Case Name: Commonwealth versus Stephen Murphy
Court: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Decision Date: 1817-10
Citations: 13 Tyng 387
Docket Number: 
Parties: Commonwealth versus Stephen Murphy.
Judges: 
Reporter: Massachusetts Reports
Volume: 14
Pages: 331–331

Head Matter:
Commonwealth versus Stephen Murphy.
The credibility of a female witness may properly be impeached, by proving her to be a common prostitute. ■
On the trial of the prisoner, who was indicted for a rape, the Attorney-General offered evidence that a female witness, who had testified on behalf of the prisoner, had been the mother of several bastard children, and was notoriously a common prostitute.
* G. Sullivan, for the prisoner,
objected to the admission of the evidence.

Opinion:
But the Court
overruled the objection, observing that a common prostitute must necessarily have greatly corrupted, if not totally lost, the moral principle, and of course her respect for truth and her regard to the sacredness of an oath. The credibility of a witness may therefore be properly impeached, by proving her to be of such a character.
Ex relatione Mri. Fuller,
[This decision has no authority to sustain it. — Bathews vs. Galindo, 6 L. J 133, C. P. — When a witness is called to impeach the character of a former witness as to veracity,"the proper inquiry is, whether the witness called knows the character of the former witness in this regard, and whether the witness called would believe the witness whose veracity is questioned when testifying upon oath. — 1 Starkie, 2 Lond. ed. 182. — 2 Phil. & Am. 925. — Ed.]