The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1911-10-13
A COLORED
WITNESS
BY F. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

two Plantations. lie uelSnDOr. clidS
Green, a southprnized Yankee. used
offensive language to the colonel. who
kicked him out of his house. Green
sued him for assault. and one of the
defendants slaves, Mark Antony by
name, having seen the fracas. was the
principal witness. He was a sleepy
looking old chap, and the lawyers
feared that he did not have intelligence
sufficient to give an account of what
he had seen. The lawyer for the de-
Tense, not wishing to draw out all the
darby had to tell, asked him but a few
questions, then turned him over to the
counsel for the plaintiff.
MARK Antony" said the lawyer. do
you know what it is to state anything
before this court that is not true or to
keep back anything that you know?"
do l know dat?''
Yes. Do you understand what ii
means, and the punishment"
81 reckon dat would mean in de
- L
war made O. cheese when l know'd il
war made O. brass. And de second
part would be de Same'S if | sOr Mis-
tab Green draw Il knife on my mars
and didn't say nothin' at all about it, >
A smile passed over the faces OF the
judge. the Jury and the spectators
The lawyer showed embarrassment.
do you know the punishment at
tached to perjury"
Perjury? Is dat if Mistah Green
backyard Cunnel Plead behind bis
back
Another ripple of smiles passed
through the courtroom.
NO. Perjury is telling an untrutl
ard not telling all You know after be
ing sworn. State what you saw OF
June 16 last at Colonel Picard's home
Mark" the defendant spoke up
"tell it all. I'm not ashamed of what
l did. Don't keep anything back"
Thus treasured. Mark gave an &c
count of the fray.
We'll, sab. on dat afternoon Nistat
Green he come to de plantation"-
What plantatiOnY'
lou plantation. of co'se. Yo' DOM
suppose Cunnel Plead would go an!
wha' to meet a specamen 90 de pO
white trash? MiGtah Green he come
TO de plantation. and l was waitin' a
de do with de bosses and carriage Il
drive de cunnel out TO de mawnin
inspection. MiStah Green and de Gun
mel was in de cunnel's offiis right of
de gallery and de winder war up.
hearn 'em tallin'.
''MiStah Green war sayin' to de Gun
mel dat de line between de plantation:
run right through de cunners gya'dins
and de cunnel say .Yo' mistaken, sab
de bOund'ry line war laid down by d.
survey, sab, and l am sho' it run
through yO' gya'ding.' Den Mistal
Green say, 'Yo' lie. Cunnel Pica'd'"
This is what you heard. Now tel
the jury what you saw"
What | sor? Why, when de pc
white man told one Of de fus' genie
men oh de souf dat he lied, wha' 20
spec 1 sor?"
Go on"
Il sor de po' white man comm fri
de do like de ball comm out O. d,
cannon"
Did you see Colonel Picard ejec
himT'
Il dom know wha' dat means. bu
1 didn't see it,
Didn't see Picard push. shove O.
kick Green out of the door"
mo, sab; didn't see dat"
where was Colonel Picard wheI
Mr.. Green came through the doorf"
Don't know. sab"
Didn't you see him or any part o
him.?
'No, sah."
"What did you see besides. Mr.
Green"
"Nottin' but boot"
"Ohp tan embarrassed smile.
well, suppose you tell the jury wher,
that boot was with reference to Mr.
Green"
"Mistah Green was settin' on it."
Sitting on it?"
"Yes, sab; he was settin' on it in d,
air"
do you mean to say you don't know
to whom the boot belonged"
Don't know nottin' bout dat, s3h.'
'Tell the jury how it was that yol
could see the boot. yet could not Sc,
the owner"
"Well. sab. de steps leadin' down t,
de driveway are on de side OBJ de gal
lery. was lookin' sideways. I couldn'
see whose foot dat boot was on wild
out lookin' froo de side o. de house."
The counsel for the plaintiff gave NJ
trying to identify the assaulter b.
means of Mark Antony and rested hi
case. The defendants counsel merel!
stated that. while it had been proves
that an assault on the person of Greer
had been committed. no proof had beer
adduced that his client had made tn,
assault
The judge instructed the jury that i
| they considered that it had beef
proved that Picard assaulted Greer
they were to find for the plaintiff; i
not, for they defendant. They fount
for the defendant.
"Yo' honah," said Colonel Picard
will yo' be good enough, sab, to per
nit me TO pay the costs in this cas-
and fine of $40? l regya'd it cheaI
price to pay TO- the privilege Of havin:
kicked the plaintiff out of my house.
"The case is closed" replied th'
judge.
Cause For Speed.
"Mr. BuyZen is at the edge of tow
with some gear trouble" says the as