Strobhar v. State

55 Fla. 167
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJanuary 15, 1908
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 55 Fla. 167 (Strobhar v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Strobhar v. State, 55 Fla. 167 (Fla. 1908).

Opinion

Parkhill, J.

'—-The plaintiff in error, James N. Strobhar, who will .be called the defendant elsewhere in this opinion, was convicted of the crime of embezzlement, and seeks relief here by writ of error.

The indictment, omitting the formal parts, is as follows : “The grand jurors of the state of Florida, inquiring in and for the body of the county of Alachua, upon their oaths do present that James N. Strobhar, late of the county of Alachua aforesaid, in the circuit and state aforesaid, laborer, on the 28th day of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and five with force and arms at and in the county of Alachua aforesaid. Did embezzle and fraudulently convert to his own use certain money of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company, a corporation created and existing under the laws of the state of Virginia, and doing business in the said county of Alachua and state of Florida, of which corporation he, the said James N. Strobhar, was then and there the servant and agent, without the consent of said corporation, to-wit, seven thousand, five hundred dollars, of' the value of seven thousand, five hundred dollars, of the money and property of said corporation, a more particular description of which is to the grand jurors unknown, which on said 28th day of August, A. D., 1905, in said county of Alachua and state of Florida, came into the possession of him, the said [171]*171James N. Strobhar, and was then and there under his care by nature of his said employment as such agent and servant. Against the form of the statute in such case made and provided, to the evil example of all others iu the like case offending, and against the peace and dignity of the state of Florida.”

The first error assigned is the overruling óf a motion to quash the indictment. In support of this assignment of error, it is urged that the indictment is defective because it charges that the money embezzled came into the defendant’s possession by nature of his said employment, following the language of Section 2457 Revised Statutes of 1892, the contention being made that the indictment should charge that money embezzled came into defendant’s possession by reason of his said employment, as required by the terms of the Act of 1903. It is clear that the last mentioned act repealed Section 2457, Revised Statutes of 1892, because the subsequent enactment was a revision of the subject-matter of the former statute, and was evidently intended as a substitute for it. We are quite sure, however, that the phrase “by nature of” which is the language of the indictment, is equivalent to the phrase “by reason of,” which is the language of the existing statute, and that is sufficient. Humphreys v. State, 17 Fla. 381; 7 Ency. Pl. & Pr., 423. Nature is defined as meaning character, sort or kind. Standard Dictionary; State v. Murphy, 23 Nev. 390, 48 Pac. Rep. 628. The expression “by nature' of his employment” means through the character of his employment, or “by reason of,” or on account of his employment. And so, allegations that the property then and there came to the “possession” of the defendant “by virtue of such employment” have been held to be sufficient, although the statute makes it a crime for any one to fraudulently convert property “under his care.” Ker v. People, 110 Ill. 627, text 649.

[172]*172It is contended that the indictmfent is defective because it fails to show “that, under the terms of the' alleged employment of defendant, any obligation rested upon him to receive and disburse or keep moneys of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company; that defendant’s business, as servant or agent, was to receive money •for the corporation.” This contention cannot be sustained. It is. sufficient to describe the defendant as a servant or agent, the terms used in the statute, without setting out in detail his duties or the purposes for which he was employed. 7 Ency. Pl. & Pr. 419; Wise v. State, 41 Tex. 139; Fleener v. State, 58 Ark. 98, 23 S. W. Rep. 1.

It is further contended that “the indictment does not • charge that defendant was employed by the railroad company nor that defendant was in the service of the railroad company.” We think the words' “of which corporation, he, the said James N. Strobhar, was then and there the servant and agent” is a sufficient allegation that defendant was then and there the servant and agent of the corporation previously named, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company, and that he was employed by, and in the service of, the said railroad company.

It is contended that 'the indictment fails to state the ownership of the money alleged to have been embezzled. Ownership of personal property is usually alleged by using the words “of the moneys of” the owner, or “of the property of,”'or “of the goods and chattels of” etc. The words “belonging to” are sufficient. No particular words are necessary. Clark’s Crim. Proc. 231 ; Peeples v. State, 46 Fla. 101, 35 South. Rep. 223; Eastman v. State, 48 Fla. 21. 37 South. Rep. 576. We think, therefore, the words “of the money and property of said corporation,” sufficiently allege the. ownership of the seven thousand five hundred dollars, the money embezzled, to be in the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company.

[173]*173It is contended that “there is no description of the money in the indictment.” This contention is without merit. Where the grand jury does not know the specific description of money alleged to have been embezzled it may so aver; and the allegation of the embezzlement of a stated number of dollars, followed by the statement that a moré particular description thereof is unknown to the indicting grand jury is all- that is required to make the description sufficient. Porter v. State, 26 Fla. 56, 7 South. Rep. 145; Lang v. State, 42 Fla. 595, 28 South. Rep. 856; 25 Cyc. 78; Lewis v. State, decided at this term. It is contended, however, that the clause “a more particular description of which is to the grand jurors unknown” refers to the corporation, and is an excuse for not giving a more particular description of “said corporation.” We think the clause relates to the money. The corporation had been fully described in a preceding part of the indictment.

The further contention is made that there is no' allegation that the money embezzled came into the possession of the defendant. We think this allegation is made by the words “which on said 28th day of August, A. D. 1905, in said county of Alachua and state of Florida, came into the possession of him, the said James N. Strobhar, and was then and there under his care by nature of his said employment as such servant and agent.” - We do not think the clause “which on the said 28th day of August, A. D. 1905, in said county of Alachua and state of Florida, came into the possession of him,” etc. refers or relates to the preceding words “grand jurors” or “corporation.” The pronoun “which,” as a relative, does not relate to the “grand jurors,” or to “corporation.” It refers to the money previously alleged. Ad proximum cmtecedens Hat relatio, nisi impediatur sententia. Broom’s Legal Maxims, p. 679, Sec. 680.

Mri Bishop says, “Some old authorities unvaryingly [174]*174refer a relative pronoun to the nearest antecedent; because, they assume, such is the rule in grammar. ‘Else’, said Jeffreys, in Rosewell’s case. ‘Dr. ’Rush-ir that so long ruled in Westminster School, taught me quite wrong.’ But as bad grammar never did render an indictment ill, this sort of argument could never have any just force.

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Bluebook (online)
55 Fla. 167, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/strobhar-v-state-fla-1908.