1 S.D. 414 | S.D. | 1890
The plaintiffs in error were informed against in the county court of Lincoln county, for keeping a common nuisance in the city of Canton, County of Lincoln, by selling intoxicating liquors as a beverage, and wilfully and unlawfully permitting persons to resort to the room and building where said liquors were sold. Before the commencement of the trial, the defendants applied for a change of judges, on the ground that the j adge of said county court was prejudiced against the defendants, and filed the affidavits of defendants, together with that of several other citizens of Lincoln county, stating that they believed that said judge was prejudiced. After a statement of the judge was filed, the court denied the application, stating that the affidavits set out no facts upon which to predicate the fact, or upon which to form a belief of the prejudice alleged to exist in the judge, but that they simply expressed a conclusion. Afterwards, and against the protest of the defendants, a jury was impaneled in the case, and a trial was had, and a verdict of guilty was rendered against the defendants, and they were sentenced each to pay a fine of $150 and the costs of the prosecution, and to be imprisoned in the county jail for sixty days. A motion for a new trial was duly made and overruled, and afterwards the cause was brought to this court by writ of error. The assignments of error are: (1) In denying defendant’s motion for a change of judges in the trial of said action. (2) ’ In rejecting
Was this denial error? Section 20, c. 78, Laws 1890, under which the application was made, provides: Whenever it shall appear ' ‘to the satisfaction of the court, ” by affidavit or otherwise, that a fair and impartial trial cannot be had in such court by reason of the bias or prejudice of the judge, or otherwise, the court shall call the judge of another county to try the case. Bias and prejudice of the presiding judge to such an extent that a fair and impartial trial cannot be had is sufficient cause to entitle the defendant to have a change in the
Again, if it were to be determined simply by the affidavit of the defendant, and that, too, only making the. allegation of bias and prejudice in general terms, and no statement of facts or circumstances from which these might be deduced, there ■would be almost numberless changes of judges. Every defendant closely pressed would seek delay in this manner. It is only when the necessities of justice require it that a change as contemplated in the statute should be made Otherwise a great wrong upon the public would be perpetrated. These changes work delay; they cause expense; they endanger prosecutions. A defendant is easily persuaded of the prejudice of the judge. Adverse rulings convince him of the fact. An idle or thoughtless remark made out of court; some previous business transaction where pqrhaps a wrong may seemingly have been perpetrated. Belonging to opposite political parties, or different churches; different views upon moral, social, or economic questions,— all aid a defendant in arriving at the conclusion that the judge has a bias or prejudice against him. It seems to us,
The next matter in which it is alleged the court erred, is the sustaining of the challenge for cause by which the juror
The next assignment of error is as follows: “In rejecting and admitting evidence on said trial, as more particularly appears by a bill of exceptions.” This is very general and vague. Genera], because it requires the court to go through and scan the whole bill of exceptions, and note here and there every question asked and answered to which objections were interposed, and exceptions to the rulings of the court filed, during the trial. It is vague, because the purport and design of the objection is not clearly stated, and is so indefinite and inexplicit that .it does not present any particular points of error for review. The party complaining of error should, in the assignment, specify the errors with precision. It should be specific and explicit, so that, by looking at the grounds stated, the court can at once see how or when they arise, and whether they are well or ill taken. The ground stated should refer to some particular error of the court below in admitting or rejecting certain testimony, or in making a decision in matters of law during the trial. The office of an assignment of error is to point out some specific error in law, and the party making it should lay his finger upon the precise request refused, or the error complained of; not only that the court may, upon the error being pointed out, correct it, but also that the appellate court may not be left to spell out and dig up errors which, oftentimes, after discovery, are more apparent than real, and may have arisen from a mere inadvertence or a misapprehension
This seems a very opportune time when the above rule in relation to assignments of error may be promulgated, because, by the refusal to consider this assignment, the rights of the defendants have not in the least been impaired; but in the future it will be adhered to by this court in ühe consideration of cases brought to it for review, let the consequence to parties litigant be what it may. We will state, however, that the appellants in their brief only ask for the consideration of this court upon the exception taken to but one question allowed to be answered by a witness after objection was made to it. The question was: “Now then, I call your attention to the place where the drinking was done; did they drink out of bottles, or did they have glasses or other means of drinking?.” This was objected to by appellants for the reason that no proof had been shown of the occupation of this part of the building by the defendants in any way, and, until it is shown, it is incompetent, and the fact that people drink there is no evidence of these defendants’ occupying that part of the building. From the view we have taken of this case, as will be seen subsequently, the occupancy of the adjoining room to the one in which the beer and liquors were sold, whether by defendants or not, was not material to make out the offense as charged. The statutes declare that “all places where intoxicating liquors are sold, bartered, or given away, in violation of any of the provisions, * * * or where intoxicating liquors are kept for sale, barter, or delivery in violation of this act, are hereby declared to be common nuisances.” It is the illegal sale, or the illegal keeping of intoxicating liquors in a place that makes it a common nuisance, and when either one or both are proven the offense is made out. That statute also provides that a place where persons are permitted to resort for the purpose of drinking intoxicating liquors as a beverage is also a common nuisance. It may be that the purpose of the above question was to show this fact. It is true that the rule is that the evidence offered must be confined to the issues. It is not necessary, how
The third assignment of error is “in refusing defendants’ first request to charge the jury,” which was as follows: “You are instructed that, if the defendants did not have any control or supervision of the back room of the Handschingle building that has been described by the witnesses, and that said room was under the control of other persons, then the defendants are not guilty of keeping a place where people resorted for the purpose of drinking.” The instruction was clearly wrong, and should not have been given. The defendants were informed against for keeping a common nuisance — not for keeping a place where people resorted for the purpose of drinking. True, keeping such a place, under the statute, would make it a nuisance, 3 et this was not the only' thing that made the offense complete. The keeping of intoxicating liquors or beer for sale, barter, or for delivery in violation of law, 'in any given place, constitutes a nuisance. The mere keeping of them for sale, for barter, or to deliver, makes the place where kept a nuisance. So does the selling, bartering, or giving them away make the places where sold, bartered, or given away nuisances.
The fourth and fifth assignments of error will be considered together, because the sustaining of one and overruling of the other is virtually overruling and sustaining the opposite.
The defendants, however, to avail themselves of the immunity of these decisions, and the doctrine and rules declared, must, show (1) that they are foreign importers, or the agents of a foreign importer, of beer or liquors; (2) that as such agents they received an importation of beer or liquors from another state or foreign country; (3) that they are, as such importers or agents, selling this importation by the original, unbroken package in which it was imported; (4) that they are not making their hou-re of business a tippling concern for the rendezvous of pei'sons, bringing it within the police power of the state to declare it a nuisance. All these facts must be fully established by the defendants, in order to make the transaction legitimate under the decision which the defendants attempt to shield themselves with. The failure to establish any one of these propositions makes the defendants amenable to the state law. Have the defendants in the case at bar made such a showing, by the testimony, as entitles them to this immunity? As to the importer’s agency, and appointment of an agent: The whisky, which defendants admit they sold, was procured of one J. F. Hickey, of Bruce, Minn., who claimed to be a wholesaler of liquors at that jilace. It was ordered by the defendant Chapman, who states that the business at the Handschingle building was his. He states in his testimony that he buys it of J. F. Hickey because he can get it cheaper of him than he can of any other firm, and that he pays 35 cents, 50 cents, and 75 cents a pint for whisky, and he sells according to his own judgment, Hickey paying no expenses for running the business. He further states that he was agent for the sale of this whisky in no other way. Hickey, the wholesaler, says:
Chapman’s evidence is all there was upon this point, and from it it is evident that the fact of the beer coming from another state into his hands was not established. Were the defendants selling these goods in the original, unbroken package, as imported? Defendant Chapman testifies that he got his whisky from J. F Hickey, Bruce, Minn. It came shipped to him in open boxes, each particular bottle in a package by itself. There was no cover over the wooden boxes, only a little board with his name on it. The packages were in the box; the-box was not inclosed. He got the beer from the AnheuserBusch Brewing Company. It came shipped to him in open cases, and some sealed cases. When it came in sealed cases he sold the case without opening it. When it came in loose bottles they were in an open box; from twenty-four to thirty-six bottles in a box. He sold them, each bottle by itself. He never drew the corks of the bottles. He placed the packages, some on shelves, and some in water. The large box these packages were shipped in was just a common, usual box. When a box came filled with packages he-sold each bottle by itself. He took these various small packages out of the box, and sold them separately. He did not sell the whole box, but when parties came and asked him for an original package of whisky he would sell them one of these original packages of whisky, that is, one of these packages wrapped in brown paper. As high as thirty or forty bottles came in one box, each bottle in a little piece of shaving, for the protection of the glass. Sometimes there was no shaving on them at all; they would all be lying in a big box; when he sold them he would take them out and put them in a tub of water, with ice, when his customers would ask him. He paid the freight on these boxes as cases.
It is not necessary to consider the fourth requisite in order for the seller of intoxicating liquors to place himself beyond the reach of the state law governing such sales, because, in the case at bar, the defendants have failed to establish (1) their agency of a foreign importer; (2) an importation; (3) that the sale was made in the original packages as received, and as originally packed. The sale of intoxicating liquors having been admitted as charged, the defendants are amenable to the state law. No error appearing, the judgment of the court below is affirmed;