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Witness
A
small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand
in a trial — a grandmotherly, elderly woman. He approached her and
asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?" She responded,
"Why, yes, I do know you Mr. Williams. I've known you since you
were a young boy. And frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me.
You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about
them behind their backs. You think you're a rising big shot when you
haven't the brains to realise you never will amount to anything more
than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you." The lawyer was
stunned. Not knowing what else to do he pointed across the room and
asked, "Mrs. Williams, do you know the defence attorney?"
She again replied, "Why, yes I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since
he was a youngster, too. I used to babysit him for his parents. And
he, too, has been a real disappointment to me. He's lazy, bigoted, he
has a drinking problem. The man can't build a normal relationship with
anyone and his law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire
state. Yes, I know him."
At this point, the judge
rapped the courtroom to silence and called both counselors to the
bench. In a very quiet voice, he said with menace, "If either of
you asks her if she knows me, you'll be jailed for contempt!"
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