THE ART OF CROSS-EXAMINATION
guishing symptom of morphine poisoning, and it is on this that you base your statement that the New York doctors could not tell morphine poisoning positively when they see it?"
Witness (little realizing the point). "Yes, sir."
Counsel (very loudly). "Well sir, did you investigate that case far enough to discover that Professor Taylor's patient had one glass eye?"[1]
Witness (in confusion). "I have no memory of it."
Counsel. "That has been proved to be the case here. You would better go back to Philadelphia, sir."
There were roars of laughter throughout the audience as counsel resumed his seat and the witness walked out of the court room. It is difficult to reproduce in print the effect made by this occurrence, but with the retirement of this witness the defendant's case suffered a collapse from which it never recovered.
It is interesting to note that within a year of Harris's conviction, Dr. Buchanan was indicted and tried for a similar offence—wife poisoning by the use of morphine.
It appeared in evidence at Dr. Buchanan's trial that, during the Harris trial and the examination of the medical witnesses, presumably the witness whose examination has been given above, Buchanan had said to his mess-
- ↑ The reports of six thousand cases of morphine poisoning had been examined by the prosecution in this case before trial, and among them the case reported by Professor Taylor.
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