State v. Mattingly

79 Ohio St. (N.S.) 79
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 10, 1908
DocketNo. 11374
StatusPublished

This text of 79 Ohio St. (N.S.) 79 (State v. Mattingly) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio 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. Mattingly, 79 Ohio St. (N.S.) 79 (Ohio 1908).

Opinion

Price, C. J.

On the 23d day of December, A. D. 1907, a local option election was held in the village of Johnstown, Licking county, Ohio, at which the electors of said village, by a majority vote decided against the sale of intoxicating liquors as a beverage therein, of which election and its result due record was made by the clerk of said village.

On the 23d day of January, 1908, certain persons, of which J. M. Wright was one, filed with the mayor of that village an affidavit against the defendant in error, Bernard J. Mattingly, charging, in substance, that on the 23 d day of January, 1908, - intoxicating liquors, to-wit: distilled, malt and vinous liquors, with the vessel in which they were contained, and implements and furniture used m connection with the illegal selling, furnishing and giving away of said intoxicating liquors, were kept in the village of Johnstown, in said county of Licking' and state of Ohio, on the premises and in the building thereon located. Then follows a description of the place formerly occupied by B. J. Mattingly on Main street, as a saloon, and that said intoxicating liquors were kept for the purpose of being sold, furnished and given away as a beverage in said village, in violation of the municipal local option law, and that said building is not a bona fide private residence.

The affidavit proceeds to charge that said intoxicating liquors are still concealed and said vessels, implements and furniture were then kept [81]*81in said place for the purpose aforesaid. The record recites that the proceeding was being instituted under the Woods law, passed February 23, 1906, for the purpose of obtaining a warrant to search said premises and seize the contraband property, as well as the arrest of Mattingly. Service of the warrant was made and he was taken before the mayor for trial. He was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of $200 and the costs of the prosecution, and that he stand committed until said fine and costs should be paid. Bond was given for a suspension of the sentence until the accused could obtain leave of the proper court to. file a petition in error. A bill of exceptions was taken by Mattingly, containing the evidence adduced on the trial, which was allowed and signed by the mayor as required by statute, on the 16th day of March, 1908

On the 2d day of April, 1908, Mattingly through his attorneys, and after due notice to the state of the intention to do so, presented to the circuit court of Licking county a motion asking leave of that court to file therein a petition in error to review and reverse the judgment of said mayor. Leave was granted and the petition in error and said bill of exceptions and original papers were filed. The state took exception to the granting of the leave

The case on error was heard by the circuit court, and it reversed the judgment of the mayor for error, to-wit: “that the judgment of the said mayor is not sustained by sufficient evidence and is against the clear weight of the evidence.” The case was remanded to the mayor’s court for [82]*82further trial according to law. To this judgment of reversal the state of Ohio excepted, and error is prosecuted in this court to obtain a reversal of the judgment, of the circuit court.

The state challenges the jurisdiction of the circuit court to entertain the proceeding in error to review the judgment of the mayor, and of course denies the authority of the circuit court to grant leave to file therein a petition in error for such purpose. It is claimed that if Mattingly desired to prosecute error to the judgment of the mayor, he should have first knocked at the door of the court of common pleas, and if his suit failed there, he might then, and only then, be heard in the circuit court. This is an important question in our criminal procedure, and its solution involves a consideration of Section 7356, Revised Statutes, which is:

“In any criminal' case, including a conviction for a violation of an ordinance of a municipal corporation, the judgment or final order of a court or officer inferior to the common pleas court may be reviewed in the common pleas court; and a judgment or final order of any court or officer inferior to the circuit court may be reviewed in the circuit court; and a judgment or final order of the circuit court or the common pleas court in cases of conviction of a felony or a misdemeanor, and the judgment of the circuit court in any other case involving the constitutionality or construction of a statute, may be reviewed by the supreme court; but the supreme court shall not in any criminal cause or proceeding, except when its [83]*83jurisdiction is original, be required to determine as to the weight of the evidence.”

This is not a new provision, for its central rule is found in the Revised Statutes of 1880, in a section bearing the same number, where it was provided that; “In any criminal case, including a conviction for a violation of an ordinance of a municipal corporation, a judgment of a court or officer inferior to the court of common pleas, may be reviewed in the court of common pleas; judgment of any court (or officer omitted) inferior to the district court may be reviewed in the district court; and the judgment of any court inferior to the supreme court may be reviewed in the supreme court.” The section (7356) was amended April 18, 1883, by adding the words, “and the judgment of the district court in any other case involving the constitutionality or construction of a statute, may be reviewed in the supreme court; but in the supreme court only errors of law occurring at the trial or appearing in the pleadings or judgment can be reviewed.” See 80 O. L., 170 And so the law stood until the advent of the circuit court, which supplanted the district court, and by virtue of the constitutional amendment under which the circuit court was organized, it took over the former powers and jurisdiction of the district court. The section was again amended February 7, 1885, leaving out the words, “but in the supreme court only errors of law occurring at the trial, or appearing in the pleadings or judgment can be reviewed,” and substituting, “but the supreme court shall not in any criminal cause or proceeding, except when its [84]*84jurisdiction is original, be required to determine as to the weight of the evidence.” See 82 O. L., 39.

After undergoing the foregoing changes, we have our present section, which seems to be free of ambiguity and readily comprehended. Does the case at bar come within the provisions of the section ?

The affidavit before the mayor charged Mat-tingly with a violation of a criminal statute of the state. The village of Johnstown, at the date named therein, was what is called dry territory, because of an election there held on the 23d day of the preceding December, when a majority of the electors of the village voted “against the sale of intoxicating liquors as a beverage.” As a result of that election it became unlawful for anyone engaged in the retail of intoxicating liquors as a beverage to continue said business after the period of thirty days from the date of said election. It was charged that Mattingly had the contraband goods on hand after the time expired at his former usual place of business, and the complainants before the mayor availed themselves of. the provisions of an act entitled “An act to provide for the .enforcement of local option laws prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors as a beverage,” passed February 23, 1906. See 98 O. L., 12.

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Bluebook (online)
79 Ohio St. (N.S.) 79, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mattingly-ohio-1908.