The People v. Zalapi

152 N.E. 500, 321 Ill. 484
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedJune 16, 1926
DocketNo. 17253. Judgment affirmed.
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 152 N.E. 500 (The People v. Zalapi) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
The People v. Zalapi, 152 N.E. 500, 321 Ill. 484 (Ill. 1926).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Duncan

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff in error, Matteo Zalapi, was found guilty by a jury in the county court of Winnebago county on an information containing two counts, charging him with having and possessing, with intent to sell, intoxicating liquor unlawfully, and with unlawfully selling intoxicating liquor, in violation of the Prohibition act. The court entered judgment on the verdict, sentencing him to serve 60 days in the county jail of said county on the first count and to serve ' a sentence under the second count of 120 days in said jail and to pay a fine of $'500 and all costs of prosecution, the sentences to be served consecutively. This writ of error is prosecuted direct to this court to review the judgment on the ground that a constitutional question is raised.

The first count charges that plaintiff in error (herein referred to as the defendant) on July 3, 1925, within said county and State, intoxicating liquor containing more than one-half of one per cent of alcohol by volume and fit for use for beverage purposes' did then and there unlawfully, and except as authorized in and by the Illinois Prohibition act, have and- possess with intent to sell the same, without having then and there a permit from the Attorney General of the State of Illinois so to do. The second count charges the defendant with unlawfully selling intoxicating liquor containing more than one-half of one per cent of alcohol by volume and fit for use for beverage purposes without having then and there a permit from the Attorney General of the State of Illinois so to do, etc. This count also contained the words “except as authorized in the Illinois Prohibition act,” and which are used in the same form and manner as they are used in the first count.

The court overruled the motion of the defendant to quash the information, and this action of the court is assigned as error. Under the holding of this court in the case of People v. Tate, 316 Ill. 52, both counts of the information are unquestionably good counts if the phrase “except as authorized in this act” had been omitted from the counts of the information. It cannot at all be said that these words make any better count or information by their addition than was the count approved in the Tate case, and why such was added as a supposed improvement or what was intended by the pleader is not at all clear by the use of those words. The words “except as authorized” are found in the Prohibition act and perhaps are taken from that act, as suggested by the defendant’s counsel. Section 3 of that act provides that no person shall manufacture, sell, barter, transport, deliver, furnish or possess any intoxicating liquor “except as authorized in this act.” The above words quoted may be read “otherwise than as authorized in this act,” and that is the meaning of them. Applying the same words in the information, the charge in the first count would be, did unlawfully and otherwise than as authorized in and by the Illinois Prohibition act have and possess, etc. This harmonizes all words used by the pleader and does not make the counts have a contradictory meaning, as charged by the defendant. The said words added are only a mere conclusion and may be regarded as surplusage in both counts under the holding of this court in People v. Berman, 316 Ill. 547, and People v. Osborne, 278 id. 104, and when so considered both counts are good counts. The court did not err in overruling the motion to quash.

The court did not err in overruling the defendant’s motion for continuance. There is no statutory provision for continuance on the ground of prejudice against the defendant by certain groups of people, which in this case seem to be church people, or on account of such people by their acts attempting to prejudice the court and the jurors against him. The affidavit for continuance had attached to it copies of articles from newspapers giving extracts from sermons preached by ministers and resolutions adopted by churches commending the State’s attorney for his activity in enforcing the Illinois Prohibition act and commending the judge for imposing heavy sentences in cases wherein defendants charged with violating the act were found guilty, etc. Defendant’s name appeared in none of the articles, and there is no showing in this case that the defendant was prejudiced by the overruling of the motion for continuance, or that a continuance would have avoided the danger to the defendant of any such prejudice, if any existed.

The court did not err in overruling the defendant’s challenge to the array of jurors. The court discharged one panel of jurors because they had served more than two weeks and ordered a new panel drawn. The challenge was to this new panel. The facts shown are, that in -September, 1924, a list of jurors of the county was prepared by the county board consisting of about ten per cent of the legal voters of the county, and all the names on that list were placed in the jury box, contrary to the provisions of the statute. The county board met in March, 1925, at an adjourned session of the September meeting and prepared a new list of approximately ten per cent of the voters of each town of the county and from this list made a selective list of 400 names in accordance with the provision of the statute, and the names of the selective jurors were put in the jury box. The jury challenged was drawn from these 400 so selected in the usual way. It was of no importance whether the names of the jurors drawn from the September list were taken out of the box by unauthorized persons or otherwise. The natural presumption in the absence of the showing is that it was done by the order of the county board and because those names placed in the jury box were placed there illegally or not in accordance, with the statute. Section 3 of the Jurors act provides that if for any reason the list or selection provided for in the foregoing sections should not be made at the meeting of the board held at the time specified, such list or selection shall be made at any meeting to be held as soon thereafter as may be. The. county board proceeded in accordance with the statute in making the new list of jurors and the selection, therefrom of the names of persons qualified and competent to sit as jurors to be placed in the jury box at their March meeting,. and no error was committed in overruling the second challenge to the array.

The court overruled the defendant’s motion to quash the search warrant issued in this cause and to impound the articles and liquor seized under the search warrant and to suppress on the trial all evidence concerning the liquor and articles seized, on the groftnd that the sections of the Illinois Prohibition act authorizing the issuance of search warrants are unconstitutional and that the complaint filed did not authorize the issuance of a search warrant, and other grounds. The motion was supported by an affidavit having attached thereto copies of the complaint and of the search warrant. Thereafter a plea of not guilty was entered and the evidence was heard by court and jury.

The facts proved are the following: In June and July, 1925, defendant was in business at 427 South Main street, in the city of Rockford. He had there a soda fountain and sold ice cream, soft drinks, cigars and tobacco. The rear of the premises was partitioned, and the partition separated from the front part, where the business was conducted, his residence in the rear, occupied by him alone, he being a bachelor.

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152 N.E. 500, 321 Ill. 484, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/the-people-v-zalapi-ill-1926.