State v. McClung

13 S.E. 654, 35 W. Va. 280, 1891 W. Va. LEXIS 57
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 10, 1891
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 13 S.E. 654 (State v. McClung) 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. McClung, 13 S.E. 654, 35 W. Va. 280, 1891 W. Va. LEXIS 57 (W. Va. 1891).

Opinion

Beaitnon, Judge :

Prank McOlung, alias Prank McAllister, alias Prank MeClintock, was tried in the Circuit Court of Clay county on the following indictment:

“ The grand jurors of the State of West Virginia iu and for the body of the county of Clay, and now attending the said court, upon their oaths present that Prank McOlung, alias Erank McAllister, alias Prank MeClintock, on the-day of-, 1890, about the hour of-o’clock, in the night-time of that day, feloniously and burglariously did break and enter into the dwelling house of one Lewis Kyer, situated in said county, with intent the goods and chattels of him, the said Lewis Kyer, in the said dwelling house then and there being, then and there feloniously and burglariously to steal, take, and carry away, and one pair of pants or pantaloons, and other goods and chattels, of the value of twenty four dollars, of-the goods and chattels of the said Lewis Kyer, in the said dwelling-house, in the county aforesaid, then and there being found, then and there feloniously and burglariously did steal, take, and carry away. And the grand jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, present that the said Prank McClung, alias Prank McAllister, alias Prank MeClintock, on the-day of-, 1890, in the county aforesaid, did feloniously and burglariously take, steal, and carry away goods and chattels belonging to one Lewis Kyer of the value of twenty four dollars, and one pair of pants of the value of five dollars, [282]*282and be, the said McClung, alias McAllister, alias McClin-tock, did then and there break and enter the dwelling bouse of the said Lewis Kyer in the night-time, with intent to commit larceny and burglary, and did then and there felo-niously and burglariously take, steal and carry away household goods of the value of twenty four dollars, against the peace and dignity of the State.”

The defendant, having been convicted of burglary, and sentenced to the penitentiary for five years, has come to this Court upon a writ of error. When application for this writ of error was made, I observed but one point of reversible error, nor do I now see any other; and perhaps that was inadvertently overlooked in the Circuit Court; and that is the want of the constitutional conclusion to the' first count.

The first error assigned is the overruling of a demurrer to the indictment. That demurrer was not to each count, or to the indictment and each count, but was general to the indictment; and therefore, if either of its two counts be good, there is no error in overruling the demurrer; for where the indictment contains more than one count, and the demurrer is general, and one couut is found good, the demurrer must be overruled. State v. Cartwright, 20 W. Va. 32; Hendrick’s Case, 75 Va. 934; Whar. Crim. Pl. § 401; 1 Bish. Crim. Proc. § 449. For this purpose and generally, each count is regarded as a separateindictment, and as presenting a separate offence. State v. Smith, 24 W. Va. 814.

Then let us see whether either of the counts of this indictment is good. Except for want of a conclusion, the first count is good for burglary. If counsel specifies any defect in this count, it is that the charge of larceny is bad. I think that feature is bad — that is, to support a verdict of guilty of larceny — because it specifies only one article of the things stolen, the pantaloons, and. alleges that “other goods and and chattels” were stolen, without specifying them, and gives a value of twenty four dollars to all of them together.

But the fact that the charge of larceny is bad by no means vitiates the count regarded as a count for burglary, because, if we reject the larceny feature, there remains the charge of burglary. It is common and better practice to [283]*283allege iu one count botli the burglary and tbe larceny (1 Hale, P. C. 560; Speer’s Case, 17 Gratt. 572); and under such count there may be a conviction of the one or the other of those offences. Reece’s Case, 27 W. Va. 375; Clarke’s Case, 25 Gratt. 908; 1 Hale, P. C. 559; Rosc. Crim. Ev. 347; Whart. Crim. Pl. § 244.)

In Vaughan’s Case, 17 Gratt. 576, where there was a count charging both birrglary and larceny, Judge JoyNes said: “The allegation of actual larceny is only in aid of the intent. If that allegation were struck out altogether, enough would remain to describe the offence of which the prisoner has been convicted. Such being the object for which the charge of an -actual larceny is introduced, it need not be laid with the same formality as in an indictment for the larceny itself. Larned v. Com., 12 Metc. (Mass.) 240; Com. v. Doherty, 10 Cush. 52; and see Regina v. Clarke, 1 Car. & K. 421 (47 E. C. L.). It is always better, however, to lay the charge of-larceny in proper form to avoid objection in case the prisoner should, as he may on such a count as this, be found not guilty of breaking and entering, but.guilty of larceny.”

In Josslyn v. Com., 6 Metc. (Mass.) 236, the count charged the breaking and entering of the shop of Charles W. Eogg, “with intent the goods and chattels of said Fogg, then and there in said shop being found, feloniously to steal, take, and carry away.” Chief Justice Siiaw said : “Nor is it necessary to describe the goods intended to be stolen. A general intent to steal goods would complete the offence, and therefore the averment of such intent, without more, is sufficient to charge it, and the rule would be the saíne if there were no goods or no goods of Fogg in the shop. The crime was complete by the breaking and entering with intent to steal goods.”

In Larned v. Com., 12 Metc. (Mass.) 240, to the objection that the charge of larceny was defective in an indictment for burglary, the court said that the charge of actual larceny was not necessary to constitute the burglary; that the mere intent to commit larceny was sufficient; and the allegation was only to be taken in- aid of the charge of intent, and, if a conviction was had, the punishment would [284]*284be 'for burglary, not a distinct sentence for larceny. The court held the specific charge of larceny surplusage, and that, if wholly defective, there would still remain sufficient to sustain a conviction.

It might be supposed that, as on a count charging both burglary and larceny there may be a conviction of-either, there could also, if both offences were proven, be a conviction of both, followed by the separate penalty for each ; but this is not so, for, if there be a general verdict of guilty on such a count, it is deemed a conviction of burglary only, and the sentence is for burglary, not for both, nor for larceny. Speer’s Case, 17 Gratt. 570 ; 1 Hale, P. C. 559.

In Com. v. Hope, 22 Pick. 1, it was held that, on a general verdict of guilty on a count charging both offences, the sentence must be for burglary, and not for a distinct sentence for larceny, and Chief Justice Shaw said no case could be found where there were two punishments on such an indictment.

In Kite v. Com., 11 Metc. (Mass.) 581, it was held that in such case the conviction is of burglary, the larceny being merged.

In Breese v. State, 12 Ohio St. 146, it was held that the sentence must be for burglary, not larceny.

The case of State v. Henley, 30 Mo. 509, cited in 1 Whart. Crim.

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Bluebook (online)
13 S.E. 654, 35 W. Va. 280, 1891 W. Va. LEXIS 57, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mcclung-wva-1891.