State v. Burlingame

48 S.W. 72, 146 Mo. 207, 1898 Mo. LEXIS 25
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedNovember 21, 1898
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 48 S.W. 72 (State v. Burlingame) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Burlingame, 48 S.W. 72, 146 Mo. 207, 1898 Mo. LEXIS 25 (Mo. 1898).

Opinion

Burgess, J.

Defendant was indicted in the crimina] court of Greene county for receiving from Graham & Son, a firm doing business in the city of Springfield, a deposit of $260 in money, into the Bank of Commerce located in said county, of which he was at the time president, knowing at the time that the bank was insolvent or in failing circumstances.

The indictment is in two counts, in the first of which defendant is charged with having received the deposit as president of'the bank, and in the second count with assenting thereto, knowing at the time that the bank was insolvent and in failing circumstances.

At the July term, 1896, of said court, on application of defendant the venue of said cause was changed to the circuit court of Jasper county.

After the case had been transferred to the Jasper county circuit court, and on the twelfth day of July, 1897, the defendant filed his plea in bar to the prosecution under the indictment herein, and asked to be discharged. The plea in bar was based upon the fact that defendant had, upon two separate occasions, prior to the finding of this indictment, been indicted, tried and acquitted upon a similar charge for receiving money on deposit in said bank while the same was in a failing condition, and that inasmuch as the crime of receiving money on deposit under circumstances such [213]*213as are found in this case was a continuing offense, his having been previously tried and acquitted worked a complete defense to any further prosecution.

The prosecuting attorney, on behalf of the State, filed a demurrer to the plea in bar, which was by the court sustained. The defendant then filed a motion to be discharged upon the ground that more than three terms of court had passed upon which the case was continued and that said continuances were had at the instance of the State and not at the instance of the defendant.

There had been no continuance by the State of this case, but the continuances by the State relied upon by defendant as entitling him to his discharge were under other indictments for the same offense which had been nolled by the State.

This motion was overruled.

Before the case was submitted to the jury the State entered a nolle prosequi to the second count in tho indictment.

Under the evidence and instructions, defendant was found guilty under the first count in the indictment and his punishment fixed at five years’ imprisonment in the penitentiary. He appeals.

The evidence showed that defendant was one of the original incorporators of the Bank of Commerce at Springfield, Missouri, which commenced business on the first day of October, 1890, and from the time of its organization was its president and one of its directors. That on the seventh day of July, 1893, he received on deposit in said bank from Graham & Son, a firm doing business in said city, the sum of $260, knowing at the time that the bank was insolvent and in failing circumstances. That the bank closed its doors and ceased to do business on the eleventh day of July, 1893.

[214]*214The court, at the request of the State, gave the following instructions, to wit:

“1. If you find from the evidence that the Bank of Commerce was a banking institution and that the defendant was its president; and if you further find from the evidence that said Bank of Commerce failed on the eleventh day of July, 1893, then such failure on the eleventh day of July, 1893, is prima facie evidence that said bank was insolvent and in failing circumstances on the sixth day of July, 1893, and also prima facie evidence that defendant, as its president, had knowledge at said dates that said bank was insolvent and in failing circumstances. Prima facie evidence of a fact is such as establishes the fact, and, unless rebutted or explained by the evidence, becomes conclusive, and is to be considered by you as fully proved. A bank is insolvent and in failing circumstances when it can not be reasonably expected to meet and pay in money the usual and ordinary demands that are reasonably liable to be made upon it, and this is so, notwithstanding you may believe from the evidence that the debtors of the bank had property sufficient to pay off the liabilities of said bank.
“2. If you find from the evidence that the Bank of Commerce was a banking institution, and that the defendant was its president, and that on the sixth day of July, 1893, said bank was insolvent and in failing circumstances, and that the defendant, at the county of Greene and State of Missouri, received $260 in money, or any other sum of money or deposit, the same being of the value of $30 or more, of the property of Graham & Son, a firm composed of P. P. Graham and Geo. H. Graham, and that the defendant at the time had knowledge that said bank was insolvent and in failing circumstances, then you should find the defendant guilty, as charged in the first count in the [215]*215indictment, and assess his punishment at imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a term of not less than two nor more than five years.
“3. If you have a reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant you will acquit him, but such a doubt, to authorize an acquittal on that ground alone, should be a substantial doubt arising from the testimony in the case, and not a mere possibility of the innocence of the defendant.
“4. You are the sole judges of the credibility of the witnesses and the weight of their testimony, and in determining the credit of a witness and the weight to be given his testimony you may take into consideration his demeanor upon the witness stand, his bias or prejudice, if any, as shown by the evidence, his relation to the case or the parties, and his interest in the result of the trial. All these things should be carefully considered by you, and if you believe from the testimony that any witness has willfully sworn falsely to any material fact, then you are at liberty to disregard the whole or any part of such witness’ testimony.
“5. Notwithstanding you may believe from the evidence that the debtors of the Bank of Commerce owed said bank an amount of money which, if it could have been collected, would have enabled the bank to keep running, yet if you further find from the testimoney that said bank was insolvent or in failing circumstances at the time of the deposit of money mentioned in the indictment, and that defendant had knowledge of its condition, then it is your duty to convict the defendant.
“6. You are instructed that the evidence bearing upon the financial standing of the officers of the Bank of Commerce, including the witness Gray, prior to July 11, 1893, is only admitted: for the purpose of determining the effect such reputation had upon the [216]*216defendant in his business transactions with them for said bank; but if you find said parties were for a long period of time doing business with the said bank, making and renewing loans from time to time, and that the defendant had actual knowledge from such business relations as to their real worth, then you should take this fact into consideration with all the other facts in evidence.
“7.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
48 S.W. 72, 146 Mo. 207, 1898 Mo. LEXIS 25, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-burlingame-mo-1898.