State v. Ward

239 S.W.2d 313, 361 Mo. 1236, 1951 Mo. LEXIS 623
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedMay 14, 1951
Docket42010
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 239 S.W.2d 313 (State v. Ward) 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. Ward, 239 S.W.2d 313, 361 Mo. 1236, 1951 Mo. LEXIS 623 (Mo. 1951).

Opinion

*1240 HYDE, J.

[ 315] Action by the State Supervisor of Liquor Control to declare contraband a motor truck and cargo of intoxicating alcoholic liquors, seized September 8, 1949, under Sec. 4932, R. S. 1939, as amended Laws 1949, p. 325 (Mo. R. S. A. 1950 Pocket Part, p. 110) and to sell the same at public sale. The Court found intervenor Jackson entitled to possession of the truck, as mortgagee, and ordered the liquor forfeited and sold. Defendant has appealed.

This statute and other amendments to the Liquor Control Act were enacted as emergency legislation in Senate Bill 110 by the Sixty-fifth General Assembly and became effective on May 26, 1949. Sec. 4932 provides: “No person shall transport into, within, or through the State of Missouri any intoxicating liquors in quantities larger than five gallons who is not the holder of a license or permit from the Supervisor of Liquor Control of the State of Missouri so to do.” It also required a $1000.00 bond from the licensee. Licenses were for one year, from July 1 to June 30, and the fee was $10.00. Defendant procured Liquor Transportation License No. 4 issued July 1, 1949. Sec. 4932 requires that transported liquors “shall be accompanied at all times during transportation by a bill of lading or other memorandum of shipment, showing an exact description of the alcoholic liquors being transported, the name and address of the consignor, the name and address of the consignee, the route to be travelled by such’ vehicle while in Missouri, and the vehicle transporting such liquors shall not vary from said imite.” It further provides: “The name of the consignee on such bill of lading or memorandum of shipment shall be the true consignee of the alcoholic beverages being transported and who has previously authorized in writing the shipment of ihe alcoholic beverages being transported *1241 and who has a legal right to receive •such leverages at the point of destination shown on the bill of lading or other memorandum of shipment.” (Emphasis ours.)

Section 4932 also provides: “Any intoxicating liquor being transported into, within, or through the State of Missouri in knowing and wilful violation of the provisions of this act and the conveyance in which it is being transported shall be deemed contraband and shall be forfeited to the State of Missouri, and the Supervisor of Liquor Control, or any of his agents and Inspectors, and any peace officer of the State of Missouri shall seize any such liquor and the conveyance in which it is being transported’ as contraband.” The purpose of this action is to enforce such forfeiture. The trial court found that defendant did not in good faith believe that his consignees had a lawful right to receive the liquor in Oklahoma and declared the liquor to be contraband.

Defendant made from 15 to 20. trips between July 1 and September 8, 1949 with liquor loaded at Cairo, Illinois and delivered to individual consignees at Bartlesville and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Defendant said: “The arrangement was that I would receive the order and the money at the consignee’s place of business, or residence in Oklahoma, place or address that the liquor stamps (federal permit) were at, and proceed then to Cairo to the wholesaler and.receive the whiskey there and then transport it.” These consignees would give defendant a written order (not addressed to anyone, but requesting that a designated number of cases of certain brands of liquor be given to.him) and deliver to him the money to pay for it. They paid him from two and a half to three dollars a ease for delivering it. At the time he unloaded one load, they would usually give him the next order and the [316] money. On the September .trip which ended in seizure, defendant received $14,000.00 from four consignees which he took with their orders to the Southern Wholesale Liquor Company at Cairo. Two of these orders were signed by defendant’s father, E. W. Ward. Each of these said: “Please send me the following merchandise by W. F. Ward;” and specified the liquor to be sent. The Liquor Company attached to each order a memorandum, dated September 7, 1949, the ones for defendant’s father stating: “Sold to E. W. Ward, Route- 2, Box 3, Hwy. 77, S. Bartlesville, Okla.’.’, and describing the liquor ordered. An invoice, with serial numbers, was attached with a blank affidavit to be signed by the purchaser, stating that he was the holder of a federal permit or- stamp in Oklahoma; that all liquors were for consumption outside of Illinois and would not be returned there; and that they would not be sold in any state where Federal Law prohibited sale. Other similar papers showed sales to Brent Clark and L. K. Thresher of Tulsa and Paul Watkins of Bartlesville. Much of this liquor was, “lugged,” three fifths, six pints or eight half pints in brown paper bags, with crayon *1242 marks to indicate contents. The evidence showed: “That is a practice among bootleggers ® * * a licensed package store, they don’t ‘lug’ whiskey;” they get it in cases.

Defendant contends that the Missouri law was not violated, claiming that the Oklahoma consignees had a legal right to receive defendant’s shipment and that there was no showing of defendant’s knowledge and wilfulness. Certainly there was substantial evidence to show that these consignees were bootleggers, selling the liquor in violation of the Constitution and laws of Oklahoma. State agents went to Oklahoma to investigate these persons and their addresses. All of these consignees had federal permits as liquor dealers; none of them had ever been issued a license as a registered pharmacist or druggist. Defendant’s father’s address was a motor court., with a night club, known as Marie’s Court. Defendant himself said: “We had a cabin there he used as a storeroom and T unloaded into this cabin.” He. further testified: o “Q. Was your father living down in Bartlesville? A. His business was there. Q. AVhat kind of business? A. "Whatever it was I was hauling this load for him to do.” One of the Liquor Department agents said defendant stated to him that “his father was interested in this Marie’s Court operation there;” and said: “If you boj^s are ever over at Marie’s Court you can stop and get a good drink of whiskey there for fifty cents. * *. * We always serve straight shots and you can always get a drink at Marie’s.” Investigation of the other consignees showed that they were all operating from private residences. One of the agents testified without objection that- Watkins said he was a bootlegger. During two months, defendant had brought, five or six loads to Clark, two to Thresher, and five or six to Watkins. Apparently most of the rest, went to his father, who owned a farm near Piheville, Missouri, where defendant lived with his mother. His father was frequently at the farm..

Defendant has briefed and argued this case as though this liquor belonged to him but the record conclusively shows that this was not true. Proceedings for forfeiture are provided by Sec. 4917, R. S. 1939 as amended by Senate Bill 110 (Laws 1949, p.

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Bluebook (online)
239 S.W.2d 313, 361 Mo. 1236, 1951 Mo. LEXIS 623, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ward-mo-1951.