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People v. JacobsPeople v. Jacobs

California Supreme Court
Jul 1, 1866
Reporters:
Before:
Sawyer
By the Court, Sawyer, J.

. The indictment was designed to be for “ an assault with a deadly weapon, etc, with ‍‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‍intent to inflict, etc., bodily injury,” etc., under the fiftieth section of the Act concerning crimes and punishments. The indictment charges the defendant with “ an assault with intent to inflict upon the person of another bodily injury;” that said ‍‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‍Baron Jacobs, etc., “witha certain pistol, etc., did then and there unlawfully make an assault,” etc. A demurrer to the indictment for insufficiency was sustained and the People appealed. The indictment neither follows the language of the statute, nor charges ‍‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‍an assault with “ a deadly weapon,” nor alleges the weapon to. be deadly, nor that the pistol was charged. A pistol may be of such dimensions as to be a deadly weapon without being charged, and it may be ‍‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‍so small as to be, without being charged, a very insignificant instrument of assault. There being no averment that the *580pistol was “a deadly weapon,” and no fact averred by which the Court could see that it was necessarily such, and ‍‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‍the language of the statute not being pursued, we think the indictment insufficient, and that the demurrer was properly sustained!

Judgment affirmed.

Case Details

Case Name: People v. Jacobs
Court Name: California Supreme Court
Date Published: Jul 1, 1866
Citation: 29 Cal. 579
Court Abbreviation: Cal.
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