43 So. 678 | Miss. | 1907
Lead Opinion
delivered the opinion of the court.
There are nineteen assignments of error in this case, but few of them are pressed seriously. We have carefully considered them all, and concur that none of them is well taken, except that our Brother Caliioon maintains that the first instruction for the state is erroneous, and that the modification of the twelfth instruction for the defense is erroneous, and that the second instruction for the state is erroneous. With the exceptions indicated in the dissent of our brother, we all concur that no one of the other assignments of error is well taken.
Concerning the contention that the indictment should charge the specific weapon with which the assault and battery was committed, and that it is not sufficient to charge that it was committed with a deadly weapon, we merely observe, first, that we have examined carefully all the authorities cited by the learned counsel for appellants, and find that they do not sustain the contention; and, second, that any fair reading of this testimony, taken as a whole, shows that the knives used were pocketknives. See 1 Wharton’s Criminal Law, p. 602; Hull v. State, 79 Ala., 32; 1 Bishop on Criminal Procedure, sec. 488; Porter v. State, 57 Miss., 300.
The case made by the facts in this record is briefly as follows: Sam ILarrison had been operated upon for appendicitis and was in an enfeebled condition. A brother of Harrison had killed a brother of the Canterbury boys. So far as this record is concerned, it does not appear that Sam Harrison had any connection with that killing. This difficulty occurred on Sunday at a church meeting. Harrison and Luckey were under a tree, some little distance away, preparing to eat dinner. Abel Canterbury during the morning had been grimacing at Harrison and frowning at him wherever he chanced to see him. Abel and Crosby walked up to where Harrison and Luckey were sitting, and Crosby exchanged greetings with Harrison and Luckey. Harrison did not speak to Abel Canterbury, but Abel Canterbury insisted that he had done so. Harrison kept
On this ease it is impossible to doubt that the defendants intended to kill and murder. The contention that these two appellants did not intend to kill and murder Harrison, when the testimony shows that they chased him for fifty yards with drawn knives, falling upon him when he had fallen to the ground in k helpless condition; stabbing him with their knives, and stopping only after the most strenuous effort; threatening those who sought to draw them off — but were acting in self-defense and had the right to pursue a man fleeing for his life in order to save their own lives, is one, to put it mildly, that utterly fails to commend itself to our minds. Was it necessary to the preservation of the lives of these two appellants, or to save them froin any great bodily harpa, that they should chase a man in full flight for fifty yards, and then pounce upon him while he was down and helpless ? It is impossible for us to conceive how any serious contention can be made that these two appellants could, in any imaginable way, have been in danger from Harrison, while he was in full flight, of death or great bodily harm. On this ktate of the case the court gave instruction number one for the state, set out in the dissenting opinion, which we think states the case precisely as it ought to have
The twelfth instruction for the defendant is as follows: “The jury are instructed, for the defendants, as a matter of law, that if they believed, and had reasonable cause to believe, that Sam ITarrison had sought them out for the purpose of killing them, or of doing them great bodily harm, and that Sam Harrison was prepared therefor with deadly weapons, and that Sam Harrison made demonstrations manifesting an intention to commence an attack, then the defendants or defendant so threatened were not required to retreat; but they had the right, under the law, to stand and defend themselves, and to pursue and if in so doing it was necessary, or upon reasonable grounds Sam Harrison until they had secured themselves from danger, it appeared to he necessary, to commit an assault and battery with intent to kill Sam Harrison, their acts are excusable upon the grounds of self-defense, and if the jury so believe from the evidence they must find the defendants not guilty.” This instruction was modified by the court, but not read to the jury. The first observation to be made about this instruction, which was given with the simple modification of striking out the words “and to pursue Sam Harrison,” is that, as asked, it was manifestly erroneous on the case made. There was not a scintilla of evidence in the case to show that “Sam Harrison had sought them out for the purpose of killing them, or of doing them great bodily harm,” or that Sam Harrison “made demonstrations manifesting an intention to commence an attack. Abel Canterbury began the difficulty beyond any controversy, Harrison seeking to avoid trouble, and the instruction as given was manifestly erroneous, for the reason that there was no evidence to
Our dissenting brother earnestly contends that it was the duty of the court to give a charge to the jury that they might find a verdict less than a verdict of assault and battery with intent to kill and murder^ and that there was evidence tending to show that what was done was all done in the heat of passion. We cannot agree with him in this view of the case made by the evidence. As stated, these appellants chased this man fifty yards, fell upon him, and stabbed him when he was down and helpless. It seems to us to be utterly unreasonable to contend that this was in the mere heat of passion, and the jury have so found. As to the insistence that it is the duty of the court to give a charge to the jury that they might find a less verdict than a verdict of assault and battery with intent to kill and murder, the conclusive answer is that in this state the law has absolutely taken from the judge the right to give any charge to the jury in any state of case, unless that charge is requested by the parties to the litigation in writing. The circuit judge is
The only error we deem it necessary to advert to is the as
On the whole case, it seems to us, after the most patient consideration, -that the learned circuit judge charged the law with great accuracy, except in charging far too favorably for the defense in the twelfth instruction; that the district, attorney acted with great fairness in putting on the stand all eyewitnesses who saw the whole difficulty; that the verdict is.right, and that no other result could possibly be reached on any reasonable view on another trial; and that the judgment should be, and hereby is AFFIRMED. '
Dissenting Opinion
delivered the following dissenting opinion:
In this case there was testimony tending to show self-defense, and much stronger evidence to show that the actions of the accused were in the heat of passion, naturally engendered, without malice aforethought, which would, if Harrison had been
The court gave only two instructions at the instance of the state. They are as follows: Number One: “The court instructs the jury, for the state, that even though they should believe from the testimony that Sam Harrison was the aggressor, yet if they further believe from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Harrison abandoned the difficulty and began a flight, and if they further believe from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Harrison was pursued by Abel Canterbury and Bud Canterbury, and attacked by them with deadly weapons with intent to kill and murder said Harrison at the time when they, defendants, were in no immediate danger, real or apparent, of loss of life or great bodily harm, they should find the defendants guilty as charged in the indictment.” Number Two: “The court charges the jury, for the state, that if from the evidence they believe beyond a reasonable doubt that defendants, Abel Canterbury and Bud Canterbury, made an assault on Sam Harrison with deadly weapons, or if they made an assault and cut and wounded the said Sam Harrison with deadly weapons, to-wit, pocketknives, with the intent to kill and murder him, the said Sam Harrison, as charged in the indictment, at a time when they, the defendants, were in no immediate danger, real or apparent, of loss of life or of great bodily harm, then.the jury should return a verdict of guilty as charged in the indictment.”
The following instruction was given for the defense, but only as modified by the court, as will appear: Number Twelve: “The jury are instructed, for the defendants, as a matter of. law, that if they believed, and had reasonable cause to believe, that Sam Harrison had sought them out for the purpose of killing them, or of doing them great bodily harm, and that Sam Harrison was prepared therefor with deadly weapons, and that Sam Harrison made demonstrations manifesting an intention to
It will be observed that instruction Number One for the state fully presents the theory of the prosecution that even if Harrison was the aggressor, still if he abandoned the difficulty, and “was pursued” by the accused with intent to kill and murder him, they should be convicted. Granting that this was correct on this line of thought, it is quite notable that the accused were refused the correlative proposition that they had the right to pursue him if they believed, from his demonstrations, that it was necessary to their security. This refusal to them and agreement to the counter request of the state plainly emasculated the defense of its constitutional right to an impartial trial, and affects seriously the status of all citizens, however innocent, who may be indicted. The right to pursue, when apparently necessary to self-defense, is too thoroughly settled for any sort of disputation, and the right to have the jury so instructed is plain, where there is, as here, testimony in support of it.
In Ency. Pl. & Pr., vol. 11, p. 212, we find this in the text: “If there is evidence tending to reduce the grade of the offense, it is the duty of the court to give in charge the law applicable to that grade of offense, and it makes no difference that the evidence tending to reduce the grade of the offense is very slight, or that the only evidence tending to reduce the offense
The first, instruction for the state is also fatally defective in excluding any consideration of heat of passion. It tells the jury they “should find the defendants guilty as charged in the indictment” — that is, of assault and battery with intent to kill and murder- — if satisfied beyond reasonable doubt Harrison was pursued and “attacked” by the accused “with deadly weapons with intent to kill and murder” him, etc. “Kill and murder” is strictly a legal phrase, and yet murder is not defined and differentiated from manslaughter in this or any other instruction on either side. Juries are not supposed to be lawyers, or
The second instruction for the state is flagrantly erroneous, not only because it has the vice of'the first, just noticed, 'but directs conviction of assault and battery with intent to kill and murder, even though defendants were guilty only of an assault with deadly weapons. It cannot be true in' Mississippi that one may be convicted of a battery when he committed an assaúlt only. An assault is an attempt to commit a battery. It is included in a battery; but a battery is not included in an assault. The clauses of Code 1906, § 1043, make separate offenses. Morman v. State, 24 Miss., 54. And, as one may be convicted of only what he did, instructions should be specific. An assault with intent, etc., is not an assault and battery with intent, etc. Montgomery v. State, 85 Miss., 330, 37 South., 835; 1 Wh. Crim. Laws, sec. 640. At no time in any case is a defendant called upon to ask any instruction modifying guilt, or in exculpation. He is at arm’s length. But at all times, in all eases, the state must charge the law, if at all, on that on which it must stand or fall, unless the defense asks some instruction neutralizing any error. In announcing a different rule, or making it incumbent on the defense, under any circumstances, to ask a charge about anything, or under any phase of the case, I submit that there is manifest error in the majority opinion. Defendants need not correct the state’s errors.
The majority opinion is quite full and accurate in stating the case made in the testimony for the state, but is curiously silent as to that delivered on the part of the defense. It does state that: “Nobody contends, except the two appellants themselves, that they did not stab Harrison on the ground after chasing him. It is true both the appellants swear positively that neither saw the other stab Harrison while lying on the ground. It is further true — a most astonishing statement — that each swears that he did not see the other on Harrison.” From my
It will be noted here that the indictment is a joint indictment against old man Canterbury and both of his' sons, Abel Canterbury and Bud Canterbury. The district attorney, of course, very properly caused a verdict of not guilty to be entered in favor of John Canterbury, the old man. It is also absolutely certain that Bud Canterbury was not present at that time. It appears from the testimony for the defense, and I think cannot be successfully disputed, that Bud Canterbury, hearing the outcry that his father had been killed, started to go to him, Avhen he met Sam Harrison, who endeavored to kill him and cut his clothing as he passed him, and thereupon Bud Can
But all this matter of testimony pro and con can only properly be considered in determining the propriety of the action of the court in charging the law. It is true that, where the defense itself makes out a case of guilt, errors in instructions need not be noticed. It is also true that where there are instructions on both sides, and there is technical error in an instruction given for the state, the court will not notice the error, where, taken as a whole, it plainly appears that the jury could not have been misled; but those are not this case, and I stand on the proposition that wherever Anglo-Saxons live, a defendant has the right, even upon his own testimony alone, to have
I deny utterly that there is any distinction whatever in the granting or refusal of instructions between our system of asking written instructions and the English system of oral charges. It is true that neither side need ask an instruction; but, whenever one is asked, it must be a proper instruction, and, if not proper, it must be refused or modified to cover the case. This