Everett v. State

33 Fla. 661
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJanuary 15, 1894
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 33 Fla. 661 (Everett v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Everett v. State, 33 Fla. 661 (Fla. 1894).

Opinions

Mabky, J.:

The plaintiffs in error were jointly indicted in May,. A. D. 1893, for the murder of J. Fletcher Tillman, and after arraignment and trial William H. Everett was convicted of murder in the first degree and recommended to the mercy of the court, and Madison. Everett was convicted of murder in the third degree.

William H. is indicted as principal in the first degree, and Madison as being feloniously present aiding, inciting, abetting and assisting the commission of the murder.

One of the assignments of error here is that “the-court erred in admitting, over the objections of the-defendants’ counsel, any testimony against Madison Everett under the indictment, he being charged as-principal by being feloniously present aiding, abetting, inciting and assisting, it not being charged or alleged how he aided, abetted, incited and assisted.” After-the usual formal allegations in indictments for murder, the one here charges that William H. Everett and Madison Everett, on a certain day and year, in the-county and circuit mentioned, “with force and arms at and in the county of Alachua aforesaid did, without authority of law, wilfully, felonio.usly, of their máliceaforethought and from a premeditated design to effect [663]*663the death of one J. Fletcher Tillman, make an assault' upon the said J. Fletcher Tillman, and a certain pistol which then and there was loaded with gunpowder and leaden bullets, and by him, the said William EL Everett, had and held in his hand, he the said William H. Everett did then and there unlawfully, wilfully,, feloniously, of his malice aforethought, and from ai premeditated design to effect the death of the said J.. Fletcher Tillman, shoot off and discharge at and upon: the said J. Fletcher Tillman, thereby and by thus, striking the said J. Fletcher Tillman with two- of the* leaden bullets aforesaid, inflicting on and in the head of’ him the said J. Fletcher Tillman, two mortal wounds, of' which said two mortal wounds the said J. Fletcher Tillman then and there instantly died; and that the said Madison Everett at the time and place of the commission, of the said murder, and felony aforesaid, was feloniously present then and there aiding, inciting, abetting and assisting the said William EL Everett the said murder and,; felony to do and commit; and so the said William EL. Everett and the said Madison Everett did, in manner- and form aforesaid, without authority of law, wilfully, feloniously, of their malice aforethought, andi from a premeditated design to effect the death of the-.said J. Fletcher Tillman, kill and murder the said J.. Fletcher Tillman.” No attack was made on the indictment before trial, and the objection urged, under-the assignment of error mentioned, is not to any designated part of the evidence introduced by the State-against Madison Everett, but it is contended that no-testimony of any kind should have been admitted-against him, because the indictment does- not allege-how he aided, abetted, incited and assisted in the commission of the offense. The manner in which the killing was effected by William H. Everett, it will be seei& [664]*664:from the part of the indictment copied, is alleged, and Madison Everett, it is charged, was feloniously pres- • ent aiding, assisting and abetting in the commission -of the felony. The defendant, Madison Everett, plead to this indictment and went to trial on it, and we think 'it is entirely sufficient to authorize the admission -against him of all competent evidence bearing on the ■•case.

.Another assignment of error discussed by counsel for plaintiffs in error is that “the court erred in allowing 'the wife of William H. Everett, defendant, to testify '•against him.” After the testimony for the State in chief had been introduced and the defendants had made voluntary statements in their behalf to the jury, .Mrs. Ellen Everett, wife of the defendant William H. Everett, was called as a witness on the part of the ■State to testify in rebuttal of the statement made by .•■her husband. An objection was made < by defendant that she was not'a competent witness, and this objection being overruled an exception was duly noted. It ■••appears that for several months before the deceased 'was killed, and up to the time of the trial, William H. .Everett and his wife had lived separate and apart from •■■each other, and this separation, according to his statement before the jury, was brought about by reason of '^improper relations between his wife and the deceased. The defendant William H. Everett stated that his wife had made to him certain admissions and concessions of such improper ’relations, and Mrs. Everett •¡was permitted in her'testimony to contradict her husIband’s statement in the particulars mentioned. The exception taken and urged here is confined entirely to ■’the competency of the wife to testify at ail in the case. "The act of 1891, Chapter 4029, page 968 Appendix to J6L S,, provides “that an act entitled ‘an act to allow [665]*665married women to testify in all civil cases where their husbands are parties and not disqualified,’ the same being Chapter 3124 of the laws of Florida, approved March 7th, 1879, be amended so as to read as follows: Section 1. That in the trial of civil actions in this State, neither' the husband nor the wife shall be ■excluded as witnesses where either the said husband or wife is an interested party to the suit pending. Section 2. That all laws or parts of laws in conflict with this act be and the same are are hereby repealed.” Section 2863 of the Revised Statutes reads as follows: “The provisions of law relative to the competency of witnessess in civil cases shall obtain also in criminal ■cases.” For plaintiffs in error it is contended that the .act of 1891, Chapter 4029, is not in force for the reason that it is an amendment of Chapter 3124, acts of 1879, and that this latter act was entirely omitted from the revision of the statues submitted to the Legislature. It is provided in the latter part of the first section of the act of 1891 adopting the Revised Statutes, Chapter 4055, that “statutes passed at this session of the Legislature shall not be repealed or affected by said revision, but shall have full effect as if passed after the enactment of said revision, except those acts passed at this session which are amendatory of laws omitted from said revision.” Counsel insist that Chapter 4029 is amendatory of law omitted from the revision, and is therefore expressly repealed by the latter when it went into effect. This contention is based upon a mistaken view of the provisions contained in the Revised Statutes submitted by the commissioners and enacted by the Legislature in reference to the subject-matter of •Chapter 4029, acts of 1891. By" referring to the Revised Statutes that accompanied the bill adopting them, and now in the office of the Secretary of State [666]*666we find that Section 1094, as therein arranged, reads as follows, viz: “Married persons shall be competent-witnesses for or against each other in civil eases-wherein either of them is a party and is allowed to testify.” This provision we do not find in the Revised Statutes as published, and its omission may be accounted for on the theory that the commissioners considered it repealed, or superseded, by Chapter 4029, acts of 1891, as reference is made to this act under the-number of the section mentioned. The facts stated make it entirely clear that the act of 1891 referred to can not be considered as repealed because it wasamendatory of laws omitted from the revision.

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Bluebook (online)
33 Fla. 661, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/everett-v-state-fla-1894.