Uplifted Hand
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary · Walter A. Shumaker and George Foster Longsdorf; ed. James C. Cahill · 1922
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary
When a man accused of a crime is arraigned, he is required to raise his hand, probably in order to identify the person who pleads. Perhaps for the same reason, when a vyitness adopts a particular mode of taking an oath, as, when he does not swear upon the gospel, but upon Almighty God, he is requested to hold up his hand.