In the case of Cochran and Sayre v. United States in 1894, the U.S Supreme Court ruled on a matter involving fraudulent use of mails. The defendants, Cochran and Sayre, were convicted for using mail to defraud investors through false representations about mining operations. They appealed their conviction arguing that they had not been given an opportunity to object to the indictment before it was read out loud in court as required by law at that time. The Supreme Court upheld their convictions stating that while there may have been procedural errors during trial proceedings, these did not necessarily warrant reversal of judgment unless such errors resulted in substantial harm or prejudice against defendants' rights. The court found no evidence suggesting any significant harm or prejudice caused by failure to allow objections prior to reading of indictment. Furthermore, the court rejected arguments claiming insufficient evidence supporting conviction; it held that if there is enough circumstantial evidence from which jury could reasonably infer guilt then this would suffice even without direct proof showing every detail alleged within indictment's charges.

In the dissenting opinion for Cochran and Sayre v. United States, Justice Brewer argued that the defendants should have been allowed to present evidence of their good character during trial. He believed that such evidence was relevant because it could help establish whether or not they were likely to commit the crime in question. Furthermore, he disagreed with the majority's interpretation of a statute regarding mail fraud, arguing that it did not apply to this case as there was no proof of intent to defraud anyone through use of mails by defendants. According to him, merely using mails does not constitute an offense unless accompanied by fraudulent intentions which wasn't proven beyond reasonable doubt in this case.