Smith v. Hine
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Appeal, No. 153, Oct. T., 1896, by defendant, from judgment of C. P. Indiana Co., March T., 1894, No. 323, on verdict for plaintiff. Issue to determine the validity of .a judgment. Before Habby White, P. J. At the trial the plaintiff having called C. O. Wachob as a witness, the defendant undertook to impeach him by proof of his general reputation for truth and veracity.
Read the full summary
Appeal, No. 153, Oct. T., 1896, by defendant, from judgment of C. P. Indiana Co., March T., 1894, No. 323, on verdict for plaintiff. Issue to determine the validity of .a judgment. Before Habby White, P. J. At the trial the plaintiff having called C. O. Wachob as a witness, the defendant undertook to impeach him by proof of his general reputation for truth and veracity. The testimony being objected to by plaintiff’s attorneys, the court made the following ruling: We will confine the inquiry as to the character of Mr. Wachob for truth and veracity prior to the commencement of the trouble about…
1Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Mr. Justice Fell,
Generally when evidence of character is received as tending to establish the innocence of a person charged with crime the inquiry is limited to the time when, or prior to which, the alleged offense was committed,, and the same limitation is observed in civil cases where the character of a party to the suit is an element to be considered in estimating damages. The character of the accused prior to the charge of crime is often important in determining the question of guilt, and it may of itself be sufficient to create the reasonable doubt which should work an…
2Cases cited1 opinion
- Stratton v. StateIndiana Supreme Court · 1874
3Cited by9 opinions
- Commonwealth v. WhiteSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1922
- Miller v. MillerSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1898
- Hopkins v. TateSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1916
- Commonwealth v. HansellSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 1958
- Commonwealth v. ShowersSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 1996
4 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.