Beauchamp v. Tennel
Beauchamp v. Tennel
Opinion of the Court
OPINION of the Court, by
— Beau-champ declared against Tennel, that in consideration of
On the trial of the issue the plaintiff took two bills of exceptions ; the first, states that “ the defendant introduced evidence to prove what had been the confessions of the plaintiff upon a certain subject at a certain time, and the plaintiff offered to introduce other evidence to prove what had been the confessions of the plaintiff both before and after that time, to contradict the evidence introduced by the defendant, which evidence the court refused.
The second bill states, that after the plaintiff had read his depositions the defendant objected to them as illegally taken, but if legally taken, that they did not support the declaration, and moved that the court should so instruct the jury. Upon both points the court sustained the defendant’s motion. These opinions are complained of in this court as erroneous.
Upon the first bill two answers readily present themselves in this court; first, that it does not appear that the confession of the plaintiff “ upon a certain subject at a certain time” had any reasonable bearing on the case, as the plaintiff has not stated what the confession was : secondly, that the plaintiff was not at liberty to offer his confessions at other tunes to contradict his statement or confession at a particular time, although he might have explained or proved by witnesses who heard the confession or conversation at the same time, that they had understood it differently, thus leaving the identity and substance of the confession or conversation, taken together, to be judged of by the jury. But the plaintiff had no right to rely on his oxvn inconsistent statements, at different periods, to do away the effect of bis confession made in a certain conversation.
Upon the second bill the first question which occurs is, whether the depositions can be noticed by this court, although certified by the clerk, as they are not expressly
Upon the other points the opinions of the circuit court were correct.--Judgment affirmed.
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