85 Mich. 87 | Mich. | 1891
Upon a complaint properly verified before Ithe defendant, who was one of. the police justices of the ■city of Detroit, the following warrant was issued:
“ SEARCH-WARRANT.
“ State or Michigan, ) “County of Wayne, ) ss.
“To the superintendent, or any captain, sergeant, roundsman, detective, or patrolman of Metropolitan Police Force of the city of Detroit, in said county, greeting:
f< Whereas, Thomas J. Myler, of the city of Detroit, in said county, hath this day made complaint on oath before the undersigned, one of the police justices of the city of Detroit, in said county, that goods and chattels, to wit, gaming' implements, and other chattels and apparatus which complainant is unable to specify, used and kept to be used in unlawful gaming in a certain apartment in the building known as No. 188 Griswold St., in the city of Detroit, which said building was on*89 said fifth day of July a place resorted to for the purpose of unlawful gaming, and that - has just and reasonable cause to believe said goods and chattels, or some portion of the same, are in the building known as No. 188 Griswold St., in said city of Detroit, and said county, and that the grounds of said suspicions are as follows: Information derived from George Bissonet.
“ In the name of the people of the State of Michigan, you are therefore hereby commanded to enter in and upon said described premises, and there make diligent search for said goods, and, if the same or any part thereof be found, that you bring the same before me, to be disposed of according to law.
“A,nd you, the said superintendent, captain, sergeant, roundsman, detective, or patrolman, having possession and executing this writ, are further hereby commanded to notify the person in control and possession of ■ the premises aforesaid to appear at the police court building on the 9th day of July, A. D. 1890, then and there to show cause why the property above specified in this writ, and found and seized in accordance with-its direction, and by its authority, should not be disposed of then and there as provided by law.
“ Witness the Hon. Edmund Haug, senior police justice of the police court of the city of Detroit.
“ Given under my hand and seal at Detroit, in said county, on the 8th day of July, A. D. 1890.
[Seal.] “Edmund Haug,
“ One of the Police Justices of the City of Detroit.”
This warrant was duly executed and returned by the officer, who certified that he had searched the premises described in the warrant, and had there found one faro table, one faro lay-out, 1,200 checks, one faro deal box, two check racks, one case keeper, one poker table, one stud poker table, one cribbage-board, four packs of cards, and four checkers or coppers, and that he found one John Considine in charge of the said premises, and had notified him to be and appear personally or by attorney before said police justice on said July 9, at 2 o'clock p. h., and show cause why said articles should not be disposed of in the manner provided bv law. Several wit
Plaintiff brings the case to this Court by certiorari, and in his petition alleges that he came into the possession of certain of this property as assignee of one James EL Porter, an insolvent, which he describes as follows:
"1. A table of general and usual characteristics.
“2. A table of a crescent or semi-circular form, with a crescent space cut out of one of its edges, to allow a person to sit closely up to the same.
“3. A table described generally as circular in form, with a small slot cut in the center thereof, which communicates with a drawer beneath said table.”
The petition fails to state the purpose for which these tables were made or were used, nor does it deny that they were used for gambling purposes at the place and time stated. But plaintiff claims that the proceedings were without lawful jurisdiction, because—
The law under which this proceeding was had is found in How. Stat. § 9616, and is as follows:
“ Any such magistrate may also, upon like complaint made on oath, issue a search-warrant, when satisfied that there is reasonable cause, in the following cases, to wit:
'“1. To search for and seize any counterfeit or spurious coin, forged bank-notes, or other forged instruments, or any tools, machines, or other materials prepared or provided for making either of them. .
“2. To search for and seize any books, pamphlets, ballads, printed papers, or other things containing obscene language, or obscene prints, pictures, figures, or descriptions, manifestly tending to corrupt the morals of youth, and intended to be sold, loaned, circulated, or distributed, or to be introduced into any family, school, or place of education.
“3. To search for and seize lottery tickets, or materials for a lottery, unlawfully made, provided, or procured for the purpose of drawing a lottery.
“4. To search for and seize any gaming apparatus or implements used or kept, and provided to be used, in unlawful gaming, in any gaming-house, or in any building, apartment, or place resorted to for the purpose of unlawful gaming.”
It is insisted on behalf of the plaintiff that the property is not sufficiently described, within article 6, § 26, of the Constitution. This section reads as follows:
“The person, houses, papers, and possessions of every person shall be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures. No warrant to search any place, or to seize any person or things, shall issue without describing them, nor without probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation.”
We cannot agree with this construction of the above constitutional provision. The result would be to defeat the very purpose of the above enactment, which has been upon our statute books since 1838. It is to be presumed
The owner of stolen property must usually make his
Plaintiff further insists that these articles, being inanimate property, were harmless in themselves, and at most were devoted to noxious uses, and that which constitutes the noxious use may be removed, and therefore there remains no necessity for their destruction. To support his position he cites Welch v. Stowell, 2 Doug. 332; Brady v. Insurance Co., 11 Mich. 452; Shepard v. People, 40 Id. 492. None of these cases are applicable to the case at ■bar. Welch v. Stowell involved the right to destroy a house because it was used as a house of ill fame. Brady v. Insurance Co. involved the effect of an ordinance establishing fire limits, and forbidding the rebuilding or repairing wood buildings within such limits. Shepard v. People involved the right to destroy a dam as a nuisance. But the testimony in this case shows that these tables
We find no error in the record, and the writ must be dismissed, with costs.