112 Neb. 64 | Neb. | 1924
In the district court for Douglas county, Nathan Finegold was found guilty of contempt of court and for that offense was sentenced to serve a term of eight months in the county jail. As plaintiff in error he has presented his sentence for review.
The conviction cannot be approved. There was no formal complaint accusing Finegold of a violation of the criminal law or of contempt. He was brought into court by a capias. The judgment recites that he was brought before the bar “to answer for contempt of court in connection with perjury committed during the trial of this cause” — a civil action in which he was the plaintiff; that he was found guilty of “contempt of court in connection with perjury committed during the trial of this cause” — the civil case mentioned ; that he was “arraigned for sentence” and informed of the finding of guilty. He was not arraigned under any criminal charge. He was first found guilty and afterward “arraigned for sentence.” Neither the capias nor the findings of the court recite that Finegold himself committed perjury in the civil action. The record goes no further than to state the conclusion that he was “guilty of contempt of court in connection with perjury committed during the trial” of the civil case. What that “connection” was or what specific act was contemptuous is nowhere stated.
Reversed.
Note — See Contempt, 13 C. J. p. 63, sec. 87 (1925 Ann.).