17 Ga. App. 520 | Ga. Ct. App. | 1916
The plaintiff in error was convicted of the offense of disposing of mortgaged property. It is not urged in the brief of his counsel that the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict, except for the reason that the venue was not sufficiently proved. There was no evidence that the calf which he was charged in the indictment with having disposed of had been sold, but there was testimony that the defendant freely and voluntarily admitted that he had killed and eaten it and had thus “otherwise disposed” of the mortgaged -property, and further testimony showing that this was done without the consent of the mortgagee. This proof, together with proof tending to show the venue, was sufficient to authorize a conviction of a violation of section 730 of the Penal Code. See Scott v. State, 6 Ga. App. 333 (64 S. E. 1005).
The evidence showed, that the defendant resided in Laurens county at the time he executed the mortgage, and that the property mortgaged was in that county at that time, and that the defendant was still residing in Laurens county at the time he admitted that he had killed and eaten the calf; that all the counties touching or bordering Laurens county were approximately from eight or ten to twenty-five miles from his home; that the calf was
The evidence as to the confession of tire accused that he had killed and eaten the mortgaged calf was not even disputed by a statement from him to the jury; and since the undisputed evidence, therefore, establishes that the defendant did in fact kill and eat the calf in question, it is utterly unreasonable to suppose that the accused drove the calf over into the nearest county, eight or ten miles away, before- butchering it, especially when it is recalled that he still resided in Laurens county at the time he made the admission, some. days thereafter, as to the disposition of the animal. Any hypothesis that the defendant killed and ate the calf eight or ten miles away from his home would be utterly unreasonable, and the proof establishes, to the exclusion of every other reasonable hypothesis, that the calf was disposed of within the confines of Laurens county. As said above, the defendant made no statement to the jury, and there was no evidence introduced