State v. Patton

164 S.W. 223, 255 Mo. 245, 1914 Mo. LEXIS 19
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedFebruary 17, 1914
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 164 S.W. 223 (State v. Patton) 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. Patton, 164 S.W. 223, 255 Mo. 245, 1914 Mo. LEXIS 19 (Mo. 1914).

Opinion

FARIS, J.

Defendant was convicted in the circuit court of Callaway county upon an indictment charging' him with the offense of feloniously keeping a gambling device, consisting, as it is averred, of a crap table upon which dice were used, and which table and dice constituted a device adapted for the playing of [250]*250the game commonly called “craps.” The trial of the defendant resulted in his conviction and the fixing of his punishment at imprisonment in the county jail for a term of one year. After the usual motions for a new trial and in arrest, defendant'has appealed and is now here urging reversal.

The facts, in the view we take of the case, are not of very much pertinence, hut in brief they tended to show that some time prior to the 5th day of February, 1912, upon which date the indictment lays the offense; defendant and one Rogers were partners in the second-hand furniture business at Fulton, Missouri. They used for their business, in addition to their store room, an old building containing two rooms, as a warehouse for the storing of such furniture as they were unable to get into their store. This old building had formerly been used as a paint shop by said Rogers. In the back part of this paint shop was a room which could be entered from the rear, or from an alley adjoining it, or by going through the paint shop. On divers days about the 5th of February, 1912, the testimony shows that there was in this rear room of the paint shop an old table, covered with cloth, which some of the witnesses spoke of as an old billiard table. It is not definitely stated, however, that it was an old dismantled billiard table; merely that it had the appearance of such. There was a pool hall in the vicinity. The testimony shows that defendant Patton, on three or more occasions about the date mentioned, was in this room sitting by this table and engaged with the witnesses who testified in the case and with other persons, in the playing of craps with dice upon the table in question. • The testimony shows that, defendant himself played the game of craps and made bets thereon and that he rolled the dice as. did the others who were seated about the table and who were engaged in the several games. One witness says that he “supposed” that defendant was banking the game; another one verified the state-. [251]*251ment made in the witness’s testimony before the grand jury,, which was exhibited to the witness, thatdefend.ant was banking the game. Aside from the fact that the room in question, from its location and situation as a part of the warehouse, was in the possession of the defendant and his partner Rogers, and that the table and the dice were in that room at the time; that defendant was seen on several occasions sitting by the table rolling dice, and making bets upon plays; that he cashed two checks for a certain player to enable him to get money with which to play; that one witness “supposes” that defendant was hanking the game, and another states as a conclusion, hut not the facts on which he bottoms the conclusion, when the witness’s memory is refreshed in the manner below stated, that defendant was banking the game, there is no evidence that defendant ever set up or kept the table or device, and none, except the inferences arising from the facts stated, that he owned either the table or the dice which together are alleged to constitute the device denounced.

Upon the trial the prosecuting attorney, under the guise of refreshing the memory of Moore, Sheets and -Qualls, who were witnesses in the case for the State, read from their testimony given by them before the grand jury and asked these witnesses categorically if they had not made the statements which he read to them. The defendant duly objected to this action of the prosecuting attorney and, being overruled, properly saved his exceptions.

As showing clearly and definitely what occurred in this behalf we set out below an excerpt from the record showing in detail the maimer, and form of the examination, the objections and exceptions of the defendant and the ruling of the court' thereon:

“Q. Just to refresh your memory, I will ask .you if you didn’t testify before the grand jury in May, 1913, to this fact—
[252]*252“By Mr. Gantt: If the court please, I object to the prosecuting attorney asking the witness if he didn’t testify to certain things before the grand jury. The question now is, what this witness under oath remembers of this occurrence and we object to the prosecuting attorney using notes of'the grand jury or notes of something else in which it does not appear who took the notes, or it does not appear anything about it.
“By the Court: Objection overruled.
“To which action of the court the defendant, by his counsel, then and there at the time duly excepted and saved his exceptions.
“By Mr. Cave (reading): ‘I was in Patton’s place two or three times in January and February, 1912, and found Patton sitting at the table with a stack of money in front of him.’ Is that true or not? A. Yes, sir; and he was not the only one that had money in front of him.
“Q. You did see him at that time, or about that time ? A. I could not say for sure.
“Q. Didn’t you testify to that before the grand jury? A. Well, I reckon I did — if it is down there. I testified, of course.
“Q. Didn’t you also testify to this: That you shot craps there at that time and that you were playing on a sort of a pool table? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. And that Patton was banker of the game and sat there with a stack of money at his side ?
“By Mr. Gantt: We .object to this witness stating that Patton was the banker of the game. That is a matter for the jury to determine after hearing the testimony.
“By the Witness: Somebody explain what a banker is and I can tell.
“Q. By Mr. Cave: Didn’t you testify to those facts—
[253]*253“By the Court: He is asking yon whether or not yon testified to that before the grand jury. Did yon, or not?
“A. How can I remember now what I testified down there?
“By the Court: Don’t you ask questions — you answer that question ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ if yon can. Do you know whether you testified that before the grand jury?
“A. I know I testified some things.
“By the Court: Eead that to him again. We will see if we can’t help his memory some.
“By Mr. Cave, reading: ‘We played on an old pool table. Patton was banker of the game and sat there with a stack of money at his side.’ Did yon testify to that before the grand jury?
“A. I think I did.
“Q. ‘The rest of the boys stood up around the table.’ Did you testify to that? A. Yes, sir, we all stood up. .
“Q. ‘I would put my money down on the table and Patton would take money from his stack and fade me and then I would roll the dice.’ Did you testify to that? A. Yes, sir/’ *

The above method of examining the witnesses for the State was used by the prosecuting attorney as to others' of the State’s witnesses.

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Bluebook (online)
164 S.W. 223, 255 Mo. 245, 1914 Mo. LEXIS 19, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-patton-mo-1914.