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Commonwealth v. DelanoCommonwealth v. Delano

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Jan 11, 1908
Reporters:
, ,
Before:
Loring
Loring, J.

The only argument put forward by the defendant is that although the ‍‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‍act here complained of was an “unnatural and lascivious act with another person ” it was not an act of copulation and that for ‍‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‍that reason on the authority of what was stated obiter in Commonwealth v. Dill, 160 Mass. 636, 537, it is an act not within R. L. c. 212, § 27.

It is plain ‍‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‍that St. 1887, c. 436, now R. L. c. 212, § 27, was intended to make criminal any and all unnatural and lascivious *167acts with another ‍‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‍person. Copulation is the natural act of coition and is not within the statute. It is evident that the word “ copulation ” was ‍‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‍not used accurately in the opinion in Commonwealth v. Dill, 160 Mass. 536, 537.

Verdict to stand.

Case Details

Case Name: Commonwealth v. Delano
Court Name: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Date Published: Jan 11, 1908
Citations: 83 N.E. 406; 197 Mass. 166; 1908 Mass. LEXIS 685
Court Abbreviation: Mass.
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