Supreme Court of Alabama, 1877

Horton v. State

Horton v. State
Supreme Court of Alabama · Decided December 15, 1877 · Brickell
60 Ala. 72

Counsel

H. Humphrey, and Geo. S. Gordon, for defendant., Brandon & Jones, with John W. A. Sanford, Attorney-General, for the State.

Horton v. State

Opinion of the Court

BRICKELL, C. J.

The indictment is insufficient in each count. In the first count, the building burned, or to which fire was set, is described as a barn or stable; in the second, as a barn, house, or building; in the third, as a barn or stable. We have no statute which authorizes such disjunctive averments, and it is plain the common law does not tolerate them. — Norton v. State, 53 Ala. 488.

The judgment must be reversed, and the cause remanded ; but the prisoner will remain in custody, until discharged by due course of law.

Case-law data current through September 30, 2026. Source: CourtListener bulk data.