THE WITNESS

The Witness



Here lately been hearing a lot about witnesses subpoenaed to tell what they know under penalty of perjury.  Unfortunately, honorable and heroic people so subpoenaed find themselves besieged.  They are besieged by those committed to covering-up facts and to the placement of those facts into the whole picture. And, they are besieged by those hating anything seen as opposition to their personal “truth”.  Hating, it must be noted, which puts each witness and their family in danger of death.  Presumably, if available, any exculpatory witnesses should fear no such besiegement.



All I know about it is all I know about it:

At the end of some now otherwise forgotten day I drove home by way of Tower Grove Park in St. Louis and stopped fourth in line waiting for the traffic light to change.  My view of what lay in front was clear and un-obstructed.

The light turned green.  Reading to move forward, I noticed the driver first in line did it right -- a slight pause to be sure cross-traffic cleared.  Then she pulled forward.  From her left came a car at a speed excessive for the situation.  One can only assume this vehicle was trying to get through on yellow, but that’s an presumption.  As my daddy said, “there is ALWAYS somebody on your blind side trying to get through on the yellow”.

The vehicle from the left slammed into the woman having right of way.  A cop said her death was probably instantaneous.

It was too cold to stand around; I was late getting home (cell phones undreamt of).  Considering it my duty to do so, I flagged down a policeman, told him what I’d seen, and gave contact information.  I was never called.

Asked today of the month, day, even year of the event, I could not say.  Asked today of the make or color of the cars involved, I would not recall. 

Might it make my testimony false, however, if told today others saw the event differently, from other perspectives, reached other conclusions, or some present saw nothing?  A witness can only testify to what they see and hear, and the impressions made.  Witnesses are not “lying” if merely wrong or have forgotten details, but only if other facts prove they actually knew else wise.

As always, memory is an unmapped minefield, and often the minutia fails.  Humans easily recall only that which seemed important at the time, another witness may have other priority.  However, in most human experiences witnessing a life-affecting event is not a memory which easily fails the witness.