Foster v. State

39 Ala. 229
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedJanuary 15, 1864
StatusPublished
Cited by42 cases

This text of 39 Ala. 229 (Foster v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Foster v. State, 39 Ala. 229 (Ala. 1864).

Opinion

A. J. WALKER, C. J.

The indictment consisted of two counts, the first alleging larceny from a store-house, and the second, the receiving, concealing, and aiding in the concealment of stolen goods. To the entire indictment, embracing these two counts, the plea of autrefois acquit was interposed. The former indictment was for larceny alone. The goods charged by it to have been stolen, were different from those mentioned in the indictment in this case ; but the plea alleged that they were taken at the same time, and that there was only one taking, and only one receiving of stolen goods. This plea was not a bar to the second count. An acquittal from the charge of larceny can not bar a prosecution for receiving stolen goods. This is ascertained by applying the established test, whether the facts alleged in the indictment for the latter offense, if [234]*234proved to be true, would have warranted a conviction on tbe first indictment. — Harrison v. State, 36 Ala. 248; Henry v. State, 33 ib. 389-400; Johnson v. State, 12 ib. 840 ; State v. Standifer, 5 Porter, 523; 2 Leading Cr. Cases, 552; note to King v. Vandercomb & Abbott, 2 Leach, 708 ; 1 Chitty on Cr. L. 452 ; Regina v. Perkins, 12 Eng. L. & E. 587. Tbe constituents of tbe two offenses of larceny and receiving stolen goods are altogether different. In tbe former offense, tbe accused is guilty of tbe felonious taking and carrying away of tbe goods of another. In tbe latter, be is guilty of receiving goods, which bad been taken and carried away by another. Under an indictment for tbe former, there can be no conviction, if tbe evidence proves guilt of tbe latter. Tbe cases are numerous, in which the courts have striven to determine, whether tbe proof made out tbe one or tbe other offense; and there has been uniformly an acquittal, when tbe indictment was for larceny, and tbe offense proved was receiving stolen goods, and vice versa. — Roscoe’s Cr. Ev. 871, 872, 873; 2 Russ. on Cr. 239, 240, 241; 2 Bishop on Cr. L. § 953. Tbe offense of larceny is perfected before that of receiving stolen goods can be perpetrated. Tbe case in band can not, therefore, fall within tbe^principle which declares, that an acquittal of one felony is a discharge of any other offense that is an ingredient or accompaniment of it. — Wharton on Am. Cr. Law, § 565.

Tbe plea of autrefois acquit not being an answer to tbe count for receiving stolen goods, tbe court was right in sustaining a demurrer to it, as well when pleaded to tbe entire indictment, as when pleaded to tbe single count for receiving stolen goods.

[2.] Tbe plea of autrefois acquit to tbe first count of tbe indictment did not set out tbe record or indictment in tbe former case. It seems to have been decided in Henry’s case, (33 Ala. 389,) that in such a plea it is necessary to set out tbe “record, or at least tbe indictment.” Eor this objection, tbe court might have sustained tbe demurrer to tbe plea. Tbe court, however, having overruled it, tbe defect is not now before us, and can not be tbe predicate for an affirmance, upon tbe idea that tbe accused was not [235]*235injured by tbe action of tbe court upon a demurrable plea for, if tbe court bad sustained a demurrer for it, tbat defect would probably have been cured by an amendment.

Tbis special plea to tbe first count was, in other respects, substantially conformable to tbe law governing sucb pleadings. Although tbe former and tbe latter indictment charge larcenies of different goods, tbe plea avers tbat tbe goods described in tbe respective indictments, if taken at all, were taken at tbe same time, by one and tbe same act, and belonged to tbe same owner. Tbis averment shows tbat tbe takings described in tbe two indictments belonged to tbe same transaction, and tbat there was only one larceny. It would, therefore, be inadmissible for tbe State to spbt up tbe single offense into two distinct charges; and an acquittal from a charge of steabng a part of tbe goods would bar a prosecution based upon tbe taking of tbe other goods. — Wharton’s Am. Cr. Law, § 391; 2 Leading Cr. Cases, supra.

[3.] Tbe defendant not only bad before tbe court tbe special plea of autrefois acquit, which was held good as a defense to the first count of tbe indictment, but also tbe plea of not guilty to both counts. To have submitted to tbe jury tbe trial of an issue on tbe special plea, and on tbe plea of not guilty at tbe same time, would have been an error, as was held by tbis court in Henry's case, (supra,) and in Nelson's case, 7 Ala. 610. Tbe former of those decisions was made in reference to pleas both of autrefois acquit and of autrefois convict; and tbe latter, in reference to a plea of autrefois convict; but tbe same law is applicable to both classes of pleas, and both cases alike are authorities upon tbe question of tbe propriety of submitting tbe two issues together to tbe jury in tbis case. — Wharton’s Amer. Cr. Law, § 539.

To avoid a reversal for tbe error above noticed, tbe following positions have been taken before us in argument: 1st, tbat tbe legitimate intendment from tbe record is, tbat tbe defendant waived tbe special plea, and tbat tbe issue upon tbe plea of autrefois acquit was not submitted to tbe jury;; 2d, tbat, conceding tbe simultaneous submission of tbe two issues to tbe jury, tbe defendant cannot avail himself [236]*236of the error, because be did not except to it in tbe court below, and that the objection must therefore be regarded on error as waived; and, 3d, that notwithstanding the circuit court may have committed an error, in itself sufficient to reverse, yet it is apparent from the record in this case that the defendant sustained no injury in consequence of the error, and therefore there «ought to be no reversal. These several points we proceed to consider in the order of their mention.

[4.] The judgment-entry recites, that the demurrer to the plea of autrefois acquit to the first count was overruled, that the defendant pleaded, and that thereupon came a jury, who rendered a verdict of guilty on the second count of the indictment. It does not- expressly state that issues were formed, or what issues were submitted to the jury. It was the office of the postea to indicate what issues were submitted to the jury. — 3 Blacks. Com. App., No. 111, § 4. This it did not do. We shall not pause to speculate, whether the presumption is to be indulged, that the issues on both pleas went to the jury together, or that only the issue on the plea of not guilty was submitted; or whether, if the latter issue alone was submitted, the court did not err in pretermitting the special plea. It is not necessary that we should enter upon any of those questions. The bill of exceptions shows, that the only evidence adduced by the defendant was the record of the former case, and that “he rested his case on that defense.’ This evidence was only admissible under the plea of former acquittal. Besides, two of the charges given by the court pertain to an issue upon the special plea alone, and are altogether inapposite, if no other plea than that of not guilty was before the jury. We therefore conclude, that we have in the record an affirmative disclosure of the trial under both pleas at one and the same time.

• [5.J

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Wright v. City of Montgomery
477 So. 2d 489 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1985)
Mefford v. State
363 So. 2d 1050 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1978)
Davidson v. State
360 So. 2d 728 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1978)
Woods v. State
310 So. 2d 891 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1975)
Baldwin v. State
251 So. 2d 633 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1971)
Holloway v. State
64 So. 2d 115 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1952)
Smith v. State
55 So. 2d 208 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1951)
Shirley v. State
51 So. 2d 702 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1951)
Echols v. State
51 So. 2d 260 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1951)
Campbell v. State
20 So. 2d 876 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1944)
Garner v. State
11 So. 2d 872 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1943)
Brown v. State
200 So. 630 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1941)
Gallman v. State
195 So. 768 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1940)
Nelson v. Boe
148 So. 311 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1933)
Pollock v. State
97 So. 240 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1923)
Holcomb v. State
94 So. 917 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1922)
State v. Broderick
191 Iowa 717 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1921)
Mitchell v. State
80 So. 730 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1918)
Whitehead v. State
78 So. 467 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1918)
Hall v. First Bank
72 So. 171 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1916)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
39 Ala. 229, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/foster-v-state-ala-1864.