State v. Cummings

105 S.W. 649, 206 Mo. 613, 1907 Mo. LEXIS 174
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedNovember 19, 1907
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 105 S.W. 649 (State v. Cummings) 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. Cummings, 105 S.W. 649, 206 Mo. 613, 1907 Mo. LEXIS 174 (Mo. 1907).

Opinion

FOX, P. J.

This cause is here by appeal on the part of the defendant from a conviction in the circuit court of the city of St. Louis of the offense of fraudulently registering under a name other than his own. The information (which was duly verified), omitting formal parts, upon which this prosecution is based, is as follows:

[616]*616“Comes now Arthur N. Sager, circuit attorney, within and for the city of St. Louis (said city comprising the Eighth Judicial Circuit of the State of Missouri) and now here in court on behalf of the State of Missouri, and on his official oath, information makes, that on the twenty-first day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and four, there was held in the- said city of St. Louis, and in each ward and precinct of said city, a general registration of electors and voters under and pursuant to the laws of the State of Missouri (the said city of St. Louis being then and there a city having more than three hundred thousand inhabitants); and' that Paddy Cummings, late of the city of St. Louis, on the said twenty-first day of September, one thousand nine hundred and four, at the said city of St. Louis and in the ninth election precinct of the sixteenth ward of said city of St. Louis, at the place of registration of said ninth election precinct of said sixteenth ward of said city of St. Louis, at No. 1829% Biddle street, and before the judges, clerks and officers of registration of said ninth election precinct of the sixteenth ward of said city of St. Louis, unlawfully, feloniously, wilfully, knowingly, falsely and fraudulently did then and there register under a name not his own, to-wit, under the name of John P. Cray, and then and there unlawfully, feloniously, knowingly, falsely and fraudulently pretended and represented to said judges, clerks and officers of registration of said ninth election precinct of the sixteenth ward of said city of St. Louis, that his name was John P. Cray and that he was one John P. Cray, and that he was entitled to register and be registered on the books of registration and registers of said election precinct as a qualified voter and elector of said election precinct under said name of John P. Cray, and requested and required that said judges, clerks and [617]*617officers of registration of said, election precinct enter, write and register the name of him, the said Paddy Cummings, on said registers, poll-hooks and books of registration of said election precinct as John F. Gray, and as a resident and a qualified voter and elector of said election precinct, entitled to register and vote in said election precinct as John F. Gray, he the said' Paddy Cummings then and there well knowing that his name was not John F. Gray; and the said judges, clerks and officers of registration of said ninth election precinct of the sixteenth ward of said city of St. Louis, . then and there did enter and write upon the registers, and hooks of registration of said election precinct the said name of John F. Gray as and for the name of him, the said Paddy Cummings, as a resident and qualified voter and elector of said election precinct, entitled to then and there register and vote in said election precinct, and he, the said Paddy Cummings, then and there unlawfully, feloniously, willfully, knowingly, falsely and fraudulently did sign said registers, poll-hooks and hooks of registration of said election precinct in the margin on said hooks provided for the signatures of registered electors and voters, under the same name John F. Gray hy writing on said hooks the word's and name £ J. Gray.’

' “And so the said Paddy Cummings at the said city of St. Louis, on the said twenty-first day of September, one thousand nine hundred and four, in the manner and form and hy the means aforesaid, unlawfully, feloniously, wilfully, knowingly, falsely and fraudulently did register under a name not his own; contrary to the form of the statute in such cases made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State. ’ ’

The evidence on the part of the State tended substantially to prove that on the 19th, 20th and 21st days of September, 1904, there was a general registration of voters in the city of St. Louis, and that on said [618]*618days the duly appointed judges and clerks of such registration proceeded in the discharge of their duties. The defendant appeared before the judges and clerks of registration of the 9th election precinct of the 16th ward, and represented to them that his name was John P. Gray, and that he was entitled to register, as he lived at No. 1504 Biddle street, which was within said election precinct in said city. Accordingly, the defendant’s name was entered on the registration hooks as John P. Gray, his residence was also entered, his nationality, and his color. The defendant, at the proper place on said hooks, signed his name “ J. Gray.” The defendant was then intoxicated, and one -of the judges suggested that he had not been sworn, another judge suggested that he had already been sworn, whereupon one of the judges told him to hold up his hand and be sworn. The defendant then began using loud, profane and indecent language and tried to assault the judge, and was ejected from the registration precinct. The defendant was afterwards arrested and admitted that his name was Paddy Cummings, and that he lived at No. 1504 Biddle street.

The defendant did not introduce any testimony in this cause, but at the close of the State’s case requested an instruction in the nature of a demurrer to the testimony, directing the jury under the information and evidence introduced to acquit the defendant. This request was denied and the court instructed the jury as follows:

“1. Under the statutes of this State any one who registers under a name not his own, or in or under the name of any other person, or in or under any assumed or fictitious name, is guilty of a felony.

“The defendant in this case stands charged with having registered under a name not his own. The information in this case was filed in this court on the 26th day of October, 1905. The defendant pleads not [619]*619guilty, and the court gives you the following instructions to guide you in reaching a verdict as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant.

“If you find and believe from the evidence in the cause that on the 21st day of September, 1904, a general registration of electors and voters was held in the city of St. Louis, and in every election precinct of said city, by the duly appointed and acting judges, clerks and officers of election and registration; that the 9th precinct of the 16th ward mentioned in the evidence was then and there one of the election precincts of said city of St. Louis; and if you further find that on said 21st day of September, 1904, and while said registration of electors and voters was in progress and being held (if you find that said registration was so held as aforesaid) the defendant did appear at the place of registration in said 9th election precinct of the 16th ward before the duly appointed and acting judges, clerks and officers of registration of said election precinct, and willfully, knowingly, fraudulently and falsely stated to said judges, clerks and officers of registration for said election precinct that his name was John F.

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292 S.W. 721 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1926)
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225 S.W. 1006 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1920)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
105 S.W. 649, 206 Mo. 613, 1907 Mo. LEXIS 174, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cummings-mo-1907.