People v. Slater

129 N.W. 22, 164 Mich. 156, 1910 Mich. LEXIS 963
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 30, 1910
DocketDocket No. 152
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 129 N.W. 22 (People v. Slater) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Slater, 129 N.W. 22, 164 Mich. 156, 1910 Mich. LEXIS 963 (Mich. 1910).

Opinion

Moore,. J.

The respondent is charged with a violation of the local-option law. At the close of the testimony offered by the people, his counsel asked the court to direct a verdict of acquittal. The judge said he would overrule the motion for the present, but would hear counsel at the close of all' the testimony. Testimony was then introduced on the part of the respondent. At the close of all the testimony, in response to an inquiry by the judge, counsel on both sides said they regarded it as the duty of the judge to direct a verdict. The judge instructed the jury, in substance, that it was their duty, under the evidence, to convict the respondent. The jury retired to the jury room and after a time returned a verdict of guilty. The case is here upon exceptions before sentence.

Counsel for respondent make two claims, first, that a verdict of acquittal should have been directed in favor of respondent; citing the cases of People v. Peterson, 156 Mich. 235 (120 N. W. 570, 21 L. R. A. [N. S.] 134), and People v. Bedell, 162 Mich. 230 (127 N. W. 33).

The second contention is (we quote from the brief):

“ The second point in this case is that if the Supreme Court should hold that the trial court was justified in refusing to direct a verdict in respondent’s favor, he still had the right to have his case passed upon by the jury, because the matter of his intent was involved. The charge of the court was faulty in not presenting to the jury the question whether respondent was acting in good faith or attempting and intending to evade the law. People v. Bedell, 162 Mich. 230 (127 N. W. 33); People v. Peterson, 156 Mich. 235 (120 N. W. 570, 21 L. R. A. [N. S.] 134); People v. Neumann, 85 Mich. 98-104 (48 N. W. 290). There was no material dispute upon what took place in respond[158]*158ent’s room, and the only question left was whether respondent’s acts constituted a violation.”

It is apparent that a comparatively full statement of the testimony is necessary to a determination of the questions presented. Mr. Keyes testified:

“That he was 54 years of age; that hoth witness and respondent had resided at said city of St. Johns for a number of years; and that they were both painters and paper hangers by trade, and had been acquainted and on friendly terms for about 30 years.”

On the day in question, the witness testified:

“I don’t know when I had seen Slater before then. I seen him about Fair time, and I probably might have seen him before that.
“Q. Just tell the jury how you came to meet him down there on Clinton avenue.
“A. Well, sir, I came down Clinton avenue on Sunday between 8 and 9 o’clock in the morning and met him down there in front of the Kenyon Block. No one else was present that I know of.
“Q. Well, what conversation did you have there with him at that time ?
"A. We was talking about going away.- I told him I was going away to look for a job, and he said if I would wait a week or two he could go with me. * * *
“Q. What .talk did you have about going up to his room, if anything ?
“A. Nothing in particular, only he said something about going up, and I went up with him. He said, ‘ We will go up to the room and have a talk,’ something to that effect. When I got up to his room I took a chair and sat down.
“Q. What did he do ?
“J.. Well, sir, he unlocked his trunk, and got out a little booze — whisky. It was in a quart bottle I should judge, and was about two-thirds full. He said he got it to Owosso the Saturday before.
Q. What did he do with the bottle when he took it out of the trunk ?
“A. He set it upon the stand. The stand set right in front of me. I sat down by the stand.
“Q. What did you do f
[159]*159“A. I took a drink. I think maybe he took one. There was whisky in the bottle.”

Slater and witness remained there probably an hour and one-half.

“Q. I ask you whether or not you had anymore drinks out of that bottle ?

“A. I took a few, probably five or six; Slater might have taken one or two more. There might have been two or three inches of whisky left in the bottle when I left the room — that is my judgment. I felt the whisky that I drank there, and it caused me to become intoxicated at that time * * * We did not have a meal or anything to eat there at that time. There was a stand and bed, chairs, and trunk in the room. There were no cooking utensils of any kind that I noticed. * * * None of the liquor I had there was mine. I had not had any liquor that morning prior to meeting Slater and going up to his room. I was sober when I went up there. I had seen him in that room before. I probably had five or six drinks of liquor out of that bottle that morning when I went out of the room. I went down stairs; nobody went with me. I don’t know where Slater went; he was in the room when I left. I went out of the room and downstairs on the street — in front of the Kenyon Block. I was intoxicated at the time I got down on the street, on Clinton avenue.”

His cross-examination did not differ materially from his direct examination, except as follows:

“He did not ask me to have a drink of whisky. He said he had a little something to drink, and he*got it and sat it up on the stand, and I helped myself.
“Q. When did he say that ?
“A. When we was upstairs, after we had gotten into the room.
Q. When is it you claim when he said something about having a little whisky or something to that effect ?
“A. It was after we were up in the room, I guess it was after he went to the trunk; it was after he got it out of the trunk and set it on the stand.
“Q. After that, every time you wanted a drink, you took it ?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Without any invitation from Mr. Slater or anything being said about it ?
[160]*160“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Now, I ask you, Mr. Keyes, if, during the time you were there after you had gotten upstairs, Mr. Slater asked you or invited you by word of mouth to take any whisky ?
“A. No; he didn’t ask me personally to take a drink ?”

On redirect examination the witness testified that respondent did not make any objection to witness drinking out of the bottle.

“Q. And at times I asked you whether or not, when you took a drink, Slater would drink following you ?

“A. Yes, sir; when I left the room finally the bottle was on the stand.”

George Tinkham, city marshal, testified that on the day in question he saw Keyes in front of the Kenyon Block. He came out of the stairway out of the Kenyon building.

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Related

People v. Deneweth
165 N.W.2d 910 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1985)
People v. Hancock
132 N.W. 443 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1911)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
129 N.W. 22, 164 Mich. 156, 1910 Mich. LEXIS 963, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-slater-mich-1910.