The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-06-18


1t was a dingy, sawdust-strewn
loft used us a court house in one Of
our new counties. that the case was
tried
"At a country dance. a lovely
young girl came to her brother and
told him that young man there had
been very rude to her; he sought the
offender demanded an apology; and
in the quarrel which ensued, was
mortally shot. He was laid on a bed
and while his life was swiftly ebbing
away from the cruel wound, the
sweetheart kneeling by helping to
stay the tide. the slayer who at first
thought that in the confusion, no one
was certain who did the shooting, and
then, therefore, came into the room
and asked who shot the dying man;
the tortured girl rising and pointing
her finger at him, over the quivering,
bleeding body. said, you killed him."
'Afterwards he was forced to ad-
NIT the killing, and set up self-de-
Tense 1t was a case of reversal of
the usual case of the sO-callcd un-
written law. An array of able coun-
sci represented him, all of whom ac-
quilted themselves with great credit,
and made the speeches.. The lawyer
to whom ! am especially referring
now, however, was retained for the
prosecution. He commenced to ad-
dress the jury about dark; the wealth.
er was hot, and the place crowded to
suffocation, and yet everyone, man
and women there present, sat or stood
huddled, spell-bOund for nearly three
hours while this mastery speaker
trod the crumpled sawdust -strewn
floor before the jury, overwhelming
them with such a flow of argument
and pathOs as / do not believe was
ever surpassed anywhere at any time.
THE prisoner sat shrinking and
crushed under it. That scene at the
death bed was woven in and out, iter-
ated and reiterated. At the climax of
every telling point the orator would
advance near the prisoner. and point
ing to his covering form, say to the
jury, each time in some varying form,
and sometimes almost in whisper
and again in almost stentorial tones:
"And, gentlemen whatever you may
do with him, even If you acquit him
and let him go, his punishment will
have been achieved; his life will new
er again be a tranquil one-there will
be coming to him everywhere and in
the stilest watches of the dismal
night, the vision of that beautiful
her dying lover pointing her aveng-
ing finger at him, and saying in vi
brant tones, You killed him. you
killed him. you killed him."
You could see that the jury was
absolutely carried away, I myself was
as though under a magic spell l did
not notice the lapse of time, until, fl
nally, amidst a pause of breathless
intensity, / realized that the spell
must be broken, and, though reluct-
antly, 1 had the speaker cease, and
recess taken before / would send the
jury out with the case; feeling sure
that they would otherwise act regard
less of the evidence under the i'm
pulse of the orator"
Judge Memminger cited several
other interesting instances which had
come under his observation to show
that oratory in the court room was
not on the wane and had not outliv-
ed it's day.
The remainder of Judge Memming-
er's address was in the nature of
practical and wholesome advice to the
members of the senior law class. He
warned them of the danger of failing
to use all the available testimony in
4 case and advised them never to at
tempt to get in incompetent testimony
or to ask improper questions, even if
the court eVinced a disposition to rule
them in.
"Cndoubtedly the law school af-
tords the best opportunity for train
ing to enter the bar. The old style of
studying in an Office under some
prominent lawyer has gone out Of
vogue. The busy lawyer of today has
no time to devote to personal SUPER
vision over the studies Of his pupil.
and no special training along those
lines. In the law school YOU have the
trained teacher, and the spirit of en-
ulation and discussion among the stu
dents.
And then say use your mind in