1. "Annie White Not Typist"
Posted by augusta on Jun-12th-02 at 9:40 PM

Annie White was the person who took the official stenographic notes during the trial testimony. 

Official typewriters were Florence D. Ross of Boston; Mrs. William H. M. Dollard and Florence W. Cushing. 

"Their job was to type the official stenographic notes that Annie M. White took during trial testimony.  These notes, dictated to the typists, contained the statements of the lawyers, judges and witnesses."

(From "Yesterday in Old Fall River", by Paul Dennis Hoffman, Carolina Academic Press, Durham, NC c. 2000, page 305.)

Do you think that means someone (ANNIE) read aloud to the typists and they did their thing?

Is that why it's all so literal?  I mean, when they ask something to be 'stricken out" the transcript says, "Strike that answer", yet the answer remains?  I always thought that was funny.  (as in Ha-Ha).

Didn't know all that, Augusta.  ThaNKS for finding that!

Thanks again, Augusta!  I recall too that Annie White made a few mistakes in her stenographic notes.  One was mislabeling a page number. 

I recall reading that Annie did not type her shorthand notes. I would think this could lead to error.  As an old "Pitman" man I had no trouble reading my own shorthand, but I did have difficulty if I attempted to read someone elses. Was it Pitman or Gregg?  Did Annie check the results after typing? Makes one wonder, doesn't it?

It says the notes were "dictated" to the typists but it does not say Annie White was the one dictating.  If there were more than one typist, I would think there would have been more than one person dicating, to speed up the job. 

I know Gregg shorthand, and it can be very difficult to read someone else's notes.  I saw an old sign for the Ann Southern Show, and it was in Gregg shorthand.  Even tho the shorthand was perfectly done, it took me a while to read it. 

It sounds like a really tough job.  Maybe Annie pencilled in the words later and the dictating people read from that. 

I thought the Winward name being wrongly typed as "Winwood" was because of the witness's Boston accent and Ms. White taking it down like that.  It still could have been from that, but now I see it also could have been from the dictating person's accent.  The more people involved in the process, the more errors there are likely to be.  Hm. All these years I thought Annie went back and typed her notes up.

There is a website about court reporting that includes a page about its history and development. Pitman shorthand was introduced in 1837, Gregg shorthand "fifty years later," and "modern shorthand" in 1913. Try www.bestfuture.com/history.htm

Thanks for the site, Doug!  I have only seen the shorthand that my mother can write which is what they taught for secretarial work.  I wonder if its similar to what was used in court? 

Point of clarification only.

Annie White was the stenographer at the Inquest and Preliminary hearing.

Philip H. Burt was the stenographer at the Trial.