People v. Tice

The defendant was convicted of the offense of arson, upon the testimony of one alleged to be an accomplice. Upon the trial, this witness first denied knowledge of the defendant’s guilt, and after a recess, during which time he had an interview with one or more of the officers, and with his mother and sister, changed his testimony, and stated that the defendant had committed the act in his presence. In his charge, the learned circuit judge discussed the conduct of the witness mentioned, at length, and the rules by which the jurors were to determine the value of his testimony, in connection…