The People v. Rockola

Plaintiff in error was a witness in the case of People vs. James N. O’Brien, who was charged with bribing one Frank J. Beran, custodian of lost property of the city of Chicago. The case was on trial in the criminal court of Cook county and Rockola had been called to the witness stand. He refused to answer questions put to him, on the ground that his answers would tend to incriminaté him. The State’s attorney thereupon filed with the court trying the cause a petition setting out that Rockola was a material and necessary witness to prove the allegations of the indictment against O’Brien and had…