Hendrickson v. Commonwealth

143 S.W. 433, 146 Ky. 742, 1912 Ky. LEXIS 170
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedFebruary 14, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 143 S.W. 433 (Hendrickson v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hendrickson v. Commonwealth, 143 S.W. 433, 146 Ky. 742, 1912 Ky. LEXIS 170 (Ky. Ct. App. 1912).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT BY

JUDGE MILLER

Affirming.

On August 15th, 1911, “Mexican Joe” Morgan was shot and killed at Pour Mile, in Bell County. The appellant, Nick Hendrickson, and his brothers, Elbert and Press Hendrickson, were arrested and jointly indicted on August 31st, 1911, upon the charge of having wilfully murdered Morgan. The indictment contains two counts; the first charging the three brothers with killing the deceased, and the second charging that one of them, which one however is not known, to the grand jury, did the killing, while the other two were present and aided and abetted in the murder. Appellant’s trial was begun on October 9th, 1911, and resulted in a verdict and judgment committing him to the penitentiary for life. He appeals; and in his motion for a new trial he assignes as reasons for a reversal of the judgment the following-grounds : (1) that the verdict is not sustained by the evidence; (2) error of the trial court in refusing to admit, competent'evidence in appellant’s behalf; (3) error of the trial court in admitting incompetent- evidence to appellant’s prejudice; and (4) error of the trial court in [744]*744instructing the ' jury. In addition to these assigned errors the following further grounds are urged in argument here for reversal of the judgment; (5) that the names of all the witnesses for the Commonwealth who appeared before the grand jury were not written at the foot of, or on the indictment as required by section 120 of the Civil Code; (6) that the indictment was not presented by the foreman of the grand jury to the court, in the presence of the grand jury, and filed with the clerk, as is required by section 121 of the Civil Code; and (7) that the jury was not drawn from the wheel or drum, as is required by section 2247 of the Kentucky Statutes.

It is insisted on behalf of the Commonwealth that the court’s jurisdiction upon this appeal is limited to a review of the grounds stated in the motion and grounds for a new trial, and that none other can be considered. Section 274 of the Criminal Code of Practice reads as follows:

“The grounds upon which a motion for a new trial is made, must be stated in writing, and filed at the time of making the motion.”

This question has been before this court many times, and the practice is well settled in favor of the contention of the Commonwealth.

In Ison v. Commonwealth, 23 Ky. L. R. 1805, we said:

“It is a well settled rule of this court that appellant should state in his reasons for a new trial, the grounds upon which he thinks the prejudicial error was committed. If the attention of the trial court had been called to this error, if such error, in fact, occurred, doubtless the circuit judge would have granted a new trial.”

And in the late case of Thompson v. Commonwealth, 122 Ky., 501, this court said:

“Prom these Code provisions, and the various decisions relating thereto, the rule may be deduced that, with the exception of errors committed in the admission or rejection of evidence, to which proper objection and exception must be made and taken at the time and appear in the bill of exceptions, it is necessary to point out in a motion for a new trial, all errors committed during the progress of the trial upon which it is intended to rely in this court, or they cannot be considered on appeal, nor will this court, except in the matter -of instructions, consider errors that appear for the first time in a motion for a new trial:

[745]*745Furthermore, section 281 of the Criminal Code of Practice as amended by the act of 1910, provides as follows :

“The decisions of the court upon challenges to the panel, and for cause, or upon motions to set aside an indictment, shall not be subject to exception.”

In first disposing of the grounds not specified in the motion and grounds for a new trial, it is sufficient to say that the fifth objection, based upon the fact that the indictment does not show the names of all the witnesses who were examined by the grand jury were written at the foot of or on the indictment, can avail appellant nothing under the repeated decisions of this court. The indictment bears this endorsement “Witnesses, Lizzie Morgan and others.”

In Underwood v. Commonwealth, 119 Ky. 384, a,nd in Tompkins v. Commonwealth, 28 Ky. L. R., 643, it was held that the provisions of section 120 do not render incompetent other witnesses for the Commonwealth whose names were not in any subpoena, or at the foot of any indictment.

In speaking of Code provision 120 above referred to in Dowell v. Commonwealth, 32 Ky. L. R. 1344; 108 S. W. 847, we used the..following language:

“The purpose of this statute is to inform the defendant of the names of his accusers. It is directory and ought to be complied' with. But a failure to do so neither invalidates the indictment nor prevents the introduction of the witnesses whose names do not so appear. Underwood v. Commonwealth, 119 Ky., 384, 27 Ky. Law Rep., 8; 84 S. W., 310.”

And although an infirmity of this character in the indictment may be corrected by a motion to quash or set aside the indictment upon the arraignment of the prisoner, as required by section 157 of the Code, nevertheless under section 281 of the Code above quoted the decisions of the court upon a motion of this character is not subject to exception, and can not, therefore, be reviewed upon appeal.

The sixth objection is based upon section 121 of the Criminal Code of Practice, which reads as follows:

“The indictment must be presented by the foreman, in the presence of the grand jury, to the court, and filed with the clerk, and remain in his office as a public record.”

In this case the indictment bears the following en[746]*746dorsement: “Received from tire hands of the foreman of the grand jury; in the presence of the grand jury, and filed in open court, on the 31st day of August, 1911, R. B. Rice, Clerk:”

The point is made that this endorsement fails to snow that the indictment was returned to the court, as is required by section 121, above quoted. The objection, is, however,’over critical,' since the endorsement shows that the indictment was filed in open court, which is equivalent to returning it to the court. A substantial compliance is all that is required.

In Patterson v. Commonwealth, 86 Ky., 316, an endorsement upon an indictment reading: “This day the foreman of the grand jury reported an indictment, a true bill, against Albert Turner, and William Patterson for willful murder and previous convictions, which said indictment is as follows,” etc., was held to be a sufficient compliance with section 121 of the Code.

And, in Pearce v. Commonwealth, 10 Ky. Law Rep., 178, an endorsement upon an indictment reading: “Received from the foreman of the grand jury, in the presence of the grand jury, and filed in open court,” practically the same wording as in the case at bar, was held to be a sufficient compliance with the requirements of the 'Code.

See Pence v. Commonwealth, 95 Ky., 618; Commonwealth v. English, 6 Bush, 431; and Jane v. Commonwealth, 3 Met., 18, for rulings showing the liberality with which this section qf the Code has been construed by this court in holding, in effect, that an endorsement which identifies the indictment, is sufficient.

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Bluebook (online)
143 S.W. 433, 146 Ky. 742, 1912 Ky. LEXIS 170, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hendrickson-v-commonwealth-kyctapp-1912.