Page:The World's Most Famous Court Trial - 1925.djvu/20

16 Q—Are you related by blood or marriage to Walter White, the prosecutor, or John T. Scopes, the defendant?

A—No, sir.

Q—Have you formed or expressed an opinion as to the guilt or innocence of this defendant?

A—Well, I have to a certain extent.

Q—Have you talked to any witness, Mr. Taylor?

A—No, sir; I have not talked to any witness.

Q—Have you talked to any person who professed to know the facts?

A—Yes, I was present during part of the preliminary, I heard a part of the lawyer's talk. I never heard any of the evidence.

Q—You heard some of the argument in the preliminary?

A—Yes, sir.

Q—Mr. Taylor, here is the important thing I am going to ask you, could you wholly disregard any impression that you might have as to his guilt or innocence, and go into the jury box and try this case wholly on the law and the evidence?

A—Yes, I think I can.

Q—And any impression that you have now, would it have any influence on your verdict, do you think?

A—No, sir; I think I could.

Q—You could wholly disregard that?

A—Yes, sir.

Q—Eliminate it from your mind?

A—Yes, sir.

Q—And try the case as if you never heard it before?

A—Yes, sir.

Examination by Gordon McKenzie, Esq.

Q—Now, Mr. Taylor, you could go into the jury box, and before you went into the jury box you could disregard any opinion you might have and give the defendant a fair trial?

A—You mean before I went into the jury box?

Q—Yes, before you went into the jury box you could disregard any opinion you might have and give the defendant a fair trial?

A—Yes, sir.

Q—In other words, it would not take any evidence to remove the opinion that you have, would it, Mr. Taylor?

A—Well, I have never heard any, that is, I never heard any witness; all I have heard is what I have read.

Q—And it would not take any evidence as I understand you to remove any opinion you might have?

A—Well, that is not strong enough to require that, I don't think.

Q—And you could give the defendant a fair and impartial trial?

A—Yes, sir.

Mr. McKenzie—I pass him to you, Colonel.

Re-examination by the court:

Q—What you mean, is, what you have read, you do not know whether it is true or not?

A—Well, I don't know much about it, just what I have read about it.

Q—Are you sure if you were chosen on the jury, when you sit down in the jury box, you could go in there with an open mind without any leaning or bias or prejudice against either side; could you do that?

A—Yes, sir.

The court—All right.

Examination by Mr. Darrow:

Q—Mr. Taylor, what is your business?

A—Farmer.

Q—How far from Dayton do you live?

A—Ten miles, east.

Q—You have been a farmer here for a good many years?

A—All my life, yes.

Q—Born in Tennessee?

A—Yes, sir.

Q—A member of any church organization?

A—What say?

Q—Are you a member of any church organization?

A—Yes, sir.

Q—What one?

A—Methodist Episcopal, South.

Q—Methodist Episcopal, South, that is what we call the Southern Methodist?

A—Yes, sir.

Q—You were present at the