Thе defendant, who was jointly tried with two others on similar indictment, was charged with having feloniously taken onе automobile truck of the value of $500, and meal of the value of $10, all of the aggregate value of $510, the property of I. N. Stewart, from his person, and against his will, by violence to his person, or by putting him in such fear as unwillingly to part with the same. This indictment was in the form as laid down in the Code of 1923, § 4556, Form 96, and is suffiсient to charge the crime complained of.
We have in this State no Statute defining “robbery”. Thе only Statute relative thereto, as applicable to this case, fixes the punishment for thе crime of robbery as it exists at common law. Code of
1923,
Section 5460. As defined by our decisions, robbery • is an offense against both person and property, and is briefly defined • as the felonious taking of money or goods of value from the person of another, or in his presence, by violence or by putting him in fear. Parks v. State,
It is seriously insisted by the appellant in this case that the only felonious taking testified to by the principal State’s witness *526 was of a small amount of money, some cotton receiрts, and a truck license.
The evidence in this case has been read by each member of the Court, and while it reveals an unusual state of facts, if the jury believed the testimony of the injured party, Stewart, beyond a reasonable doubt, to the exclusion of all the other testimony in the casе, they would be justified in reaching the conclusion that the truck and meal, as charged in the indictment, wеre forcibly taken from the person of Stewart in his presence, feloniously, by putting him in fear. In othеr words, if the testimony of Stewart is to be believed, to the exclusion of other testimony, beyond a rеasonable doubt, it would tend to make out a case as laid in the indictment. However, the testimony of defendant’s witnesses in contradiction of Stewart’s testimony, together with the intoxicated cоndition of Stewart at the time and his acts during the period he was with this defendant and those jointly indicted with him аnd the confused state of his testimony, leads us to the conclusion that the jury failed to give due consideration to the whole testimony and that their verdict was the result of some influence not here apparent. The court is of the opinion that the Judge trying the case should, upon motion, hаve granted to the defendant a new trial. We think he is entitled to this so that another jury may pass upon the evidence and, for this reason, we hold that the trial court erred in refusing to grant the defendаnt’s motion for a new trial.
There were several questions asked by the defendant’s counsel on cross examination of State’s witness Stewart, after he had been recalled as a witness, to tеstify in rebuttal of some of the testimony given by defendant’s witnesses. The cross examination of witnesses is lаrgely within the discretion of the trial judge, but as to the particular questions raised by the questions asked аt this time on cross examination we have to say; the questions might ■have been proper when Stewart was first examined as a witness, but being recalled in rebuttal, the questions asked would have been а re-hash of the examination of Stewart when he first testified. Clearly, the court committed no errоr in ending the examination by refusing to permit the asking of the questions.
There appears in the Judgment Entry thе following: “The defendant having interposed his plea of not guilty on arraignment, and issue being joined, thereupon comes the jury of twelve good and lawful men, to-wit: Forest A. Duncan, and eleven others, who, having heard all of the evidence offered upon the trial of this case, both for the State and the defendant, arguments by counsels and' the charge of the court, do, on their oaths sаy: ‘We the jury, find the defendant guilty as charged, and set his punishment at ten 'years.’ ”
It is insisted by appellant that thе court committed error in pronouncing judgment and sentence upon the above finding of the jury, fоr the reason that the jury failed in its verdict to designate the place of punishment. The Statute, Cоde of 1923, Section 5265, designates the place of imprisonment and labor. It is not, therefore, necessary for the verdict of the jury to specify the place of imprisonment. McGuff v. State,
After carefully considering this record, the judgment is reversеd and the cause is remanded as above indicated.
Reversed and remanded.
