State v. Cronin

88 S.W. 604, 189 Mo. 663, 1905 Mo. LEXIS 101
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJune 20, 1905
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 88 S.W. 604 (State v. Cronin) 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. Cronin, 88 S.W. 604, 189 Mo. 663, 1905 Mo. LEXIS 101 (Mo. 1905).

Opinion

GANTT, J.

At the February term, 1903, the grand jury of the city of St. Louis preferred an indictment against the defendant, the second count of which is in the following words:

“And the grand jurors aforesaid, upon their oath aforesaid, do further present and say that Frank Cronin and Louis Miller, late of the city aforesaid, on the fifteenth day of February, one thousand nine hundred and three, and at the city of St. Louis aforesaid, and State aforesaid, unlawfully and feloniously did aid and assist in making1 and establishing a ‘policy’ as a bus[666]*666iness and avocation in the State of Missouri, against the peace and dignity of the State. ’ ’

A severance was granted to the defendant Cronin, and at the February term, 1904, he was put upon his trial, convicted and found guilty of aiding and assisting in making and establishing a “policy,” and his punishment assessed at-six months in the city jail. After an unsuccessful motion for new trial he took his appeal to this court.

The indictment is predicated upon section 2219, Revised Statutes 1899, which provides:

“If any person shall make or establish, or aid or assist in making or'establishing, any lottery, gift enterprise, policy or scheme or drawing in the nature of a lottery as a business or avocation in this State, . . upon conviction shall be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for not less than two nor more than five years, or by imprisonment in the county jail or workhouse for not less than six nor more than twelve months. ’ ’

The State’s evidence tended to show that all three of the witnesses, “Winterer, Linnebar and Tarrant, with others, were policy vendors, and each one went by a number; Winterer 'was twenty-three, Linnebar was twenty-two and Tarrant was twenty-eight. It was their custom for some months to- sell and dispose of tickets, each one of which was numbered, and the number of the ticket was placed on the vendor’s book. At certain hours of each day, the book was closed and the vendor turned the same into the headquarters, which was an- establishment on South Tenth street in St. Louis, called “The Henry Book.” Some of the witnesses visited this place twice a day, at noon and at five p. m. Others visited there at noon, at five p. m. and at nine p. m. As stated by the witness Tarrant, they went there to turn in their books and money. All the money, received by these policy vendors'for tickets sold by them, was turned into this place, except a commis[667]*667sion of twenty-five per cent which was allowed them. All who visited this place went by way of the alley entrance ; and, although there was a front door, there was no evidence that anyone could or ever did come in at the front door. This alley entrance opened into a room, which had shelves and benches all around, each vendor had his seat, and his number was on the wall near his seat. There was a partition across this room, and a door and a small window in the partition. This door was opened occasionally, at which time a person would come out from behind and make out the drawing. None of the vendors ever passed behind the sacred portals of this partition, but the defendant Frank Cronin and his codefendant Louis Miller were often seen behind there, especially at the hours of twelve, five and nine, when the business was conducted through the window. One witness, who was a frequenter of this place, said that he never saw any one behind this partition except the defendant and Miller. By looking through the window in this partition, the witness could see some chairs behind the partition, and also a table that had some money on it. Each vendor made it convenient to arrive at this interesting place five or ten minutes before the hours above mentioned. After entering the room at the stated times, each vendor would sit on his bench, take out his book and deposit in a pigeon hole, and it was then laid on the table. In about ten minutes they would get to drawing and each vendor would take his book and see if he had made a “hit.” The drawings were given out two or three at a time, and were wrapped up in a piece of tissue paper about twelve inches long. Each paper was numbered, and by examining the numbers on his book, the vendor could see if he had made a “hit.” The person possessing the lucky number (or “hit”) would make out a “hit” slip and throw it in at the window; and the money would be paid to him. in an envelope-which was passed out to him through the window from behind the partition. A three-number [668]*668play was called a “gig,” and two numbers were called a ‘ ‘ saddle. ’ ’ While the money was usually handed out by Miller, yet on one occasion when the witness Winterer had made a hit and some money was paid to him in the above manner, on counting it, he found that the full amount had not been paid, so defendant Cronin handed him the balance due. At that time, defendant was sitting back of the partition by the side of the table. At another time, defendant Cronin came out from behind the inner office and gave out the drawings, while the vendors were sitting down; or, as expressed by witness, he “just walked around and distributed them.” At another time, this witness testified, the slips were given out by defendant and a man named Dutch Fred. Witness Linnebar said that the drawing was sometimes handed to him by defendant, sometimes by other parties; and that he had seen defendant standing up behind the partition waiting for the drawings to be handed back to him. One witness testified that he saw defendant at this place sometimes once a day, sometimes twice a day, and sometimes three times a day; and that the defendant was opening envelopes of the vendors and seeing that the money was right. This witness further testified that he saw defendant as often as three times a day sitting in .a chair behind the partition, examining the sheets (or books) and handling the money. The supplies and advertising matter used by the vendor were given to them in this room by a negro who was frequently seen there and who went by the name of ‘ ‘ Sunny Mack. ’ ’ The evidence shows that this defendant and his associates conducted this sort of business at this place for five months. Finally the poiee made a raid, and vendors, policies, books, hits,.gigs and saddles were taken before the grand jury, and this and other indictments were the result. Several grounds are assigned -in this court for the reversal of the judgment of conviction and they will be considered in the order of the brief of counsel for the defendant.

[669]*669I. The indictment is assailed as insufficient in that it fails to define in what manner a “policy” was made or established, and fails to define what is meant by a “policy.” This objection was made and answered in State v. Wilkerson, 170 Mo. l. c. 191, 192, in which Burgess, J., speaking for this court, said: “Now what is it at which the statute is leveled? Clearly the unlawful and felonious making and establishing a- policy as a business and avocation, and these facts are set forth in the indictment. The statute specifically defines the offense in such a way that it cannot be misunderstood, nor can there be any question as to the kind of policy intended, for when the statute says ‘make and establish a policy’ it is wellunderstoodto be‘a form of gambling in which bets are made on numbers to be drawn by lottery.’ [Century Dictionary.]” The indictment in that case was in all essentials like the one before us, and adhering to the views there expressed, we hold the indictment is sufficient.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Saussele
265 S.W.2d 290 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1954)
State v. Humphrey
217 S.W.2d 551 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1949)
Schwarz v. State
124 S.W.2d 392 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1939)
State v. Caviness
33 S.W.2d 940 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1930)
State v. Hilton
154 S.W. 729 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1913)
State v. Holland
145 S.W. 522 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1912)
State v. Sutton
134 S.W. 663 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1911)
State v. Miller
89 S.W. 377 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1905)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
88 S.W. 604, 189 Mo. 663, 1905 Mo. LEXIS 101, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cronin-mo-1905.