Chapter 15 fifteen

George.Mofgate didn't want to waste time, and was impatient to finish what he was doing.But he still pretended to be concerned out of politeness and said: Lawyer, can your body handle the work of collecting evidence? I think so.Mason said. Why not take a break for a day or two? Oh, it's okay, I'll still work.I'm just feeling dizzy now, it's okay. Jim.Bradisson said: "I can testify any time, Mr. Mason, don't worry about my inconvenience, I understand the situation, I am very happy It doesn't matter.Mason said to him. Mason turned to face the notary, his expression alert and focused, like a Boston bull waiting for its owner to pounce on a ball as soon as it is thrown.

Mofgate announced: From now on, this place has been identified as the place to hear Pete.Sims and Jim.Bradisson's testimony, Pete.Sims is one of the defendants in Comeback Mining's lawsuit against Sims and others, and Jim.Bradisson is the president of the mining company. Perry.Mr. Mason represents the defendant and I represent the plaintiff.Witnesses are present to be sworn in. The notary said: This evidence collection was carried out in accordance with the agreement.Is that so, gentlemen? Yes.Mason said. Yes.cried Moffgate. Witness Sims swore.said the notary. peteSims looked at Perry inquiringly.Mason.

stand up.Mason said. Sims was a lean man in his fifties, with an oddly sad expression that suggested a man who had struggled all his life and was down and out.He stood up. Raise your right hand. Sims raised his right hand. The notary solemnly presided over the oath ceremony.He said: By God, can you swear that the testimony you gave in the case of Comeback Mining against Sims and others is completely true? peteSims said solemnly: I swear.Then he sat down, crossed his legs, and looked at George foolishly.Moffgate. Mofgate opened the briefcase, pulled out the folder, pulled the small suitcase to his right, glanced at the court stenographer who was about to take notes, and said to the witness: Your name is Pete.Sims, it's Nell.Sims' husband, eh?Are you familiar with the Star Shooting Mine?

Yes.Pete spoke slowly, with a flattering tone in his tone. Mr. Sims, about six months ago you and JimMr. Bradisson had a conversation, didn't he? I talk to him a lot, Pete said.Then he added that it was to talk to him sometimes. But about six months ago, in a conversation, you told him about the discovery of a mine in the Shooting Star mine, didn't you? Oh, now, Sims drawled, I can't remember. You're saying you don't even remember a conversation from months ago. Sims said: "I guess I have to explain. I guess you will.said Moffgate sarcastically. Well, Pete said, here's the thing, you know I have a split personality, most of the time, I'm me, but if I'm not careful I'm Bob and I'm not me.

Moffgate snapped: "Mr. Sims, you have taken your oath. Of course I swore.Mr Sims said. You could hear the triumph in Moffgate's voice, and he went on, Mr. Sims, he said, remember you swore, tell me about your split personality, and why you don't remember talking to Jim.Mr. Bradisson's talk. Oh, well, Pete explained, with an obedient glance at the somewhat curious notary, that I'm a nice fellow, personally, that I can drink a little or not at all, and I have Ambitious to get ahead, and I'm honest.I love my wife and I am a great husband. Mason said: Please answer the question directly, Mr. Sims.

Mofgate said sternly: He thought he was answering questions, and I thought so too.Mr. Sims, went on, explain the split personality, remember, you swore. OK, Sims said, I'll call this guy Bob.He has other names, but I don't know them.To me he was just bob oh everything was fine and then all of a sudden he came and took over my body and just lost consciousness.I don't know what Bob did after that. Mofgate asked triumphantly: When this second personality is about to occupy your body, is there any sign? Just a little thirsty, said Sims, I was thirsty as hell, and when I had a bad headache I went for a cold beer, and after I drank the beer, Bob came.Let me talk about the difference between me and Bob.

Then, said Mofgate, I was just about to hear it. Oh, Bob can't live without booze, he's such an alcoholic, and that annoys me the most.He directed everything, took me out, got me so drunk and woke up with a terrible headache and Bob was gone.It would be too bad if I didn't wake up if Bob didn't go, but he never did.He pushed me out of the house, drank enough, and left, leaving me alone to deal with the next day's headache. I see, said Moffgate, and now back to the sale of the mine to the plaintiff, Mr. Bradisson.Don't you remember at all that you told him about the mine?

I told him about the mines, and after that I felt so thirsty all of a sudden, it must have been Bob, because all that was left was to remember that I woke up two days later with a lot of money in my pocket. And, said Mofgate, you gave him some ore that you said you brought back from the Starshot mines, didn't you? Oh, I don't remember the incident. Can you answer, did you give, or did you not? Oh, I think Bob probably got the ore from me while he was in the driver's seat. Well, Mofgate went on, those ores weren't collected from the Starshot Mine.Those ores include some samples you got from Banning.It was taken from the ore specimen in the lower drawer of the roll-top table in Mr. Clark's room, is that so?

I don't want to talk about these samples because I don't remember them at all. So this second personality named Bob didn't work on you until you talked to Mr. Bradisson about the Starshot Mine, did it? Oh, I can't remember.We started talking about some mines, of course, my wife's mines, I might have talked about that, but that was before Bob came.After that, I don't know what happened. Moffgate said softly: "Mr. Sims, I understand your situation very well.You, yourself, cannot under any circumstances make a fraudulent statement of fact.But sometimes you can't be fully responsible for yourself, the second personality occupies you and puts you in an awkward situation.You are responsible for something that you have absolutely no knowledge of or control over.

Yes, Sims said.After thinking about it, he said in a more emphatic tone, still!He looked at the lawyer eagerly and kindly, as if grateful for the lawyer's knowledge of him, and no, I never did that.Mr. Bradisson is my friend and I would never do anything to hurt him.I wouldn't even touch a hair of his.Bradisson ran his well-preserved hands through his almost-fallen hair, and his eyes became soft and even a little joyful. Moffgate continued in a calm tone: It never occurred to you that day to sell the minerals to Jim.Bradisson, huh? Never thought about it. So, was Bob controlling you right before you talked to Bradisson?

Do you mean the same day? Oh, that day or a day or two before.Moffgate said casually. no, no.He never harassed me.But maybe it's a sign, because Bob hasn't been here for so long, and if he's thirsty, he'll try to control me. I get it, but Bob is never going to be in what you call the driver's seat until you've talked to Bradisson for three or four days, is he? Yes. Well, Mofgate changed his peaceful attitude and was full of hostility. He sneered, then how do you explain that you have filled your pockets with a bag from Banning.How about going to talk to Mr. Bradisson after stealing the ore sample from Clark? Sims' expression changed drastically.This question obviously had an effect, the expression on his face changed suddenly, and he moved uncomfortably in his chair. Continue to answer questions.Mofgate storms desperate witnesses. Oh, oh, wait a minute.You can't be sure that those stones are from Clark's table. Mofgate confidently opened the small handbag, took out a stone from it and put it in front of Sims, saying: Have you ever seen this kind of ore specimen? seen.Sims replied without even touching it. You see this stone is carved with a little cross as a sign.This is not what you gave Jim.The marked stone in Bradisson?Is this stone related to Banning.Aren't the other stones Clark collected from the High Sky Mine exactly the same? Simms fidgets and suddenly says without thinking: I never gave the stone to Bradisson. You're saying you didn't give him the stone with the cross on it and that's the one I showed you, right? I didn't give it to him, Sims affirmed, he said I gave him the rock when I didn't give him it at all. In conversation, or negotiation with Jim.When Bradisson signed the contract, you didn't even give him this stone, and he said that you took this stone from the Shooting Star mining area, which means that you discovered a new mine in that mining area.is that so? No, sir, I did not say so.said Sims stubbornly. Are you sure? Absolutely. How can you be so sure?Moffgate smiled smugly at Sims and said you don't even remember that conversation where your split personality was controlling you I remember you called it it was Bob, he sat on the driver's seat. Sims raised his left hand and scratched his hair, oh he said, I remember, maybe it wasn't because Bob was controlling me.I was probably a little drunk and couldn't remember things. Did you drink while you were talking to Mr. Bradisson about the mine? drank. And don't remember things well, do you? Yes. How then can you testify with such certainty that you did not give Bradisson this and other ores, and did not tell him that these were samples of ores which you had obtained from the Starshot mines which your wife owned? Oh, said Sims nervously, I remember better now. Are you saying your memory is clear? very clear. So this second personality you call Bob doesn't control you at all, it has nothing to do with him at all, does it? Oh I don't think it has anything to do with him.It's not at all what it's saying now. Moffgate sneered, and closed the folder hard.He slammed it into the briefcase and zipped it up quickly.He said loudly: There is no problem.He turned to Mason and said, "Hey, lawyer, of course you're not going to argue this case any more as it stands, are you?" Mason said solemnly: I don't know.But I'm going to think about this. snort!It was so clear, said Mofgate, that there was nothing to think about. Don't forget, just as Moffgate stood up to go, Mason said, and listen to Jim.Bradisson's testimony. But, Mr. Mason, you certainly won't be hearing Bradisson now. why not? Because the testimony just now has a decisive effect on the case.You can't avoid charges of fraud.Your own witnesses have practically admitted that your protest would be totally flimsy if it went to court. But Mason didn't budge, saying, I still want to hear Bradisson's testimony.Even if the protest is untenable, I can still say what I want to say. Oh, I don't see the point, exclaimed Mofgate impatiently, I don't know of a law that says you can avoid a fraud charge by scaring the cheated party after you've been convicted of a fraud charge . Mason said: "I want to hear his testimony. Stand up, said Mofgate to Bradisson, throwing up his right hand and swearing, if Mr Mason thinks it would make him more comfortable to ask you a question, I think we'll have to give him that chance too. Bradisson stood up and raised his right hand. After the notary read the oath, he replied: I swear.Then he told Perry.Mason smiled and said, Mr. Mason, please feel free to ask.Even if I am to Pete.There's not much to add to Sims' words. Are you an official of the Comeback Mining Company? I am the president. About how long have you been employed? Oh, about a year or so. You learned from your sister, Banning.Mrs. Clarke inherited a lot of shares, didn't she? Yes. And as the president of the company, you decide the strategy of the company, don't you? Isn't this the responsibility of the president? I just want to put the facts on record.Mason said. Oh, this is not a show, I was elected by the directors to run the company, and I am working hard to the best of my ability.He answered with grace and tact. Indeed.You and the witness just now, Pete.Sims' wife Nell.Sims is familiar, isn't he? Yes. How long have you known her? Oh, I do not know.About a year, probably more than a year.I first met her in Mojave. She runs a restaurant there, doesn't she? Yes. That's where you met Pete.Sims's? I think probably so. Since last year, you and him have become close. They both live in the same small building. Mrs. Simms has been the head cook and housekeeper, hasn't she? Yes. Moffgate said: I object to such a waste of time.Even if you ask about the end of the world, you can't change the fact that it's a scam. Mason ignored Moffgate's interruption and continued to ask questions in a calm manner in a heart-to-heart manner. For a while, you had the opportunity to see Pete regularly.Sims, that's right! See you often.To be exact, I saw him every now and then. What does every three to five mean? It was when he wasn't very drunk, which I think he would interpret as a time when Bob wasn't controlling me. So you've known about Bob for a while too. Oh yes. So six months ago, Mr. Sims came back from the desert to tell you that he found the mine and got lucky, didn't he? Yes, he said he'd been doing valuations at his wife's mines, and he'd had his luck.He felt that the mine was really a bonanza, and he showed me the ore, and I said that the company was willing to buy these minerals at a reasonable price. Then you agreed on the price, didn't you? Yes, we bought the minerals. How much have you paid? We paid the down payment in cash and then sued the other party for fraud, rescission of the contract, and release from the obligation to pay the price. When did you first know you were scammed? Oh, a few weeks after the tester's report came, I found that the material composition of the ore was exactly the same as that of the ore we got from another mine, and this mine belongs to the company's mine. In fact, we got it from Banning.Clark obtained the right to purchase the mine. Mason said: Did you have mining experience when you became president of the company? I don't have much experience in ground exploration, but I know mining well and have a talent for it.To put it less modestly, I learned practical things very quickly, almost insanely fast. So you consider yourself quite capable of being the president of a mining company with a wide range of interests, don't you? If not, I would not accept the position of president.Mr. Mason, I have made a careful study of all forms of mining, especially mines belonging to the Comeback Mining Company and related issues. Mr. Bradisson, you're pretty good at judging people's characters, aren't you? what do you mean? I mean, you've had the chance to know and watch Mr. Sims closely, so you know his general character pretty well, don't you? Oh yes, if you will. Did you inspect his mines yourself before closing the deal? Naturally, I have to check it out. I can't explain it to shareholders by spending so much money on something I haven't seen with my own eyes. Have you descended into the little mine? The mine is not small.It was going down to fifty feet below the surface, and the horizontal roadway at the bottom of the shaft was extended by one hundred and thirty-five to one hundred and forty feet. You checked the ore in the mine, didn't you? Of course I checked. Was that before the agreement was signed? Before that, of course.The bonanza samples I found were all actually fake. You've heard about Mr. Sims' mischievous alter ego, the Incredible Bob, and you've heard about it driving Pete down the wrong path and getting drunk all the time, haven't you? Bradisson laughed and said: Mr. Mason, of course I have heard of it.You'll have to forgive me for laughing, but I thought you had a lot of fun talking about it. Thanks, of course you've heard about what Bob did when he took possession of Mr Sims' body, didn't you? Oh yes. So may I take it that you've formed an opinion about Bob? Bradisson said: "Mr Mason, let's not misunderstand each other.The so-called Bob doesn't exist at all, Pete.Sims just use him as a scapegoat.Whenever Pete did something a little out of line or did something he shouldn't, he said he didn't remember what happened and that No. 2 was taking over him.The so-called Bob was just an excuse for him to apologize to his wife.Believe it or not, she didn't stop him from lying, so Pete.Sims develop childish ways of doing things.His wife seemed to take his lies so easily that he didn't have to think about them. Let me give you an example. Mr. Moffgate was so easily fooled by him today. Although I didn't make a statement just to get Moffgate's praise, the facts are enough to prove that Sims has a certain degree of confidence in the effectiveness of lies. A childlike confidence made him think nothing of these lies.This kind of lie about the second personality is easy for him. Mason said in surprise: You mean he made up the story of the second personality on purpose? Of course, said Bradisson, obviously disdainful of Mason's posturing, Mr. Mason, surely you wouldn't expect to prove that there was such a thing as a second personality. Of course, I can't possibly be as close as you and Sims are.I've only met this guy, but he seems genuine when he talks about his alter ego.I just hope you can corroborate his words. Don't belittle my intelligence, Mr. Mason. You mean Mr. Sims lied on purpose? Yes. How long have you known about this?Mason asked. I knew him almost from the moment I saw him.Anyone with any discernment could see that he was a notorious villain, and a hideous liar.Mr. Mason, you made me say these words.There was something lovable about him, but he got drunk a lot, was a born liar, and excused his flaws with lies that kids wouldn't believe. Believe me, Mr. Mason, you made me tell this.But now that I've said it, I'll tell you frankly, using a common saying: I don't believe him as long as I live.The only thing he's smart about is that he can pretend to have some information when he's drunk.When you are not on guard, let you know from him that he has made a fortune.In other words, he's a very, very good actor, that's all.His ability to act is much greater than his ability to lie. Thank you.Mason said, I'm done asking. Are you done asking?asked Mofgate, a little surprised. Yes. Mofgate said slyly: Mr. Mason, I have a right to cross-examine my witnesses, don't I? Of course you are entitled. Even though he is my client. I know. I can ask about everything you have questioned him about? I think it's legit. Lawyer, you agree with yourself. Mason just nodded slightly. Well, Moffgate said triumphantly to Bradisson, Mr. Bradisson, what I want to ask you is, are you serious about Pete?The qualities of Mr. Sims are known. Yes. How is his quality? very bad. His acquaintances think he's unreliable, don't they? Absolutely. Do you believe his sworn testimony? I don't believe it at all. My question is over.Moffgate exclaimed in satisfaction. Mason said: "I think we're done with forensics.He stood up, stretched, and yawned. Do you really want to fight this lawsuit?Moffgate asked Mason. Mason turned to him and said: Lawyer, please read the law on fraud crimes.You will find that the mere factual statement of fraudulent conduct is not sufficient grounds to bring a criminal action against a person.A statement of fact which, if substantiated, can be relied upon to bring an action must also be reliable.Your client says he thinks PeteSims was such a bad liar that he wouldn't believe him as long as he had breath; he didn't think anything Pete said could be trusted, and he was an expert in mining himself, and he inspected mines before he bought them.So, it's clear that he's absolutely confident in his judgment.Lawyers, sometimes a bad reputation is not necessarily bad.After you read the deception law again, think again about whether you want to continue. Bradisson turned to look at Moffgate, his expression showed that Mason's words hit the point. But my client didn't say it, he acted on his own judgment.Moffgate said, that is, he hadn't specifically said that. Wait until the jury hears the testimony, Mason said with a smile, this person has the talent to learn mining knowledge, and he has enough ability to control the future and destiny of the company before he becomes the president. He doesn't need to call any mining engineers to help. And sign the contract before the test report is completed, don't argue with me, and tell the jury what you think.By the way, lawyer, you are not convincing your own client, nor are you convincing yourself. Moffgate said: "Mr Mason, I think you have misunderstood the statements of the witnesses who made inquiries into his company property.Witnesses will have the opportunity to read through the testimony before it is handed over to the clerk before signing.I know the facts of the case, and Bradisson's investigation will not prevent him from rescinding the contract on the grounds of fraud. Moffgate winked at his client and told Bradisson to keep quiet. Mason smiled and said: Look at the case of Beckley v. Archer, California No. 74, Appendix 489: Where a person who fails to conduct an independent In the case of making a statement, he still cannot conclude that this is fraud, no matter how blatant it is.Remember: Your client said he wouldn't trust Pete as long as he was alive.Sims' words. Mofgate thought hard, but couldn't answer.He suddenly said to Mason: Mr. Mason, I will discuss this with you in court.In the meantime, there's another matter I'd like to take care of while you're here. What's up? You have Banning.Clark's stake in Comeback Mining. Yes. You know someone found out about a will? Really? In a previous will, Clark left all of his property to his wife, or in the event of his wife's death, to his legal heirs, excluding Jim.Mr Bradisson. Is it true?Mason replied vaguely. I'm sorry, Moffgate went on cautiously, Clarke will put this in his will.It was like a slap in the face for no reason.It's a disservice to a man who has always considered him a friend. Bradisson put on an air of honor. However, Moffgate went on to say that Mrs. Bradisson was the sole legal heir anyway, so she would inherit, and she had given the will to the court for probate.Mr. Mason, you will naturally not keep those shares, but will sell them to the heiress in time. Why am I doing this?asked Mason. Because we know that the stock transfer is simply fake. Who says it's fake? Are you saying that the compensation was actually paid when the shares were transferred? Of course paid. If you don't mind tell me what the pay is? I don't think it's necessary to tell you. Mr. Mason, I want you to know that as a lawyer, you are acting in a fiduciary capacity, and any contract you sign with a client will be considered fraudulent, and the consequences of getting an undue advantage from a client will be negative. Very serious may be grounds for suing you for unethical conduct. Moffgate, that's a bit of a threat. I'm glad to hear you say that.May I take it that, despite my repeated requests, you refuse to relinquish these shares? It's not negotiable. Mr. Mason, this is going to cause a lot of trouble.There will also be conflicts between us. Oh, says Mason, there are horse races and court proceedings because of differences of opinion. But this is not just a lawsuit, and I feel the need to question the morality of your actions.Arguments will be heated and personal interests will be involved. All right!I like fighting, I like a biting argument, but if you don't mind, I'm going back. Mason walked out of the office without looking back.