Rufus Wheeler Peckham

“ The court, in his oral charge, said to the jury: 'It is admitted in this case that the defendants are men of good character, the law presuming every defendant to have a good character; and the jury may consider such good character, and give it such weight as they see proper, under all the evidence in the case, that defendant is entitled to a reasonable doubt.' Assuming that the request stated the proper rule in regard to evidence of good character, we are of opinion that the charge as given to the jury by the trial court amounted, in substance, to the charge as requested. ”

“ It is obvious that the nature of the office of jailer requires not only the actual safekeeping of the prisoners committed to his charge, but that, in order to the proper discharge of those duties, some list should be kept by him, or under his supervision, showing the names of those received and discharged, together with the dates of such reception and discharge. If there were a clerk whose duty it was to keep such a book, instead of the jailer, then the entries so made by that clerk would be evidence in and of themselves. ”