Barker v. State

120 N.E. 593, 188 Ind. 263, 1918 Ind. LEXIS 107
Indiana Supreme Court·Decided October 30, 1918·No. No. 23,133·Published·Cited by 37 cases

Opinion

Myers, C. J.

— Appellant was indicted, tried and convicted on an indictment which charged him with carnal knowledge of a female child under sixteen years of age. Acts 1907 p. 85, §2250 Bums 1908. The indictment was returned April 23, 1913, and alleged that the offense was committed on or about July 26, 1912. To this indictment appellant pleaded specially, averring in substance that on April 23, 1913, two indictments were returned against him, both for criminal assault upon the same person, one charging the offense as having been committed on or about January 1, 1909, and the other on or about July 26, 1912; that he was arrested, tried before a jury, and acquitted of the offense charged as of January 1, 1909; that the state in the trial of that cause introduced evidence and facts before the jury touching all times and dates without reference to the time and date laid in the indictment, and also interrogated and cross-examined this appellant generally as to whether he was guilty of the offense charged; that the evidence to prove the charge in the present indictment will be the same and no wise different from that produced against him at the former trial. A demurrer to this answer for want of facts was sustained, and this ruling is assigned as error.

1. Whatever may be said for or against the sufficiency of this answer is immaterial, for, under the recent holdings of this court, it is unnecessary for us to determine the sufficiency of a special plea where the evidence to support the same is admissible under the general issue. Lucas v. State (1909), 173 Ind. 302, 90 N. E. 305; Williams v. State (1907), 169 Ind. 384, [267] 83 N. E. 790; Boxell v. Bright Nat. Bank (1915), 184 Ind. 631, 634, 112 N. E. 3; L. R. A. 1917A 1235, note. Former jeopardy was the theory of this answer, and, while our Criminal Code authorizes any matter of defense to be pleaded specially, yet it also, provides that a defendant in a criminal prosecution under a plea of not guilty may prove on the trial that he has before had judgment of acquittal for the same offense. ' Acts 1905 p. 584, §198, §2069 Burns 1914.

2. Appellant has failed to point out any advantage to which he was entitled under his special plea that was not, or could not properly have been accorded him, under the general issue. The burden is on him to show that the- ruling of which he complains was harmful, and, failing so to do, his contention must be denied. Groff v. Clark (1896), 146 Ind. 52, 44 N. E. 803; Chicago, etc., R. Co. v. Dinius (1913), 180 Ind. 596, 623, 103 N. E. 652; Ward v. State (1912), 179 Ind. 524, 101 N. E. 809; City of Terre Haute v. Lauda (1914), 58 Ind. App. 480, 108 N. E. 392.

Appellant’s motion for a discharge under the provisions of §2091 Burns' 1914, Acts 1905 p. 584, §220, was overruled and this ruling he assigns as error.

3. It is well settled in this state that where a party seeks the benefit of a statute he must bring himself clearly within its provisions. Woodward v. State (1910), 174 Ind. 743, 93 N. E. 169; Town of Windfall City v. State, ex rel. (1910), 174 Ind. 311, 313, 92 N. E. 57; Blair v. City of Fort Wayne (1912), 51 Ind. App. 652, 657, 98 N. E. 736. In this case the motion fails to show that his trial was not delayed by his own act. This omission was fatal to the motion, and the ruling of the trial court must be sustained. Klein v. State (1901), 157 Ind. 146, 60 N. E. 1036; City of Fort Wayne v. Bender (1914), 57 Ind. App. 689, 105 N. E. 949.

[268] Appellant next insists that'the court erred in overruling his motion for a new trial.

4. His.brief does not contain a copy of the motion dr a statement from which all the questions sought to be presented may be intelligently considered without going to the record. In Dorsey v. State (1912), 179 Ind. 531, 100 N. E. 369, it is said: “The rules of this court contemplate that appellant’s brief shall be so prepared that each judge, by a consideration of the brief alone, and without examining the transcript, may intelligently consider each question presented. The rules further contemplate that the points on which appellant relies, must be definitely and specifically stated.” From appellant’s brief we learn that his motion for a new trial contains ninety-eight reasons or • specifications of error, but we will consider only those where it appears that a good-faith, effort has been made to present them. As to all others it must be understood that we regard them as having been waived.

5. He begins his statement of the motion by saying, “The first, second, third and fourth are statutory.” Then follows a reference to the page and line of the record where we assume the causes relied on may be found. Under the heading, “Propositions and Points by which Appellant Seeks a Reversal of the Judgment of Conviction,” and referring to the overruling of his motion for a new trial, he makes the following points: “The verdict of the jury is contrary to and not sustained by the law or evidence.” Also, “The absence of evidence in a criminal case may of itself be sufficient to entitle the defendant to go acquit.” In his argument he asserts that the evidence is wholly insufficient to sustain the verdict. Following this assertion, he gives a history of the case leading up to the return of the indictment upon which he was tried and convicted. If from this information we may assume that the first, [269] second, third and fourth causes in appellant’s motion are based on clause 9, §2158 Burns 1914, Acts 1905 p. 584, §282, which provides that a new trial shall be grantéd'when the verdict of the jury is contrary to law, or is not sustained by sufficient evidence, then it would be our duty to look to appellant’s condensed recital of the evidence as required by Rule 22, clause 5.

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Barker v. State, 120 N.E. 593, 188 Ind. 263, 1918 Ind. LEXIS 107 (Ind. 1918).

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