People v. Gates

Jul 1, 1873
No. 10,024
Reporters:
By the Court:

The defendant was convicted of the crime of living in a state ‍‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‍of open and notorious cohabitation and adultery with a certain woman named in the indictment. The conviction was had under the second section of the Act of 1872, ‍‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‍entitled “An Act to punish adultery” (p. 380). The offense *53consists in living “in a state of open and notorious cohabitation and adultery;” the notoriety is as material in making out ‍‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‍the offense as is the fact of adultery committed.

In this case, while the evidence tends in some degree to show that the defendant committed adultery with the ‍‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‍woman named in the indictment, there is not the slightest proof of a living with her in a state of notorious adultery or cohabitation within the intent of ‍‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‍the statute. (Wright v. The State, 5 Blackford R. 358.)

Judgment reversed and cause remanded for a new trial.