Holloway v. State

53 Ind. 554
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1876
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 53 Ind. 554 (Holloway 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
Holloway v. State, 53 Ind. 554 (Ind. 1876).

Opinion

Hoto, J.

Appellant and one Newton Hollow’ay were jointly indicted, in the court below, for an assault and battery, with the intent to kill and murder one Henry J. Finley. There was a joint motion, made by the parties indicted, to quash the indictment, which motion was overruled by the court below, and to this decision an exception was saved. And upon arraignment, a plea of not guilty was interposed to the indictment by the defendants; and they having demanded separate trials, the appellant was first tried, by a jury. This trial resulted in a verdict that appellant was guilty of the assault and battery as charged, and not guilty of the felonious intent, and his punishment was assessed at a fine of one thousand dollars and imprisonment in the county jail for one month.

Appellant then moved the court below to set aside the verdict and grant him a new trial, which motion was overruled, and to this decision appellant excepted. And appellant then moved in arrest of judgment, and this motion was also overruled, and appellant excepted; and the judgment, was entered upon the verdict, from which this appeal is now' prosecuted in this court. A bill of exceptions, containing the evidence on the trial, was duly filed and is properly in the record.

In this court, appellant has assigned the following errors:

1. In overruling appellant’s motion to quash the indictment.

[556]*5562. In overruling appellant’s motion to set aside the verdict and grant him a new trial.

3. In overruling appellant’s motion in arrest' of judgment

In this court, appellant has failed to assign any reasons why either his motion to quash the indictment or. his motion in arrest of judgment ought to have been sustáinéd; and there was no reason stated in either of said motions/ to indicate to the court below, or to this court, the grounds upon which the motion was made-. "We may well conclude,* therefore, that appellant does not rely, for a reversal of this judgment, upon either the first or third of the alleged errors; and we consider these errors, if any such exist, as waived by the appellant. True, it is said by appellant’s counsel, that “the record fails to show that the grand jury was empanelled, sworn and charged, and consequently that the court had no jurisdiction to put the defendant upon trial;” and again, that “the court erred in overruling the motion in-arrest of judgment, for the same reason.” This is all that was said, in appellant’s brief, in reference to either the first or third alleged errors; and it is very evident, we think,, that even this much was not said to the court below, on either of these motions. If it be true that the record fails to show that the grand jury was empanelled, sworn and charged, it is equally true that the record does not show that the grand jury was not empanelled, sworn and charged.' In this case, we will presume, the contrary not appearing, that the grand jury was legally empanelled, sworn and charged. Bell v. The State, 42 Ind. 335, and Long v. The State, 46 Ind. 582.

The second alleged error of the court below is the over-., ruling of appellant’s motion to set aside the verdict and grant him a new trial. The causes assigned in this motion were the following:

1. The verdict of the jury is contrary to law.
2. The verdict of the jury is contrary to the evidence.

[557]*5573. The court admitted illegal testimony to the jury over objection, setting out the testimony objected to at length.

4.' For misconduct of one of the jurors, tending to prevent a fair and due consideration of the case, in this, to wit, that Theodore Beck, one of the jurors in this cause, before he was empanelled as such juror, had expressed an opinion, in substance, that if a jury was obtained, such as the juror had previously been on, the said jury, including himself, would send the prisoner who did the shooting, including the defendant, to the penitentiary; that when the said Theodore Beck was called on said jury, he was sworn to answer such questions as might be put to him, as to his competency as such juror, and, in answer to the question whether he had formed or expressed any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant, said that he had not formed or expressed any opinion whatever; whereas, in truth and fact, he had formed and expressed an opinion, as appeared by the affidavits of A. B. Austin and others, filed with and , made part of the motion.

It will be observed, that several causes are ‘assigned by appellant for a new trial; but his learned counsel say, in their brief argument of this case, in this court: “ There is one upon which we rely, and which we now point out specially;” and then they “point out specially” the fourth cause assigned in the motion for a new trial. Not a word is said by counsel in support of the first three causes for a new trial; and not only so, but they pointedly inform us that they rely upon the fourth cause for a new trial. And from this the implication is irresistible, that appellant not only does not rely upon, but virtually waives, the first three Causes assigned in the motion for a new trial. In this respect, we will pursue the course indicated by appellant and his counsel; and regarding the first three causes for a new trial as virtually waived, we will now consider and determine whether or not appellant, upon the hearing of the matter presented to the court below by the fourth cause assigned [558]*558in the motion for a new trial, was entitled to a new trial of this cause.

This fourth cause for a new trial was submitted to the court below, for its decision, upon the affidavits of Alexander B. Austin and appellant and of appellant’s attorneys, in support of this cause, and upon the counter-affidavit of Theodore Beck, the juror charged with misconduct. The affidavits of appellant and of his attorneys, though properly filed, did not support the main question, which was the alleged misconduct of the juror named in the fourth cause for a new trial. So far as this question was concerned, the only evidence before the court below is contained in the affidavit of Alexander B. Austin, "on one side, and, upon the other side, the affidavit of the juror charged with the misconduct. .

Before considering these affidavits and the action of .the court below thereon, it should be premised that the affidavits of appellant and of'his attorneys show that, before the juror in question was sworn with the jury to try this cause, he was sworn to testify as to his competency as a juror, and stated under oath that he had not formed or expressed any opinion of the guilt or innocence of the appellant, touching the charge in the indictment mentioned; and as to these points the affidavit of the juror does not contradict the other affidavits.

The affidavit of Alexander B.

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Bluebook (online)
53 Ind. 554, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/holloway-v-state-ind-1876.