Commonwealth v. Mooney

Sep 15, 1872
Reporters:
By the Court.

The witness Allen having testified to certain facts tending ‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‍to prove the guilt of the defendant, it was not competent for the defendant to show what opinion the witness ‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‍may have had or expressed upon the merits of the case. The fact that he had an opinion that the ‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‍defendant was innocent would not tend to contradict or impeach him. At most, it only shows the weight he gave ‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‍to the facts testified to by him as tending to prove the defendant’s guilt, which is for the jury exclusively, ‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‍and upon which the opinion of witnesses is not competent.

Exceptions overruled.