State v. Gillispie

59 S.E. 957, 63 W. Va. 152, 1907 W. Va. LEXIS 102
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 10, 1907
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 59 S.E. 957 (State v. Gillispie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Gillispie, 59 S.E. 957, 63 W. Va. 152, 1907 W. Va. LEXIS 102 (W. Va. 1907).

Opinion

McWhoeteR, Judge:

Del Gillispie was indicted in the circuit court of Webster county for unlawfully selling and offering and exposing for sale on the — day of September, 1905, in said county without a state license therefor “ spirituous liquors, wine, porter, ale, beer and all drinks of like nature.”

The defendant entered his plea of not guilty and a jury was impanneled and returned a verdict of guilty. The defendant, by counsel, moved the court to set aside the ver-[153]*153diet of the jury and grant him a new trial, of which motion the court took time to consider. On the next day, April 6, 1906, the court overruled said motion and entered judgment against the defendant for a fine of $200 and three months imprisonment in the county jail, to which judgment the defendant obtained a writ of error and super-sedeas.

On the trial the defendant excepted to various rulings of the court in admitting testimony on the part of the State claimed by defendant to be inadmissible, and erroneously refusing to admit' testimony offered in behalf of defendant. The court gave instructions on behalf of the State, numbered respectively 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10 and 11, to the giving of which the defendant objected and excepted; and the court also refused an instruction offered on behalf of defendant, marked instruction “B,” to which ruling of the court in refusing said instruction the defendant excepted. A part of the exceptions taken by the defendant were saved to him in separate bills of exceptions, the first of which goes to all the instructions given on behalf of the State.

Instructions Nos. 1 and 2 are based upon point 1, syllabus, State v. Good, 36 W. Va. 215. No. 4 tells the jui-y that they should consider all the testimony offered on behalf of the State and on behalf of the defendant in arriving at a proper verdict in the case. No. 5 tells the jury they should consider all evidence offered on behalf of the State and on behalf of the defendant in determining the effect of the use and drinking of such cider, mixture, preparation, or liquid upon the person to whom it was sold in determining whether the same would produce intoxication. No 9 tells the jury that in weighing the credibility and the testimony of any witness who testified in the case they should take into consideration his interest in the result of the trial, if any he had, and demeanor in testifying, and that they were at liberty to believe or disbelieve the testimony of any witness or witnesses. In No. 10 the jury were told that it was not incumbent upon the State to prove drunkenness as a result of drinking the cider, mixture, preparation, or liquid sold by the defendant to justify a conviction, but that it would be sufficient to warrant a conviction of the defendant if they should believe from the evidence beyond [154]*154a reasonable doubt that he, without a state license therefor in said county and within a year prior to the finding of the indictment, sold any of said articles that would produce intoxication. And No. 11 tells the jury that if they should believe from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant, without a state license therefor in Webster county and within the said time, sold spirituous liquors, wine, porter, ale, beer, or drinks of like nature they should find him guilty as charged in the indictment. These instructions seem to be unobjectionable and nothing is urged against them iia the brief of'counsel for defendant.

Bill of exceptions No. 2 goes to .the ruling of the court on the refusal of the defendant’s instruction “B.” By this instruction the court was asked to tell the jury that “they must believe beyond a reasonable doubt from the evidence that the cider in evidence would produce intoxication, before they could find him guilty, and if the jury have any doubt in their minds from the evidence as to whether or not said cider would or did produce intoxication as alleged in the indictment then they should find the defendant not guilty. ” This instruction may be misleading, because, ■ after being charged therein concerning a reasonable doubt, they are told that if they have “any doubt” in their minds as to the intoxicating qualities of the cider they should find the defendant not guilty. The latter part of the instruction seems to be contradictory of the first part in that the defendant should have the benefit of any doubt, however slight and whether reasonable or not. But whether this instruction was good or bad, that portion of it which was proper to be given was fully covered by another instruction given on behalf of the defendant, where the jury are told “that if they have reasonable doubt from the evidence whether the cider in evidence would produce intoxication the defendant is entitled to the benefit of said doubt.” It is not error to refuse an instruction which is in substance and effect a repetition of another already given.

The further exceptions of the defendant go to the admission of testimony on the part of the State over the objection of the defendant as set out in bill of exceptions No. 4. Witness Sizemore was asked: “ Did you state before that body (meaning the grand jury) that you had [155]*155bought cider from Del Gillispie about the month of September, 1905, that would intoxicate.” Witness replied, “ If I understand you right you want me to repeat the statement that I made before the grand jury. Q. Answer my question? A. Well, can I go on and make a statement? Q. Answer my question? (The Court.) Let him answer the question and go on and make his statement.” The witness then said, “I believe I got some cider there that really would have some effect and make a man feel a little better than what he did; make a man have different feelings. I never got drunk on it.” So that it appears that witness did not tell what he had stated before the grand jury, but simply states the fact that he believes he got some cider there that would have some effect, &c.

The next question mentioned as excepted to in same bill of exceptions, No. 4, is, “In your judgment from the quantity you drank there (referring to the cider in question) do you believe a sufficient quantity would produce drunkenness.” In Carl v. State, 87 Ala. 17, 'it is held: “In a criminal prosecution for the sale of intoxicating liquors in violation of a local prohibitory liquor law, the article sold being compounded by a druggist, and the bottles labeled ‘Elixir Cinchona,’ or ‘Cinchona Bitters;’it is permissible' for the prosecution to prove that it was bought and used’ by many persons as a beverage, the use to .which it was applied being illustrative of its nature and properties; and a person who had swallowed it may state its exhilarating effect on himself, and, though not technically an expert, may testify that, ‘in his opinion it would produce intoxication.’ ”

Defendant further in said bill of exceptions, in the examination of P. J. -White, a witness for the State, objected to the following question: “Have you ever handled within the last few years any senoj cider or had it handled about your store or about your stores?” Which objection was overruled and witness answered, “Yes, sir;” and was also asked the following question, which was objected to, “ Can you be mistaken about the effect of the senoj handled by you.” and answered, “Our men to whom we sold it were intoxicated and at the same time they were drinking this [156]*156cider and I knew of nothing else by which they could have gotten drunk.” It is shown by the testimony of White that the firm of Heckmer &

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Related

State v. Henry
81 S.E. 569 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1914)
Moreno v. State
143 S.W. 150 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1911)
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71 S.E. 767 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1911)
State v. Cool
66 S.E. 740 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1909)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
59 S.E. 957, 63 W. Va. 152, 1907 W. Va. LEXIS 102, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-gillispie-wva-1907.