This is an appeal from a conviction upon an indictment which charges the uttering of a forgery. The instrument in question was a check drawn on First National Bank of Greenville, purportedly signed by F. J. Smith or G. J. Smith, payable to S. L. Stone, and endorsed “S. L. Stone ’ ’ on the back thereof. It was negotiated at the mercantile establishment of A. M. Hytken in Indianola, Mississippi, where the person passing the check obtained some wearing apparel and approximately $30 in cash.
At the conclusion of the evidence for the State appellant made a motion to exclude the evidence and direct a verdict of not guilty, which motion was overruled. That action of the court is argued as error. However, after the motion was overruled, the appellant proceeded to offer evidence in his defense. By so doing he waived the error, if any, in overruling his motion to exclude. Patterson v. State,
Appellant vigorously attacks the State’s evidence whereby he was identified as the person who passed the check, but this argument is wholly without merit’ for the reason that in at least six places in the record appel
Much argument is also made in this connection regarding evidence of an alibi offered by appellant to the effect that he was not in Indianola on January 16, 1950. The proof for the State discloses, however, that Mr. Hytken would not and could not definitely fix January 16 as the date when the check was passed at his store. Moreover, the evidence as to the alibi was a question for the jury, and we cannot say that its verdict is manifestly wrong. Directly in point on the questions of identification and alibi being for the determination of the jury are Coleman v. State,
It is also argued that the evidence shows that A. M. Hytken was not personally defrauded but that the goods and money obtained by passing the check were the property of Hytken, Inc., a corporation. That question has no support whatever in the record. Mr. Hytken testified without contradiction that he purchased the mercantile business from the corporation in 1933 and that it has been his individual property at all times since, and that the goods and money obtained by virtue of the check were his own individual property.
It is next contended that the State did not prove that the check was forged. It was the contention of the State that the name of G. J. Smith or F. J. Smith appearing on the check was that of a fictitious person. A banker from Greenville testified that no' such person had an account with the bank and that he had lived in Greenville for many years and never heard of such a person. A policeman from Greenville also testified that he had never heard of such a person and that he had made inquiry and had been unable to find any one who ever heard of such a person. The Sheriff of Sunflower County testified
It is also contended by appellant that there is a fatal variance between the indictment and the proof for the reason that the indictment charges that the name of the maker shown on the check is G. J. Smith while the proof shows it to be F. J. Smith. This question was not raised in the lower court and was consequently waived and cannot be raised for the first time on appeal. Smith v. State,
Complaint is made against the two instructions granted to the State. We have carefully examined these and find them free from criticism.
Error is also predicated upon the refusal of three instructions requested by appellant. We have likewise carefully examined each of these and are of the opinion that they were correctly refused. The judgment of the court below is accordingly affirmed.
Affirmed.
