People v. Marshall

Jul 15, 1881
No. 10,651
Reporters:
The Court:

The defendant was charged with the crime of grand larceny, and was ‍​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‍convicted of that crime in the Court below. *392On the trial the Court gave the following charge to the jury: “If they (the prosecution) prove that any ‍​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‍of the things herein charged to have been stolen, either singly or altogether, were worth fifty dollars or over, * * * then that would ‍​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‍be sufficient to warrant the jury in finding the defendant guilty of grand larceny.”

The things charged to have been stolen consisted of certain articles of ‍​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‍jewelry described in the information, and under Section 487 of the Penal Code, it is not grand larceny to steal such property, unless it is of ‍​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‍a value exceeding fifty dollars.

The instruction was erroneous, and the judgment must be-reversed. So ordered.