 Hodge did not try to impeach the reputation of the third prosecution witness, Daniel Ross, a Justice of the Peace.Hodge called his sister, Penelope, and a witness described as an "old black woman" to give testimony to his innocence, but reports suggest that their evidence was not regarded as credible.As is customary in common law legal systems, the defendant was allowed to address the jury before they retired to consider their verdict, and Hodge said this