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Show In Ull Pocket. Jeremiah Mason, the celebrated lawyer, possessed to a marked degree the Instinct for the weak point. He was once croas-examiniDg a witness who had previously testified lo haviug heard Mr. Mason's client make u certain statement, and it was upon the evidence of that statement that the adversary's case was based. Several questions were asked by Mr. Mason, Ma-son, all of which the witness answered with more or leas hesitation. Then he was asked to repeat once more the statement lie had heard made. Without hesitation he gave it, word for word, as he had given it iu the direct examination. A third time Mr. Mason led the witness around to this statement, and again it was repeated verbatim. Then, without warning, he walked to the witness stand and, pointing straight at the witness, said in his high, nasal, perfectly u it impassioned voice: "Let's see that paper you've got in your waistcoat pocket." Taken completely by surprise, the witness wit-ness mechanically took a paper from the pocket indicated and handed It to Mr. Mason. There was profound stillness in the courtroom court-room as the lawyer slowly read, in his cold, cairn voice, the exact words of the witness iu regard to the state me ut and called attention at-tention to the fact that they were in the handwriting of the lawyer on the other side. He then gathered up his papers with great deliberation, remarked that "there seemed to be no further need of his services," serv-ices," and left the court room. "Mr. Mason, how under the sun did you know that paper was there?" asked a brother lawyer. "Well," replied Mr. Mason, "I thought he gave that part of his testimony more as if he'd learned it than as if he'd heerd it, and I noticed every time he repeated it ho put his hiriid to his waistcoat pocket, and then let it fall again when he got through." It was a simple explanation, but a very j shrewd conclusion- youth's Companion. |
