Supreme Court of Alabama, 1857

Lawson v. State

Lawson v. State
Supreme Court of Alabama · Decided January 15, 1857 · Rice, Walker
30 Ala. 14

Lawson v. State

Opinion of the Court

WALKER, J.

To constitute an assault, there must be the commencement of an act, which, if not prevented, would produce a battery. — State v. Blackwell, 9 Ala. 79; State v. Davis, 1 Iredell’s Law R. 125; Bishop on Criminal Law, 409; 2 Archbold’s Criminal Law, (Waterman’s Notes,) 282-83; Roscoe’s Criminal Evidence, 287. The drawing of a pistol, without presenting or cocking it, is not the commencement of such an act. The court erred, therefore, in the charge given.

The judgment of the court below is reversed, and the •cause remanded.

Rice, C. J., not sitting.

Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.