Pennington, as we have claimed, is an imbecile with a mentality of about eleven years. We have a right to judge him largely on the basis of an eleven-year-old child. The testimony of eleven-year-old children is often admitted into court, and many a person has been convicted on such testimony. It is true that it is a somewhat moot question as to how much credence should be placed in children's testimony. The real criterion in such cases is the nature of the child, a matter which we have already considered. A child may testify to simple facts, and may be relied upon where he has no particular interest, where there cannot be shown any tendency or desire on the part of the child to show off or to say something for effect or to exercise childish imagination and invent a large story for the sake of the pleasing sound. It is perfectly clear to any one who studies the confession of Pennington that he must have told a straight-forward story. As already stated, he would not have incriminated himself as he did if he had been falsifying. He is not the type of person that runs on in an imaginary tale without regard to the facts. In short, his testimony bears every evidence of being entirely credible. On the other hand, as already pointed out, Gianini's testimony is unreliable, because he was talking for effect. He is of the type that loves show and notoriety. His testimony was only to be trusted where it could be corroborated by facts or the testimony of others. Careful study of the testimony and the nature and the character of the child will almost always enable one to decide very accurately as to how much credence is to be placed in the evidence. In other words, the fact of high-grade imbecility does not of itself make the child's testimony acceptable or non-acceptable. It must be judged on its merits. We have in these two cases excellent examples of the trustworthy and untrustworthy.