100 Ala. 53 | Ala. | 1893
When a defendant, on trial for a criminal offense, introduces himself as a witness, he thereby offers to reveal all he knows material to the cause. He swears to tell the whole truth. He voluntarily removes the constitutional safeguard which would protect him from self-crimination, so far as concerns the crime for which he is being tried, and becomes as any other witness, and compellable to disclose all he knows, whether for or against him. These observations are in line with what we said in Williams v. State, 98 Ala. 52, as well as prior adjudications. Indeed, they are not disputed, by appellant’s counsel.
The trial of a cause is an entirety. The order in which witnesses may be examined is within the discretion of the trial court. A witness may be recalled and re-examined in chief, or further cross-examined, at any stage of the trial, and as often, as the court may allow. If the defendant, having made himself as any other witness, is compellable to testify to all he knows when first put upon the stand, there is no substantial reason why he may not be called to the stand a second time and compelled to do the same. It was
There was no error in the ruling of the Circuit Court, and its judgment is affirmed.
Affirmed.