Page:The Art of Cross-Examination.djvu/234

 Counsel (walking forward and pointing excitedly at the witness). "Although you had seen a man choked to death with a sheet on Wednesday night, you knew on Friday morning that there was nothing you could write about?"

Witness (hesitating). "I didn't know they had killed the man."

Counsel. "Although you had seen the patient fall unconscious several times to the floor after having been choked with the sheet twisted around his neck, you knew there was nothing to write about?"

Witness. "I knew it was my duty to go and see the charity commissioner and tell him about that."

Counsel. "But you were a newspaper reporter in the asylum, for the purpose of writing up an article. Do you want to take back what you said a moment ago—that you knew there was nothing to write about?"

Witness. "Certainly not. I did not know the man was dead."

Counsel. "Did you not testify that the morning after you had seen the patient choked into unconsciousness, you heard the nurse call up the morgue to inquire if the autopsy had been made?"

Witness (sheepishly.) "Well, the story that I had the contract for with the Herald was cancelled."

Counsel. "Is it not a fact that within four hours of the time you were finally discharged from the hospital on Saturday afternoon, you read the newspaper account of