Wadsworth v. State
Wadsworth v. State
Opinion of the Court
The defendant was convicted" under an indictment which charged that he “Subsequent to the 25th day of January, 1919, did distill, make, or manufacture, in said state and county, alcoholic, spirituous, malted, or. mixed liquors or beverages, a part of which was alcoholic, contrary to law.” The plea in abatement, as appears in the record to have been filed, questioning the validity of the grand jury that found and returned the indictment, appears to have been abandoned, as there is no reference thereto in the judgment, nor anything in the judgment to indicate that it was acted upon by the court. Virgil Thomas v State, ante, p, 314, 92 South. 241.
A consideration of some of the recent cases of like character as this one, which have been before this court, discloses in each instance that, where the judgment of the lower court has been upheld, there has been some testimony, either direct or by way of legitimate inference, from which the jury bould say that the prohibited liquors were manufactured since the 25th day of January, 1919. For instance, in the case of Word White v. State (Ala. App.) 91 South. 888, 1 there was testimony that in the defendant’s house, which was searched on February 12, 1919, there were whisky jugs and kegs which smelled like whisky had recently been emptied out of them; that about 300 yards from defendant’s house there was found a place where fire had been built, broken up boards, a lot of sticks, and much evidence of tracks and treading around the place. A stone furnace was also found there, big enough for a still; also a still furnace, with thumper and condenser, and all indications were that a still had been operated at the place for a considerable length of time, and even within the “last two days.”
In the case of Sweat v. State (Ala. App.) 89 South. 831, 2 the testimony, among other things, showed that in April, 1919, a still was found at the defendant’s home, with all the necessary attachments and appliances. Whisky and beer were also found there, and “the still, cap, worm, thumper, and other component parts bore evidence of its very recent use.” In the ease of Clem Murphy v. State (Ala. App.) 89 South. 900, 3 the testimony among other things showed that whisky and beer were found at the defendant’s home in the month of March, 1920, and that a still was found on a branch all set up back of defendant’s lot, and about 90 steps from the location of the still was found two barrels of beer; that the still had beer in it, and there was a fire under the still; that the still was in operation, and there was water in the flake stand, and the beer was ready to be run off. Many other cases might be cited, but these are sufficient to show that in each instance there has been some evidence that the making of the prohibited liquors was since the 25th day of January, 1919.
Under all the evidence in this case, we are of the opinion that the defendant was entitled to the general affirmative charge requested by him.
The judgment of conviction is reversed, and the cause remanded.
Reversed and remanded.
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