Chapman v. Gilmore

1. In a suit by a widow against an individual for the felonious killing of her husband, where the plaintiff, while on the witness stand as a witness in her own behalf, testified on cross-examination that she had no knowledge of the general character of the deceased for violence, she could not be impeached for this statement by proof of specific acts of violence on the part of the deceased within her knowledge. Since specific instances of violence could not be proved to establish general character, they would not be admissible to show knowledge of such character. In this ease the proffered…