A CLEVER LAWYER

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 52, 30 December 1909, Page 2078

A CLEVER LAWYER

I An! Irish-American lawyer, Jeremiah Mason, possessed |to a marked degree^ 4he,ins^inc^, for finding weak point gin an opponent's 1 or' testimony."' He was onc| Icross-exaHjinittg na witness mho: had^pEeviouslj^ testified tfc |having|heard Mason's c c]ientniake aMsertain^talt^me'nt, an 3 |so important \^as this statement that the adversary's casfe iwas based om.H&altiiie^ri'l fpLSmuth* ?^ il > * | Several questions Maspn, all of whici |the witness answerea'with'nYofe'4dr J less hesitation. The& Ihe was asked to repeat^once^mjore^the statement Ihe ha| Sheard made. " Without nTesitatioh' he gave it word for |word as he had given it in the direct examination^ A g-third time Mason Jle^jthe i;witneesir-rQund ;to.t^i|' statement land again it was "repeated "Verba/tirriL '^ ' " l » I Then, without wanning, che .Wjalked^.to the witness stand| land, pointing straight at the witness, said in a perfectly |unimpassionedUv'6ice'i.' 'Xet's .see that paper you have in |your waistcoat pocket.' _ | I Taken completely by surprise, the.witness, mechanically |took a paper^'froinitlie'packet" Sndifeated, and' handed it to lawyer. „ ." \ » | There was profound I 'silence-i^ the courtroom as +hfe llawyer'slowly read, in a cold, calm voice, the exact wordp 4 o-f-the^witness -in '-regard. to~the-statement r -and, called..attenItian to the Jact that they wer.e c? jn the handwriting of counv ifurlner ixelaf orpins sefvices,"*"aii^d d^pEar^ed"fr6nii'''iEbe"^Deouiii | room. | r I Mason was ask^^Jgp^vtoe^i>kue^th«t the paper was in I the witnesses's pocket.* 1" " -•"**"-" -"-—-■• | I ' Weiy§o>qp|ain|d that h% agave that part"of "his 1 testimony Wo're'a'ff rf hei_d^learned ft i&«ai«aA«i^b^kaiU]he^Ua^ ; each repetition of his testimony he put nis hand to nis , --vaistiiTmt'TyoTskeir^atid-theTi^et'^it'-fa through.' Needless^to »the- adversa.rysls» 3fiase^vas- settled '-by,--,