ques-
ton her as to her age. Let the
cross-examiner do that and make an
enemy for life.
Much tact as you win require In
dealing with ordinary women, 1t Is
nothing to the tact necessary to sue
cessfuuy cope with old women. Old
ladies are dangerous on the witness
stand; they destroy you. They have
tact themselves and much experience,
and often they are sharper than you
are. There is no limit to the damage
a vindictive old lady can do. Let
me illustrate:
81 was defending personal injury
case in which the plaintiff called as
a witness a Miss Quinn and we held
the following dialogue:
"'Your name is Miss Quinn, be.
lever
"Miss Quinn
"Did understand you to say that
i you were near the track?
al don't know what you under
stood. You may be deaf for all !
know
"'were you near the track?'
Yes
"'You say that you stood so close
to the track that the train shaved
your dress as 1t rushed past?'
"'Yes.'
at you saw it coming why did
you stand so close to the track that
1t shaved your dress?
l. why don't you shave your whis
kers?
you see, gentlemen, that I can
not emphasize too much the value o.
exercise of Difference at all times
and under all circumstances to ole
ladies.
"Once in a personal damage case
bright young woman stenographel
for the plaintiff persisted in declar
ing that she thought this happened
and she thought that was true. Final
ly l and the opposing attorney told
her she would have to stop thinking
in her testimony.
"T can't talk without thinking,
she said; I'm not lawyer.
| Mans Fault, Say the Women.
The women are on Col. Lewis's
trail. Mrs. ]. F. Thompson. president
of the Social Economics Club, said
"Did Col Lewis ever have a moth
er or sister that he should insult
them this way?"
Catherine Waugh McCulloch, Evans
toms woman justice Of the peace, said
my opinion is that women are al
truthful as men. The Colonel onl,
expresses the views held by men II
the past. Married women In particu
lar have been held incompetent a
witnesses when their husbands ar,
prosecuted. II a woman, married o
otherwise, a witness or not, shoul
lie, 1t Is a direct result Of dependence
political disenfranchisement and Il
gal degradation. Women have bee
expected to cajole, deceive, wheedl
and flatter men to get out OF then
that which should have been freel
yielded them as their right"
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