Miller v. Commonwealth

76 Ky. 731, 13 Bush 731, 1878 Ky. LEXIS 26
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedOctober 12, 1878
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 76 Ky. 731 (Miller 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
Miller v. Commonwealth, 76 Ky. 731, 13 Bush 731, 1878 Ky. LEXIS 26 (Ky. Ct. App. 1878).

Opinion

CHIEF JUSTICE LINDSAY

delivered the opinion oe the court.

It is averred in the indictment that “the said Henry Miller on the 1st day of December, 1875, in the county aforesaid, and at divers times between that date and the 1st day of November immediately preceding, unlawfully promoted and aided in promoting the disposal of money and other things of value by way of lottery, in that he did, upon said date and 'during the time aforesaid, induce others for valuable considerations to take chances in the drawings and pretended drawings of a certain lottery called the Kentucky State Lottery, upon the issue of which drawings money and other things of value were disposed of and promised to be disposed of, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

Section 1, article 23, chapter 29 of the General Statutes, provides, that “Whoever shall set up, draw, manage, or otherwise promote any lottery for money or other thing, or dispose of, or promote the disposing of, any money or thing of value by way of lottery, or aid in committing either of said offenses, shall be fined from five hundred to ten thousand dollars.”

[736]*736Section 2 provides, that citizen artists may dispose of paintings, the entire creations of their own pencils, or which may have been finished by them, in shares; and for any violation of this section the offender is liable to the same penalty men-' tioned in the preceding section.

Section 3 provides, that “Whoever shall write, print, vend, or have in possession, with intent, for himself or another, to sell, or offer to sell, negotiate, exchange, or dispose of any ticket, . . . shall be fined for every such offense from one hundred to one thousand dollars.”

Section 4 enacts, that “ Whoever shall knowingly permit, in any house, shop, or other building, occupied or controlled by him,, the setting up, managing, or drawing of any lottery or the sale or exchange of any lottery ticket or other thing mentioned in the preceding section, shall incur a like penalty as therein named.”

Section 5 enacts, that “Whoever shall advertise or give public notice of any lottery ticket, or other thing, mentioned in the last two sections, being for sale or exchange, . , . shall incur the like penalty as in those sections named.” (See Gen. Stat. 352.)

It is objected, that the indictment charges two separate and distinct offenses. The one the promotion of a lot-8 tery, and the other the aiding in such promotion. We regard these acts as but different modes of committing or participating in the commission of the same offense. The latter is but a degree of the former, and under an indictment for the major offense, a conviction might be had for the minor, according to the provisions of section 262, Criminal Code of Practice. Hence there was no misjoinder of offenses.

It is further objected, that there is no sufficient specification of the acts or methods by which the appellant promoted or aided in the promotion of the lottery. The averment is, that he did, during a certain period of time, “induce others, for [737]*737a valuable consideration, to take chances in the drawings and pretended drawings of a certain lottery called the Kentucky State Lottery,” etc.

To induce persons to become the patrons of an established lottery or scheme is certainly to promote the lottery by the advancement of its interests and business. Unless chances or tickets are taken or bought the lottery can not be carried on, and whoever induces the taking of such chances and the purchasing of such tickets must be regarded as directly promoting the illegal adventure. It was not necessary to specify the particular acts done, or methods resorted to, to induce persons to take chances or to purchase tickets. The specific and material fact to be proved is, that he did “induce” others to take, buy, etc.; the particular acts or modes of inducement are circumstances or facts which constitute the evidence of the principal or material fact, and they need not be set out in the indictment..

Other grounds of objection to the sufficiency of the indictment will be hereafter considered in connection with questions raised as to the propriety of the action of the circuit court in giving and refusing instructions on the trial of the prosecution.

The Commonwealth proved that Miller, the appellant, kept a place of business in the city of Lexington; that it was known as a lottery office, and that he kept over his door the sign, “Kentucky State Lottery;” that he was engaged in selling tickets and paying prizes in said lottery; that he had large advertisements and posters displayed in his windows, and about his room setting out the various schemes, and that he, in person, frequently explained the nature of the schemes and tickets, and assured persons who frequented his office that the drawings were all fair and right, and that if they drew prizes they were certain to be paid. The witnesses were generally unable to state certainly whether these acts were [738]*738done, and this business carried on during the time covered by the indictment; that is, during the time intervening between the 1st day of November and the 1st day of December, 1875. Each witness was asked, in substance, this question: “Will you state, then, if the business, as described by you, was continuously or uninterruptedly conducted by defendant previous to the finding of the indictment, and for how long?” In each instance it was answered that it was continuously and uninterruptedly carried on during several years preceding the date fixed in the charge.

These questions and answers were objected to by appellant, but his objections were overruled.

The evidence was admissible. From the facts stated the jury might legitimately conclude that the illegal business was carried on during the month of November, 1875. To reject testimony of this character would, in many instances, put it out of the power of litigants to fix a date or period of time, and the weight to which such evidence is entitled is a question for the jury, rather than for the court, to determine.

The court instructed the jurors that if they “should believe beyond a reasonable doubt that during the month of November, 1875, drawings were made by the Kentucky State Lottery, or by any person or persons managing or controlling a scheme or schemes under that name for the distribution of prizes or money, by chance, and that by said drawings certain of the ticket-holders, determined by lot or chance, became entitled to certain prizes or sums of money, and that the defendant, Henry Miller, during said month of November, 1875, was interested in the management or control of said lottery, or was the agent of those who were managing or controlling it, and in either of these capacities, in this county, represented the interests of said enterprise, and induced persons to purchase tickets in said drawings, they should find him guilty, and fix his punishment at' a fine of from $500 to [739]*739$10,000;” and refused to instruct them that, if they believed “ the defendant was only engaged in selling lottery tickets, to be determined by the drawings of the Kentucky State Lottery, and did not otherwise promote or aid in promoting the disposal of money or other thing of value by way of lottery, they ought to find him not guilty.”

The refusal to give this instruction was certainly proper, if, in all other regards, the rulings of the court were in accordance with the law of the case.

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Bluebook (online)
76 Ky. 731, 13 Bush 731, 1878 Ky. LEXIS 26, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/miller-v-commonwealth-kyctapp-1878.