Commonwealth v. Stoner

Citations

• 265 Pa. 139
• 108 A. 624
• 1919 Pa. LEXIS 514

Syllabus

<p>Criminal law — Evidence of good character — Charge.</p> <p>1. Where the court on the trial of a criminal indictment correctly and properly charges as to the consideration to be given to evidence of good character, it cannot be convicted of error in further charging as follows: “This does not mean that because a man has behaved well in a certain particular heretofore, and has there and then ceased to behave well and has in fact committed the crime charged, it does not mean that if he is guilty he shall be acquitted, or have any benefit of the fact that he has heretofore behaved well, but it does mean that in determining whether you are satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty, that he did commit the act, you shall give him the benefit of a full and fair consideration of the evidence of good reputation in connection with all the other evidence in the ease.”</p> <p>Indictment — Second indictment after first had been ignored— Discretion of court.</p> <p>2. In a criminal prosecution it is within the discretion of the lower court to permit the district attorney to submit a new bill after the first indictment has been ignored.</p> <p>Criminal law — Arrest of judgment — Quashing indictment — Production of letter before grand jury.</p> <p>3. Where on the trial of an indictment a letter was produced which the defendant admitted he had written, the court will not, after a verdict of guilty, grant a new trial on the ground that the same letter had been produced by a witness before the grand jury without any proof that the letter had been written or signed by the defendant.</p>