Page:The World's Most Famous Court Trial - 1925.djvu/292

288 Q—You want to say now you have no idea how these dates were computed?

A—No, I don't say, but I have told you what my idea was. I say I don't know how accurate it was.

Q—You say from the generation of man—

Gen. Stewart—I am objecting to his cross-examining his own witness.

Mr. Darrow—He is an hostile witness.

The Court—I am going to let Mr. Bryan control—

The Witness—I want him to have all the latitude he wants. For I am going to have some latitude when he gets through.

Mr. Darrow—You can have latitude and longitude.

(Laughter.)

The Court—Order.

Gen. Stewart—The witness is entitled to be examined as to the legal evidence of it. We were supposed to go into the origin of the case, and we have nearly lost the day, your honor.

Mr. McKenzie—I object to it.

Gen. Stewart—Your honor, he is pee able to take care of this, but we are attaining no evidence. This is not competent evidence.

The Witness—These gentlemen have not had much chance—they did not come here to try this case. They came here to try revealed religion. I am here to defend it, and they can ask me any question they please.

The Court—All right.

(Applause from the court yard.)

Mr. Darrow—Great applause from the bleachers.

The Witness—From those whom you call "yokels."

Mr. Darrow—I have never called them yokels.

The Witness—That is the ignorance of Tennessee, the bigotry.

Mr. Darrow—You mean who are applauding you?

The Witness—Those are the people whom you insult.

Mr. Darrow—You insult every man of science and learning in the world because he does not believe in your fool religion.

The Court—I will not stand for that.

Mr. Darrow—For what he is doing?

The Court—I am talking to both of you.

Gen. Stewart—This has gone beyond the pale of a lawsuit, your honor. I have a public duty to perform, under my oath and I ask the court to stop it.

Mr. Darrow is making an effort to insult the gentleman on the witness stand, and I ask that it be stopped, for it has gone beyond the pale of a lawsuit.

The Court—To stop it now would not be just to Mr. Bryan. He wants to ask the other gentleman questions along the same line.

Gen. Stewart—It will all be incompetent.

The Witness—The jury is not here.

The Court—I do not want to be strictly technical.

Mr. Darrow—Then your honor rules, and I accept.

Gen. Stewart—The jury is not here.

Mr. Darrow—How long ago was the flood, Mr. Bryan?

A—Let me see Usher's calculation about it?

Mr. Darrow—Surely.

(Handing a Bible to the witness.)

A—I think this does not give it.

Q—It gives an account of Noah. Where is the one in evidence, I am quite certain it is there?

The Witness—Oh, I would put the estimate where it is, because I have no reason to vary it. But I would have to look at it to give you the exact date.

Q—I would, too. Do you remember what book the account is in?

A—Genesis.

Mr. Hays—Is that the one in evidence?

Mr. Neal—That will have it; that is King James' version.

Mr. Darrow—The one in evidence has it.