136 Mo. App. 673 | Mo. Ct. App. | 1909
This action is for malicious prosecution on a charge of receiving stolen goods, in which plaintiff recovered judgment in the trial court. It appears that the parties each owned a clothing store in the north part of Kansas City, Mo.; that they were formerly friends of the same nationality. This is the second appeal of the case. The first is reported in 126 Mo. App. 54, to which Ave refer for a full history of the matters leading up to the institution of the action and upon which it is founded.. The second trial, as did the first,
Objections are particularized in criticism of an instruction given by the court of its own motion, submitting the hypothesis of defendant having prosecuted plaintiff without believing him to be guilty, or by false and fraudulent evidence. It is claimed that there is no evidence that defendant did not believe him guilty, or that false testimony was sought and procured. This claim is argued as though there should be direct or affirmative testimony Avhich, in express terms, showed those things. It is of course, not necessary that such should be the character of the evidence. It is sufficient if the evidence be of such nature that reasonable inference would lead to a conclusion that those things were true; and of this character of proof there was an abundance. Defendant was an active prosecutor of the charge against plaintiff from the beginning, and many circumstances and incidents developed in the evidence which justified giving the instruction. Among other circumstances it was shown and since the verdict was for plaintiff, we must assume was truly shown, that defendant offered to settle the matter if plaintiff would pay him $500; and that he stated he did not wish to prosecute the man who stole the goods, but merely to hold him as a menace to plaintiff.
On July 10, 1899, plaintiff appeared in the criminal court and that court of its own motion continued the case to the October term “for want of time to try the same.” At the October term the State appeared by the prosecuting attorney and the plaintiff (defendant there) ápplied for and obtained a continuance (cause not stated in the record) until the January term following, when the case was dismissed. At the trial of the case at bar plaintiff was asked, over defendant’s objection, the following question: “Were you worried about this case?”
In our opinion there is no sufficient cause for disturbing the judgment, and it is affirmed.