“In English only?”
“English and Spanish.
We have… had many children of Mexican descent.”
Samuels asked for a designated Spanish-speaking interpreter.
An officer in the back immediately volunteered.
He was identified by his ambassador, who was present.
“Will you take this book to the rear of the courtroom, sir?”
To the Court: “If the prosecution wishes to examine that book, they will find that it is a Spanish edition of the Bible.”
The prosecution didn’t wish to examine it.
“Will the officer open the Bible at random and read aloud?”
He opened the Bible at the center and read.
In dead silence the Court strained to hear.
Nothing could be heard the length of the enormous hall.
Samuels:
“Miss Gomez. Will you take these binoculars and repeat, to the Court, just what the officer is reading at the other end of the room?”
She took the binoculars and focused them expertly on the officer, who had stopped reading and was watching alertly.
“I am ready.”
Samuels:
“Will you please read, sir?”
He did, and the Gomez woman repeated aloud, quickly and easily, a section that sounded as though it might be anything at all. I can’t speak Spanish.
The officer continued to read for a minute or two.
Samuels:
“Thank you, sir.
And thank you, Miss Gomez.
Your pardon, sir, but since there are several who have been known to memorize the Bible, will you tell the Court if you have anything on your person that is written, anything that Miss Gomez has no chance of viewing?”
Yes, the officer had.
“Will you read that as before?
Will you, Miss Gomez—”
She read that, too.
Then the officer came to the front to listen to the court reporter read Miss Gomez’s words.
“That’s what I read,” he affirmed.
Samuels turned her over to the prosecution, who made more experiments that served only to convince that she was equally good as an interpreter and lipreader in either language.
In rapid succession Samuels put the rest of the lipreaders on the stand.
In rapid succession they proved themselves as able and as capable as Miss Gomez, in their own linguistic specialty.
The Russian from Ambridge generously offered to translate into his broken English any other Slavic language handy, and drew scattered grins from the press box.
The Court was convinced, but failed to see the purpose of the exhibition.
Samuels, glowing with satisfaction and confidence, faced the Court.
“Thanks to the indulgence of the Court, and despite the efforts of the distinguished prosecution, we have proved the almost amazing accuracy of lipreading in general, and these lipreaders in particular.”
One Justice absently nodded in agreement.
“Therefore, our defense will be based on that premise, and on one other which we have had until now found necessary to keep hidden—the picture in question was and is definitely not a fictional representatian of events of questionable authenticity.
Every scene in that film contained, not polished professional actors, but the original person named and portrayed.
Every foot, every inch of film was not the result of an elaborate studio reconstruction but an actual collection of pictures, an actual collection of newsreels—if they can be called that—edited and assembled in story form!”
Through the startled spurt of astonishment we heard one of the prosecution:
“That’s ridiculous!
No newsreel—”
Samuels ignored the objections and the tumult to put me on the stand.
Beyond the usual preliminary questions I was allowed to say things my own way.
At first hostile, the Court became interested enough to overrule the repeated objections that flew from the table devoted to the prosecution.
I felt that at least two of the Court, if not outright favorable, were friendly.
As far as I can remember, I went over the maneuvers of the past years, and ended something like this: