B. Magazu, who ran the poolroom in combination with a shoe store, testified as follows:—
While I showed the customer a pair of shoes, he comes right in and says, "My God, something wrong about down the street." I says, "What?" He says "I think they kill the paymaster and get the payroll." I says, "Did you see the men?" He says, "I seen the men, they pointed with a gun." I says, "How do the men look like?" He says "Young man with light hair, light complexion and wore an army shirt."
Q. Which man? A. One man pointing with a gun. I don't know which.
Q. Did he say anything further about it to you? A. He says, "This job wasn't pulled by any foreign people." (R. 632.)
C. Arrogni, a barber in South Braintree, gave the following evidence:—
About a week or so after April 15, 1920, he had a talk with Goodridge in the barber's shop. Goodridge said to him in the course of this conversation: "I was in the pool-room and I heard some shots and I looked through the window and I saw the bandit car come up and I saw a man in the car, but if I have got to say who the man was, I can't say." (R. 631.)
D. Arrogni's boss, Damato, swore to the same effect.
Even when completely disinterested, identification testimony runs all the grave hazards due to the frailties and fallibilities of human observation and memory. But Goodridge's testimony was, in addition to everything else, tainted with self-interest. At the time he was a witness for the Commonwealth, he was facing jail under an indictment for larceny to which he had pleaded guilty. The case "had been filed,"—that is, no sentence had been imposed,—and Goodridge
