Pearce v. State

88 S.W. 234, 48 Tex. Crim. 352, 1905 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 205
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas·Decided June 7, 1905·No. No. 3046.·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

DAVIDSON, Presiding Judge.

This is a local option conviction. The State’s case disclosed that the alleged purchaser secured from appellant, a clerk in the drug store of 'Dr. Daniel, a bottle of a preparation called “Kidney Specific,” that later on he bought two other bottles, one for Walter Johnson and the other for Charley Johnson; that he drank about one and one-half bottles of this specific. “It made me drunk, but it did not affect me exactly like whisky. It did not look, taste or smell like whisky. It did not make my tongue thick like whisky does. I have been drunk on intoxicating liquor, and know its effects. I do not remember drinking any whisky that day.” Odell was also introduced for the State. He says, he was in the photograph gallery, where he saw the purchaser, Pant; and that Pant was *353 drunk; saw him drink something from a bottle which he took to be whisky. It looked like whisky. “I have seen the Kidney Specific, and the liquor he drank from the bottle did not look to me like Kidney Specific. I do not know where the whisky came from or how much of it Pant had drank, as Pant and the whisky were both up there when I went. He appeared to be out of fix before he drank the whisky.” Defendant’s evidence discloses that witness Johnson furnished Pant 50 cents for the purpose of purchasing a bottle of Kidney Specific, which was afterwards used by them. At the time he gave Pant the 50 cents Pant appeared to be drunk. Later in the morning I was upstairs at Mr. Parks’ photograph gallery, and saw Walter Pant drink some whisky. The Kidney Specific does not taste nor smell like whisky. I drank about one-half bottle. This did not have any effect on me.” Parks testified that he was familiar with the preparation called ‘Kidney Specific’; that he had used it as a beverage; Kidney Specific does not look, taste, or smell like any intoxicant. “It does not affect me at all, or like any intoxicant; I -have drunk as much as one bottle, or a pint, at a time, and did not experience any effect from it.” Kelson testified that he was a drummer and had been following that business for twelve years—ten of which he had sold drugs in Comanche County; that he sold a large number of proprietary and patent medicines, among those the Kidney Specific; that he sold this medicine to Dr. Daniel; that he had been selling it for ten years in Comanche County, and long prior to the time local option law became operative in that county. He says that he had sold as much or more of it before local option was operative than since; that he was familiar with the preparation; that it was not at all like an intoxicant. It did not look, taste nor smell like an intoxicant; that he had used it'as a medicine, and never experienced any intoxicating effect. Dr. Daniel testified that he carried this Kidney Specific in his stock and had been treating Pant for a relapse of mumps; that on Priday before this sale occurred, he had told Pant to send to the drug store and get a bottle of medicine which he would prepare; that he prescribed a bottle of this medicine, and in addition added a little nitre to the Specific, and had it set aside for him. It is shown by this witness, as well as defendant, on his examination, that when Pant came to the drug store this particular bottle was given him. Dr. Daniel further testified that he used this Specific in his general practice as a kidney tonic, for both man and woman, and has always found it to be an excellent tonic; that he was familiar with the nature of the preparation and its ingredients; that it contains turpentine, juniper berries, spirits of nitre, and other drugs, with equal parts of gin and water: having only a sufficient amount of gin to preserve the drugs and not enough to intoxicate; that a man could not ordinarily drink enough of it to be intoxicated by the gin it contained; that before the gin would affect a man he would be nauseated and in a sense made crazy and drunk on the other ingredients it contained. Defendant testified in his own behalf that he let Pant *354 have the bottle in question under the direction of his principal, Dr. Daniel; and he also testified that the preparation did not smell, taste, nor look like an intoxicant.

This is in brief the substance of the testimony.

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Pearce v. State, 88 S.W. 234, 48 Tex. Crim. 352, 1905 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 205 (Tex. 1905).

88 S.W. 234 (Pearce v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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