Commonwealth v. Jongrass

Citations

• 181 Pa. 172
• 37 A. 207
• 1897 Pa. LEXIS 523

Syllabus

<p>Criminal law — Murder—Interpreter.</p> <p>On the trial of an indictment for murder where it is necessary to administer the oath to witnesses by an interpreter, it is not necessary that the clerk should repeat the oath to the interpreter every time the latter is called upon to administer it to a witness. It is enough if this be done at the beginning of the examination.</p> <p>An interpreter acts under the sanction of his oath as such when he administers the oath to a witness no less than when he interprets the testimony of the witness to the court and jury.</p> <p>Criminal law — Murder—Sleeping juror.</p> <p>On an appeal in a murder case the Supreme Court will not review the refusal of the trial court to set aside the verdict because it was alleged that one of the jurors had for an instant appeared to be asleep.</p> <p>Criminal law — Practice—Professional ethics.</p> <p>There is no code of professional ethics that is peculiar to the criminal courts. There are no methods of practice to be tolerated there that are not equally entitled to recognition in the civil courts. Subtile distinctions that mark no substantial differences and that do not affect the merits of a controversy unless it may be to obscure or to defeat them, should not be allowed to thwart justice in the interests of disorder and crime.</p> <p>Judge and juror — Evidence.</p> <p>Neither a judge nor a juror is bound to accept the statement of a witness which contradicts the testimony of his own senses.</p>