49 
water development. A city man sees cattle, but not the 
other factors, and could not be expected to give an intelli¬ 
gent statement on such matters. 
(g) Fear of consequences. Be sure to relieve a witness’s 
mind of a possible impression that you want to implicate 
him, etc., if such inferences are without cause. Fright¬ 
ened people, imagining themselves suspected, always 
8hullle in testimony. This should be a danger signal, 
although the cause of the shuffling may not always be the 
one here discussed. 
(h) Poor questioning. Good questioning requires hard 
thinking. Be sure nothing is missed. Follow your own 
course and do not be led or pushed, either designedly or 
accidentally, by the witness. 
Increasing the accuracy of testimony .—Much can be done 
by careful questioning and suggestion to clear up obscure 
statements or to supply omissions. Check the witness’s 
accuracy; that is, as to height of people, ask him if the 
man he mentions is as tall as yourself; check distances by 
asking about something in sight; verify his power of 
recognizing persons, estimating numbers, etc. It is some¬ 
times necessary to verify statements independently of 
the witness. Scrutinize the witness’s testimony all the 
time for indications of intentional untruthfulness. 
INTERVIEWING HOSTILE AND LYING WITNESSES. 
Preparation for the interview .—For successfully inter¬ 
viewing this kind of witness thorough preparation is 
indispensable. Nowhere else is preliminary knowledge 
so essential both as to the connections and interests of 
the witness and as to a thorough grasp of your case and 
exactly what you want to find out. Finally, the circum¬ 
stances and conduct of the interview itself must be care¬ 
fully planned. 
If you can prevent it do not interview such witnesses, 
especially suspects, on their own ground or among their 
own friends. Get them to come to the supervisor’s or 
ranger’s office or to a convenient room in town; at least 
to a place away from the support of their familiar surround¬ 
ings and people. This may not be feasible at the first 
