Commonwealth v. White

Nov 28, 1894
Reporters:
, ,
Before:
Allen
Allen, J.

We cannot see that the two letters had any legitimate tendency to ‍​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​​​​​‍prove a criminal intent on the part of the defendant in the acts which were the subject of the indictment. They were written more than six ‍​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​​​​​‍months before, and related to other persons, and do not show any purpose to collect black-mail of dealers in milk. Since an objection was expressly taken ‍​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​​​​​‍to the admission of this evidence, and since it was admitted as having some tendency to show a criminal intent, and since we are unable ‍​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​​​​​‍to see that it had any such tendency, we feel constrained to grant a new trial, although the other evidence may have been sufficient to warrant ‍​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​​​​​‍the conviction. Commonwealth v. Bosworth, 22 Pick. 397, 400. Commonwealth v. Keenan, 152 Mass. 9. Maguire v. Middlesex Railroad, 115 Mass. 239.

Exceptions sustained.