Life — November 30, 1916 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Courtroom Satire The cartoon depicts a courtroom scene where a witness testifies about stolen horses. When the judge asks if the prisoner is the thief, the witness admits: "I was, your honor. Till that lawyer cross-examined me. He's made me feel I stole it myself." **The joke:** This satirizes lawyers' courtroom tactics—their skill at aggressive cross-examination is so effective (or manipulative) that it confuses witnesses into doubting their own testimony and guilt/innocence. The humor turns on the absurdity that a clever attorney can make an honest witness feel criminally responsible through rhetorical pressure alone, regardless of actual facts. The accompanying text discusses unrelated social issues: changing school curricula, women's fashion modesty, American servant wages, and wartime supply costs.