Dolan v. State

23 N.E. 761, 122 Ind. 141, 1890 Ind. LEXIS 59
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 7, 1890
DocketNo. 15,019
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 23 N.E. 761 (Dolan v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dolan v. State, 23 N.E. 761, 122 Ind. 141, 1890 Ind. LEXIS 59 (Ind. 1890).

Opinion

Olds, J.

This is a prosecution by indictment for the sale of intoxicating liquor in violation of section 2093, R. S. 1881. The indictment is in two counts. One count of the indictment charges the appellant with giving away to one Andrew Hines one gill of intoxicating liquor. The other count charges a sale of one gill of intoxicating liquor, he, the said Andrew Hines, being a person in the habit of becoming intoxicated, and after due notice in writing had been given him, the said James Dolan, that the said Andrew Hines was then and there a person in the habit of becoming intoxicated, by one Anna Hines, who was, at the time of giving said notice, a citizen of the township in which said Andrew Hines, at the time of giving said, notice, resided, to wit, Henry township, in said county and State aforesaid.”

There was a motion to quash the indictment overruled, and exceptions taken. There was a trial, and the defendant was convicted.

The appellant moved for a venire de novo, which was overruled, and exceptions taken. Appellant also moved for a new trial, which was overruled, and exceptions taken. Errors are separately assigned on the rulings of the court in [143]*143overruling the motions to quash, for a venire de novo, and for a new trial.

The first objection urged to the sufficiency of the indictment is as to the language used in charging that Andrew Hines was a person in the habit of being intoxicated. The statute makes it a misdemeanor to sell, barter or give away intoxicating liquor to a person in the habit of being intoxicated ” after notice, etc., and the indictment charges a sale to a person in the habit of becoming intoxicated. This objection is not well taken. While it maybe the safe practice in some instances to follow the language of the statute, yet an indictment is sufficient if words conveying the same meaning as those of the statute creating the offence are used. Shepler v. State, 114 Ind. 194.

Charging a sale to a person in the habit of “ becoming intoxicated ” is the same in effect as charging a sale to a person in the habit of being intoxicated.”

It is further urged that the indictment is insufficient, for the reason that it does not aver that Hines was in the habit of being intoxicated at the time of the sale or gift of the liquor to him. It is contended that the indictment should aver that both at the time the notice was given and at the time of the sale the person was in the habit of becoming intoxicated.

The statute makes the person selling or giving away intoxicating liquors to a person in the habit of being intoxicated, after having notice that such person is in the habit of being intoxicated, liable to a fine, to which imprisonment may be added, and the indictment avers facts which constitute an offence under the statute. It avers, as we construe it, that the appellant gave intoxicating liquor to Andrew Hines, that Hines was at the time a person in the habit of being intoxicated, and that notice had been given to the appellant before the sale that Hines was a person in the habit of being intoxicated.

The indictment avers all that counsel for appellant claims [144]*144it should on that subject to make it good. It avers that “James Dolan did then and there unlawfully give away to one Andrew Hines one gill of intoxicating liquor, he, the said Andrew Hines, being a person in the habit of becoming intoxicated.”

It might have been averred that he, the said Andrew Hines,being a person in the habit of becoming intoxicated at the time the intoxicating liquor was given to him by said Dolan, or that he, the said Andrew Hines, being then and there a person, etc.; but the language used in the indictment is to the same effect, and charges that Hines was a person in the habit of becoming intoxicated at the time of the sale.

There was no error in overruling the motion to quash the indictment.

The motion for a venire de novo is verified by the defendant. The ground of the motion is, that the jury were regularly sworn to try the issues joined in the cause before the defendant was arraigned and pleaded to the indictment, and that after the jury were sworn and before any further steps were taken, the defendant was arraigned and pleaded not guilty.

The record in the case shows the reverse of the facts stated in the motion. It shows that the defendant was first arraigned and pleaded not guilty, and afterwards the jury were impanelled and sworn, and the record is conclusive, and the motion for a venire de novo was properly overruled. But even if the record did not control, it does not appear from the facts as stated in the motion that any motion or request was made at the trial that the jury be re-sworn, nor was there any objection made to proceeding with the trial, but without objection the defendant proceeded to trial, and he thereby waived any informality in the manner or time of swearing the jury. Henning v. State, 106 Ind. 386; Smurr v. State, 105 Ind. 125; Coleman v. State, 111 Ind. 563. We have passed upon the question presented, but in doing so we do not intend to be understood as holding that it was properly presented by the motion for a venire de novo; by such motion only such de[145]*145fects as are apparent on the face of the record are presented. Under our practice it is possibly limited to defective verdicts or findings, it certainly can not be supported by extrinsic evidence, as in this case, by a verified motion. Gillett Crim. Law, section 957.

The next alleged error discussed is the-overruling of a challenge of a juror for cause. The juror answered that he had a prejudice against the sale of intoxicating liquors, and that he would think that a man engaged in such business would be of bad moral character; but that the fact that a witness was engaged in such business would not have any influence upon him in weighing the evidence of such witness, or determining his credibility ; that he had not formed or expressed any opinion in the case, and that he could give the defendant a fair and impartial trial upon the law and the evidence; and, further, that he had no opinion as to whether or not the defendant had been served with notice. The foregoing was all the examination of the juror. The juror was competent.

The ruling of the court is clearly supported by the holdings of this court in Elliott v. State, 73 Ind. 10 ; Shields v. State, 95 Ind. 299; Stoots v. State, 108 Ind. 415 ; Butler v. State, 97 Ind. 378.

The juror expressed his personal views in regard to the traffic in intoxicating liquors, but his answers do not show that he had any bias or prejudice against the defendant; and the juror expressly stated that he would not allow the fact that a witness was engaged in such traffic to have any influence upon him in weighing the evidence, or determining the credibility, of such witness; he had expressed no opinion, and could give the defendant a fair and impartial trial, and he was a competent juror.

It is urged that the court erred in refusing to give to the jury instructions one and two requested by defendant. The principle of law stated in these instructions is as stated by counsel for appellant in his brief, that if the prose[146]

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Bluebook (online)
23 N.E. 761, 122 Ind. 141, 1890 Ind. LEXIS 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dolan-v-state-ind-1890.