State v. Northrup

1. CRIMINAL toicet'sooti character. I. The principal evidence against the defendants was that of an acknowledged accomplice, without which there could not have been a conviction. The defendants gave evidence tending to show they were persons of good character, and the court instructed the jury as follows:

“14. A person charged with crime is permitted to show, as a circumstance in his defense, that his character as to the trait involved in the charge was good previous to its being made; and in cases of doubt, or where the evidence is obscure or circumstantial, it may be a strong circumstance…