[Ads-l] Possible precursor to Huxley (1885) on witnesses as liars, experts

[Stephen Goranson]

Thanks. I sent a typo correction earlier but only now see it went to Mark and not to the list. Two strikes.

It may be that there are no coiners, but perhaps, besides precursors, paraphrases, and such, including two steps, 3 liars (by Wilshere?), and, later, 3 lies (by Dilke?). Or otherwise, yet to be clarified.

Stephen Goranson
________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2022 8:28 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Possible precursor to Huxley (1885) on witnesses as liars, experts

Mark Mandel  wrote:
> I mentally misread this excerpt for a moment:
> “Experts of every variety have pet crochets, theories, and systems….”
>
> Nowadays, of course, we write "crotchets" and pronounce it accordingly,
> /'krɒtʃɪts/, and "crochet" is pronounced approximately as in French and
> refers to a fabric craft.
> Was it spelled with "och" in the article, or was that a slip of the finger?

The text in the book uses "pet crotchets, theories and systems".

Year: 1881
Title: Hints on Advocacy: Intended for Practitioners in Civil and
Criminal Courts
Author: Richard Harris (Barrister at Law of the Middle Temple and
Midland Circuit)
Second Author: William L Murfree (who revised and enlarged the book)
Edition: Second American from the Fourth English Edition
Publisher: William H. Stevenson, St. Louis, Missouri
Database: Google Books Full View
Chapter 4: The Classes of Witnesses
Quote Page 73 and 50

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://books.google.com/books?id=alBGAQAAIAAJ&q=*22Experts*of*22*v=snippet&__;JSslIw!!OToaGQ!-RwCV-7EUK3imXgzlZtI6qj60Cv3tp9XmWuHiYM38lhkOjl9rXLc8OB_74zHT_K5$

[Begin excerpt]
As to the examination or cross-examination of an "expert," it is the
duty of the counsel to see that the opinion of the witness is based
upon the facts that have appeared in the evidence; for these are the
symptoms which it is his function to diagnose. Experts of every
variety have pet crotchets, theories and systems, by which they are
exceedingly prone to solve all knotty questions that may be presented
in their art or science, and this they do in perfect innocence unless
restrained by the watchfulness of the court or counsel.
[End excerpt]

Here are the different types of witnesses listed in chapter four of the book.

[Begin excerpt]
Chapter IV:--The Classes of Witnesses
40 The Lying Witness
41 The Flippant Witness
42 The Dogged Witness
43 The Hesitating Witness
44 The Nervous Witness
45 The Cunning Witness
46 The Hypocritical Witness
47 The Witness Partly False
48 The Positive Witness
49 The Stupid Witness
50 The Truthful Witness
51 The Expert Witness
52 The Non mi ricordo Witness
53 The Bullying Witness
54 The Swift Witness
55 The Female Witness
[End excerpt]

Garson


> On Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 12:00 PM Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
>
> > As previously noted:
> >
> > "Talked politics, scandal, and the three classes of witnesses—liars, d—d
> > liars, and experts. Huxley gave account of civil list pension."
> >
> > Huxley, Leonard, The Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley (2 vols),
> > London: Macmillan 1900, Vol. I, pp. 255, 257–258.
> >
> >
> >
> > An earlier book, in many editions (here using hathitrust from 1881)
> > discussed “classes of witnesses” including “the lying witness” and “the
> > expert witness,” “Experts of every variety have pet crochets, theories, and
> > systems….” P. 73,
> >
> > Hints on advocacy, intended for practitioners in civil and criminal courts
> > :
> > with suggestions as to opening a case, examination-in-chief,
> > cross-examination, re-examination, reply, conduct of a prosecution and of a
> > defense, etc., and illustrative cases /
> > by Richard Harris.
> > Main Author:
> > Harris, Richard, 1833-1906.<
> > https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Search/Home?lookfor=*22Harris,*20Richard,*201833-1906.*22&type=author&inst=__;JSUlJQ!!OToaGQ!-RwCV-7EUK3imXgzlZtI6qj60Cv3tp9XmWuHiYM38lhkOjl9rXLc8OB_7119Besp$
> > >
> > Related Names:
> > Murfree, William Law 1817-1892.<
> > https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Search/Home?lookfor=*22Murfree,*20William*20Law*22&type=author&inst=__;JSUlJQ!!OToaGQ!-RwCV-7EUK3imXgzlZtI6qj60Cv3tp9XmWuHiYM38lhkOjl9rXLc8OB_7yF1QaU1$
> > >
> > Language(s):
> > English
> > Published:
> > St. Louis, Mo. : W.H. Stevenson, 1881.
> > Edition:
> > 2d American from the 4th English ed. Rev. and enl. /
> >
> > SG
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
>
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