89 Mo. App. 363 | Mo. Ct. App. | 1901
-The first and principal error assigned relates tó the refusal of instructions requested by plaintiff. Hnfortunately for the consideration of this point, the bill of exceptions fails to show that such instructions were embodied or called for therein, or that any exceptions were taken at the time to their refusal and, on motion of the respondents, they were heretofore stricken from the abstract of the record. This omission is fatal to a review of the ruling of the court on this point.
We must rule that these recitals from the bill of exceptions do not preserve any objection or exception to the husband’s testimony on the score of its being a privileged communication. That reason was not assigned and the testimony, whether incompetent on that ground or not, was otherwise competent. It has always been the law in this State that general objections to the admission of evidence do not authorize an appellate court to review the trial court’s action in admitting it. Fields v. Hunter, 8 Mo. 128; Bank v. Merchant’s Bank, 10 Mo. 123; Bauer v. Franklin County, 51 Mo. 205; Western v. Flanna
Finding no error in the record, the judgment is affirmed.
SEPARATE OPINION.
The disqualification of the husband or wife to testify for the other at common law was not waivable, but the disqualification to testify against the other, whether from interest and legal identity or because the proposed testimony would embrace confidential communications, was waivable by the other party. The statutes in this State have removed the absolute disqualification at common law and permitted such persons to testify for each other under the limitations prescribed in the enabling acts. R. S. 1899, secs. 4562, 4566. As to the other disqualifications, resting on privilege only, as these might have been waived at common law, so they can be waived now. In the ease at bar, the record shows a clear waiver by appellant of the adverse testimony, of communications between the two, given by her husband. I concur in the opinion for this reasQn solely.