77 S.E. 61 | S.C. | 1913
Lead Opinion
The final opinions in this case were filed on December 7, 1912, but remittitur was held up on application for writ of error to the United States Supreme Court until
The first opinion was delivered by
The defendant was indicted for the murder of Luther Mullinax and tried for the same at the January term of Court of General Sessions for Greenwood county, 1912, and found guilty of manslaughter. A motion for a new trial! having been made and overruled by his Honor, Judge Sease, he was sentenced to three and a half years in the penitentiary. An appeal was taken, alleging numerous errors on the part of the presiding Judge. The exceptions, 17 in number, can be grouped together and considered under general heads.
1. The alleged error on the part of the trial Judge in admitting testimony over the objection of defendant.
2. Alleged error on the part of his Honor in his charge to the jury.
3. Alleged error to the manner in which the verdict of the jury was arrived at and in not granting a new trial and setting the verdict of the jury aside.
4. Alleged error on the part of his Honor to hear counsel in full on their motion for a new trial.
The Court also' says : “The mischiefs, the delays, the arts, the scandal likely to ensue come naturally to our thoughts, when we imagine the encouragement given to the pursuit of jurors by disappointed suitors, for the purpose of obtaining affidavits to invalidate verdicts regularly rendered. Any affidavit made by a juror for ths purpose, after separation of the jury, is dangerous and suspicious; but especially so is an affidavit showing gross impropriety in which all the jurors participated, and which at its commission was known only to themselves. A verdict decided by chance may be set aside. So may a verdict which was decided by a bare majority of the jury, and one which was rendered against the will of any juror. Yet verdicts must be generally
This principle has been reaffirmed and recognized in several subsequent cases where the facts were somewhat different and not altogether like the identical facts in the case of Smith v. Culbertson, the difference of facts being immaterial in some and quite different in others. Some of these cases are: State v. Nance, 25 S. C. 172; State v. Senn, 32 S. C. 403, 11 S. E. 292; Bratton v. Lowry, 39 S. C. 388, 17 S. E. 832; State v. Bennett, 40 S. C. 310, 18 S. E. 886; State v. Kelly, 45 S. C. 668, 24 S. E. 45; State v. Robertson, 54 S. C. 154, 31 S. E. 868.
It appears when the verdict was returned at the request of defendant’s counsel the jury was polled and each juror announced that the verdict rendered was their verdict. Later on, when an effort was made to^ show the Court how the verdict was arrived at, and what took place in the jury
The exceptions raising this question are, therefore, overruled.
4th. As to the alleged error on the part of his Honor to hear counsel in full on their motion for a new trial.
The Court has squarely held that the defendant is entitled to the benefit of every reasonable doubt' on every material point in the case, and in particular as to the measure of proof on the plea of self-defense.
In the case of the State v. Bodie, 33 S. C. 132, 11 S. E. 624, Mr. Justice Mclver says: “The rule, as we understand it, -is that while the State in a criminal case is bound to prove every essential element of the charge made beyond a reasonable doubt, the same strictness of proof is not required of a defendant who sets up a special defense, for he is only required to prove such defense by a preponderance of the evidence. But this, of course, is subject to the general rule that if upon the whole testimony, both on the part of the State and the defendant, the jury entertain a reasonable doubt as to any material point in the case, the defendant is entitled to the benefit of such doubt.” Citing State v. Paulk, 18 S. C. 514; State v. Bundy, 24 S. C. 439; State v. Welch, 29 S. C. 4, 6 S. E. 894.
. We think his Honor was in error in charging the jury in the language he did. That it was misleading and prejudicial to the defendant and the exceptions raising this question should be sustained and a new trial granted.
The judgment should be reversed.
Concurrence Opinion
concurs in the result of -this opinion for the additional reason that he does not think the trial
Concurrence Opinion
I concur in the opinion -of Mr. Justice Watts, except in the conclusion that there was reversible error in -the charge on the subject of the reasonable doubt.
There is no- substantial difference between what was charged and what, it i-s contended, should have been charged. The Court did charge that the State must prove “beyond a reasonable doubt the- material allegations” -o-f'the- indictment. Can that language- be construed otherwise than to mean every material allegation o-f the- indictment? Again, when the Court said, “the State is called upon to prove the guilt o-f the defendant at the bar beyond all reasonable- do-ubt,” can it be said that “every reasonable doubt on every material point in the case” was not included? Such a construction
But the identical point has been decided against appellant’s contention. In Bodie’s case, 33 S. C., 132, 11 S. E. 624, error was imputed to the Court in failing to charge tbe jury that, if they had a reasonable doubt as to which way the preponderance of the evidence on the plea of self-defense was, they must give the defendant the benefit of that doubt. To which this Count responded, in part, as follows: “Sufficient answer to this would be, that we are unable to- discover that the Circuit Judge was requested to give such further instruction to the jury.” True, the Court did go- on to give another reason, by showing that the jury could not have been misled by the omission, because they had been told, elsewhere in the charge, that “the State is bound to' prove every point against the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt,” and, also, that, if they “had a reasonable doubt upon any question of guilt arising in the case,” the defendant was entitled to the benefit of it. The general terms of the charge in the case now under review, as has already been pointed out, dearly indicated to the jury that the defendant was entitled to- the benefit of every reasonable doubt upon every material point in the case. The case of State v. Way, 38 S. C. 346, 17 S. E. 39, is even stronger against appellant’s contention. In that case, the defendant both denied the killing and -relied on the plea of self-defense. The Court charged the State’s 6th request, to- wit: “When self-defense is pleaded, it must be proved by a preponderance of the evidence.” I-t also- charged defendant’s 14th request, to wit: “If, from all the evidence, the jury have a reasonable doubt as to whether or not the defendant fired the pistol shot which caused the death of the deceased, the defendant is
In a number of other cases, this Court has disposed of similar exceptions by saying that the jury had been instructed with sufficient clearness in other parts of the charge, to give the defendant the benefit of every reasonable doubt on every material point in the case, or language of similar import. State v. Thrailkill, 71 S. C. 136, 50 S. E. 551; State v. Andrews, 73 S. C. 260, 53 S. E. 423; State v. Way, 76 S. C. 94, 56 S. E. 653; State v. Dawson, 85 S. C. 235, 67 S. E. 313; State v. Babb, 88 S. C. 395, 70 S. E. 309.
It does not follow, however, that it would have been held to be reversible error, if such general instruction had not been given, in the absence of a request. No' decision of this Court so holding has 'been cited, and nione has been found. On the contrary, the Court has held, in cases too' numerous to mention, that it is -the duty of counsel to- call the Court’s attention to any mere omission or inadvertence in the charge, and that, in the absence of a request, the failure to charge any special proposition of law or on any particular phase of the case, is not reversible error. It does not appear that the Court was requested to give any further or more definite instruction. In State v. Adams, 68 S. C. 421, 47 S. E. 676, the Court failed to> instruct the jury that, if they should con
In Dover v. Lockhart Mills, 86 S. C. 231, 68 S. E. 525, the error assigned consisted in using the word “and” where “or” should have been used in the charge. The Court quoted with approval from the opinion in Davis v. R. R., 75 S. C. 307, 55 S. E. 526, as follows: “It would greatly embarrass the practical administration of the law for the appellate Court, in reviewing charges U> the Jury, to become hypercritical or a stickler for the technical rules of philology in every phrase and clause, and reverse verdicts for some loose expression or some slight misuse of a word, when the general import of the charge stated the law. Any portion of a charge 'to which exception is taken should be fairly construed with reference to the clear tenor and import of the whole, and as an effort to explain the law of a case to men of ordinary or average education and intelligence. The aver
Following are some of the more recent cases in which this principle has been applied: Jennings v. Mfg. Co., 72 S. C. 411, 52 S. E. 113; Williams v. Ry., 76 S. C. 1, 56 S. E. 652; State v. Thompson, 76 S. C. 116, 56 S. E. 789; Snipes v. Ry., 76 S. C. 208, 56 S. E. 959; Morrison v. Ass’n, 78 S. C. 398, 59 S. E. 27; State v. Boyleston, 84 S. C. 574, 66 S. E. 1047; State v. Chastain, 85 S. C. 64, 67 S. E. 6; State v. Hendrix, 86 S. C. 64, 68 S. E. 1291; State v. Crosby, 88 S. C. 98, 70 S. E. 440. It will 'be seen from these cases that this Court cannot reverse the judgment in this case on the ground in question without overruling many of its previous decisions, and overthrowing a wise- and just policy to- which it has adhered for many years in the administration of the law.
The judgment is affirmed.
Lead Opinion
February 8, 1913. The first opinion was delivered by The defendant was indicted for the murder of Luther Mullinax and tried for the same at the January term of Court of General Sessions for Greenwood county, 1912, and found guilty of manslaughter. A motion for a new trial having been made and overruled by his Honor, Judge Sease, he was sentenced to three and a half years in the penitentiary. An appeal was taken, alleging numerous errors on the part of the presiding Judge. The exceptions, 17 in number, can be grouped together and considered under general heads.
1. The alleged error on the part of the trial Judge in admitting testimony over the objection of defendant.
2. Alleged error on the part of his Honor in his charge to the jury.
3. Alleged error to the manner in which the verdict of the jury was arrived at and in not granting a new trial and setting the verdict of the jury aside.
4. Alleged error on the part of his Honor to hear counsel in full on their motion for a new trial.
As to the first, a careful examination of the record in the case will show that his Honor was not in error in admitting the evidence of Mrs. Mullinax, as far as he allowed it to come in as a dying declaration. The rule laid down as to dying declarations is thus stated: "To render these declarations admissible, it was only necessary that the trial Judge should be satisfied. 1st. That the death of the deceased was imminent at the time the declarations were made. 2d. That the deceased was so fully aware of this as to be without hope of recovery. 3d. That the subject of the charge was the death of the declarant and the circumstances of the death was the subject of the declaration."State v. Banister,
As to the other exceptions under this head, no specific errors are pointed out to direct our attention to what was objected to and an examination of the record by us fails to reveal any testimony on this ground at the trial that was objected to by the defendant. The only testimony along this line is that of defendant's witnesses, who testified without objection. The exceptions raising this question are overruled.
As to the exceptions that allege error in the manner in which the verdict of the jury was arrived at: An unbroken line of decisions by the Courts of this State, even before the case of Smith v. Culbertson, 9 Rich. Law 106, up to this time sustains the position taken by his Honor, Judge Sease. In Smith v. Culbertson, Wardlaw, Judge, says: "But here the privacy of the jury room is to be invaded. The grounds upon which the assent of the jurors to the verdict publicly rendered was given are to be scrutinized; and men sworn to render a true verdict according to the evidence, are to be heard to declare that they agreed to abide the determination of chance, and yielded their assent to the verdict only because they had entered into this agreement, plainly repugnant to the obligation of the oath they had taken."
The Court also says: "The mischiefs, the delays, the arts, the scandal likely to ensue come naturally to our thoughts, when we imagine the encouragement given to the pursuit of jurors by disappointed suitors, for the purpose of obtaining affidavits to invalidate verdicts regularly rendered. Any affidavit made by a juror for ths purpose, after separation of the jury, is dangerous and suspicious; but especially so is an affidavit showing gross impropriety in which all the jurors participated, and which at its commission was known only to themselves. A verdict decided by chance may be set aside. So may a verdict which was decided by a bare majority of the jury, and one which was rendered against the will of any juror. Yet verdicts must be generally *512 attained by compromise of some sort. The reasons of jurors are no doubt often ridiculously absurd. There must, however, be an end to litigation. After a verdict has been rendered, and the jurors have dispersed, a juror would not be heard who would say that his assent was forced, or was given under some misconception or according to some chance, whose decision he had privately resolved to adopt. His public silent act would refute all such after thoughts; and his silence, when he should have spoken, would outweigh his subsequent assertions. With like reason, the solemn act done by a jury as a body, should not be invalidated by affidavits contrary to it, which some or all of the jurors may make concerning the private reasons which influenced the body, imputing misconduct to themselves, and not to other persons. Whether they have been misled by sophistry or mistake, or have adopted the determination of a majority or chance, they have upon their oaths unanimously rendered a verdict in solemn form, and high considerations of justice and policy place their verdict beyond their future influence. Decency itself forbids that they should assail it by disclosing to their own shame, the secrets of themselves."
This principle has been reaffirmed and recognized in several subsequent cases where the facts were somewhat different and not altogether like the identical facts in the case of Smith v. Culbertson, the difference of facts being immaterial in some and quite different in others. Some of these cases are: State v. Nance,
It appears when the verdict was returned at the request of defendant's counsel the jury was polled and each juror announced that the verdict rendered was their verdict. Later on, when an effort was made to show the Court how the verdict was arrived at, and what took place in the jury *513 room, Judge Sease at first stopped the reading of the affidavit of the foreman of the jury and "held it was against public policy to go into the jury room and find out what had been done in there." He was correct in this ruling and should have adhered to it, as there was no effort to show that the jury after returning had been subject to any outside influence or that their privacy had been invaded or that they had been furnished liquor or anything of the kind or that they were guilty of misconduct, such as the Court should inquire into. The sole effort was to bring out what took place in the jury room among the jurymen themselves, uninterrupted by outsiders, in the privacy or secrecy of their deliberations. But, his Honor went further and reconvened the jury and examined them, or permitted it, and allowed all of the facts to be brought out and then refused to interfere with the verdict rendered by them. He decided, after the fullest investigation, that there was no misconduct on the part of the jury and that the verdict by them was their verdict. We are inclined to agree with him in this view and think the verdict rendered by the jury was arrived at by them voluntary and free from misconduct on their part to such an extent that it should not be interfered with on that account.
The exceptions raising this question are, therefore, overruled.
4th. As to the alleged error on the part of his Honor to hear counsel in full on their motion for a new trial.
We think the exceptions raising this question should be overruled, as it is a matter in the discretion of the presiding Judge as to how long he will permit argument, and how it is to be argued, on a motion for a new trial. The facts of the trial are usually fresh in his mind, and he has some discretion as to whether he will allow a retrial of the whole case before him and a reargument of the whole case inflicted on him, or only direct attention to certain questions that he wishes discussed. *514 This wise discretion on the part of the Judge we are confident will not be often abused, and the parties moving for a new trial will usually be accorded a full, patient and ample hearing, and in this case we see no erroneous exercise of authority or power on the part of his Honor, the trial Judge. The exceptions raising this question are overruled.
As to the 2d head of exceptions, which allege error on the part of his Honor in his charge to the jury. His Honor, in his charge to the jury in drawing the line between the measure of proof required by the State in making out its case and the measure of proof required by the defendant in making out his affirmative defense, used the following language: "In the first place, gentlemen, the State is called upon to prove the guilt of the defendant at the bar beyond all reasonable doubt; that is, a doubt for which you can give a reason — not a flimsy or fanciful doubt, but a reasonable doubt. The defense of self-defense is an affirmative defense and must be shown by the defendant by a preponderance of the testimony. The measure of proof on the part of the State is beyond a reasonable doubt; the measure of proof, before the defendant can say that he has made out his case of self-defense successfully, is by the preponderance of the evidence — by the greater weight of the testimony. Therefore, as an illustration, you will take all of the testimony in favor of his plea of self-defense, put it in an imaginary scale, in your mental picture — put all the evidence in one side of that scale or balance in favor of his plea and all the evidence against it in the other side, and if it stands evenly balanced in your mind the plea of self-defense falls to the ground, and has not been made out. But if the side in which you have placed, in your mind, the testimony in favor of the plea of self-defense, outweighs or preponderates in the least the other side, then his plea of self-defense has been made out, and you will write a verdict of not guilty." *515
In the entire charge this is all that appears on this proposition. Nowhere, do we find that he stated to the jury that the defendant was entitled to the benefit of every reasonable doubt on every material point in the case and cure, as it were, this defect in his charge, as was done by the presiding Judge in the following cases: State v. Way,
The Court has squarely held that the defendant is entitled to the benefit of every reasonable doubt on every material point in the case, and in particular as to the measure of proof on the plea of self-defense.
In the case of the State v. Bodie,
We think his Honor was in error in charging the jury in the language he did. That it was misleading and prejudicial to the defendant and the exceptions raising this question should be sustained and a new trial granted.
The judgment should be reversed.
MR. JUSTICE FRASER concurs in the result of this opinion for the additional reason that he does not think the trial *516 Judge has the right to limit the defendant to self-defense under a plea of not guilty.
MR. JUSTICE HYDRICK. I concur in the opinion of Mr. Justice Watts, except in the conclusion that there was reversible error in the charge on the subject of the reasonable doubt.
In the first part of his charge, after defining murder, the Circuit Judge said: "The State is called upon to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the material allegations of an indictment, before a verdict of guilty of murder can be written." Again, when he came to charge on the burden of proof, he said: "The State is called upon to prove the guilt of the defendant at the bar beyond all reasonable doubt." He then charged that the burden was on the defendant to prove his plea of self-defense by the preponderance of the evidence. It is not and cannot be contended that there was any error in what was charged. But it is contended that there was error in a mere omission, — in failing to charge that, if the jury had a reasonable doubt as to whether the defendant had established his plea of self-defense by the preponderance of the evidence, they should acquit him, and that, because the jury were not charged "that the defendant was entitled to the benefit of every reasonable doubt on every material point in the case," the judgment should be reversed.
There is no substantial difference between what was charged and what, it is contended, should have been charged. The Court did charge that the State must prove "beyond a reasonable doubt the material allegations" of the indictment. Can that language be construed otherwise than to meanevery material allegation of the indictment? Again, when the Court said, "the State is called upon to prove the guilt of the defendant at the bar beyond all reasonable doubt," can it be said that "every reasonable doubt on every material point in the case" was not included? Such a construction *517 of the charge as is contended for is purely technical — too technical for a sound and practical administration of the criminal law. It is not reasonable to suppose that, if the charge had conformed with technical precision to appellant's conception of what it should have been, it would have affected the result.
But the identical point has been decided against appellant's contention. In Bodie's case,
In a number of other cases, this Court has disposed of similar exceptions by saying that the jury had been instructed with sufficient clearness in other parts of the charge, to give the defendant the benefit of every reasonable doubt on every material point in the case, or language of similar import. State v. Thrailkill,
It does not follow, however, that it would have been held to be reversible error, if such general instruction had not been given, in the absence of a request. No decision of this Court so holding has been cited, and none has been found. On the contrary, the Court has held, in cases too numerous to mention, that it is the duty of counsel to call the Court's attention to any mere omission or inadvertence in the charge, and that, in the absence of a request, the failure to charge any special proposition of law or on any particular phase of the case, is not reversible error. It does not appear that the Court was requested to give any further or more definite instruction. In State v. Adams,
In Dover v. Lockhart Mills,
Following are some of the more recent cases in which this principle has been applied: Jennings v. Mfg. Co.,
The judgment is affirmed.
MESSRS. CHIEF JUSTICE GARY and JUSTICE WOODSconcur. *522
February 8, 1913. The remittitur was held up herein to permit appellant to sue out a writ of error to the United States Supreme Court, and upon the Court being informed the design had been abandoned, the remittitur was ordered sent down by per curiam order filed February 8, 1913.