Tuttle v. Cooper
Tuttle v. Cooper
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court. The prin1 1 cipal ground on which the plaintiff relies in support of his motion for a new trial, is the supposed detection of a false statement in the testimony of Walsh, one of the defendants’ witnesses. There certainly seems to be sufficient evidence to support the verdict without the testimony of Walsh, but if his testimony was false as to a material fact, as the plaintiff contends it was, we should think it a dangerous precedent to suffer the verdict to stand, upon the ground that the other evidence might be sufficient to support it, unless that evidence were very clear and conclusive. But on looking into the testimony of Walsh, as reported by the judge, we do not find any false statement; all that appears is, that a false inference might be drawn from it, and that in regard to a fact not very material. Walsh testified, “ that the defendants kept a note account in which the note declared upon would have been entered, if it had been a company note ; but it was not there, and there was no entry in the books having any relation to it.” The supposed falsehood of this statement is, that in the account of notes there were no notes found against the company. Nor did Walsh testify that there were any such notes entered
With respect to the confessions of Robbins, which were offered to be proved at the trial and were rejected by the judge, we think it very clear, considering the question which was submitted to the jury, that the evidence was very property excluded. The question was, whether the note sued was a partnership transaction or not. If it had been proved to be a partnership transaction, then the confessions of Robbins would have been evidence ; but there was no evidence of tnat fact, and therefore as to the note the defendants were not copartners, and the confessions of one ought not to be admitted to the prejudice of another.
Motion for a new trial overruled.
See Robbins v. Willard, 6 Pick. 464 ; Bridge v. Gray, 14 Pick. 61, Jewett v. Stevens, 6 N. Hamp. R. 82; 2 Stark. Ev. (5th Am. ed.) 587, 25, n. 1.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jeremiah Tuttle versus John Cooper
- Status
- Published