Gass v. State
Gass v. State
Opinion of the Court
On December 11th, 1901, in the Circuit Court of Alachua County, an indictment was found by the grand juicy, charging plaintiff in error with murder in the first degree. He was tried at the same term of the court, found guilty as charged with recommendation of mercy, . and from the sentence imposed sued out this writ of error.
I. The first error assigned is based upon the ruling denying defendant’s motion for a continuance. In the affidavit filed with the motion it is averred that defendant was arraigned on the day the indictment was. presented, viz: December 11th, and that the trial of the case was then set for Tuesday, December 17th, that being the day the trial was begun, and upon which the continuance was applied for. It is also averred that immediately after the cause was set for trial defendant had subpoenas issued for his witnesses, including one John Gardner; and that the sheriff had made his return that Gardner could not be found in the county, and, therefore, service could not be perfected upon him. It is further alleged “that said witness is out of the limits of the State of Florida and in the city of Montgomery, Alabama;” that the witness was absent without defendant’s consent, and that de
II. The second asignment of error complains that the court erred in refusing to charge the jury as requested by defendant as complained of in the second, third and sixth grounds of the motion for a new trial. The three instructions the refusal to give which is made the basis of the stated grounds of the motion for a new trial were numbered 2. 8 and 10, and they assert separate and distinct .propositions of law. The exception taken to the refusal to give them was general, and under the uniform rulings of this court, if any one of them was properly refused the general exception to the refusal to give them all will fail. The second of these requests is as follows: “(2) The court instructs the jury that it is incumbent upon the State to prove every material allegation of the indictment as therein charged, nothing is to be presumed or taken by implication against the defendant; the law presumes him ir-nocent of the crime with which he is charged until he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by competent evidence, and if the evidence in this case leaves upon the mind's of the jury any reasonable doubt of defendant’s guilt, the law makes it your duty to acquit him,'and find him not guilty.” This instruction was properly refused as has been held in Thalheim v. State, 38 Fla. 169, 20 South. Rep. 938.
III. The third assignment of error is that the court erred in admitting the testimony of .the State’s witness H. U. Mason as to a confession made by the defendant. The witness Mason stated that he saw the defendant on the evening of the day of the homicide and also the next morning, md that he heard defendant make statements with reference to the homicide. After proving by the
1V'. The fourth assignment of error is not argued, and wil1 23be treated as abandoned.
The judgment of the Circuit Court is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- William Gass, in Error v. The State of Florida, in Error
- Cited By
- 8 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. To justify an appellate court in holding the trial court in error in its ruling denying an application for a continuance in a criminal case, all facts necesary To show a clear abuse of discretion to the injury of the accused must be presented, and whenever the record is either silent or uncertain on any point material to establish such an abuse, the presumptions are all in favor of (the correctness of the ruling. 2. No. abuse of discretion in the ruling denying an application for a continuance on the ground of the absence of a material witness is shown, where the application admits that the witness has not been served with subpoena because not found, and that at the time of the application such witness is in another State, and where the application does not state that the witness is a resident of this State and only temporarily absent in such other State, or other facts showing that if the case is continued his presence can be secured at the next term of the court. 3. A general exception to the refusal to give two or more requested instructions aserting separate and distinct propositions of law, will be overruled if it appears that any one of such instructions was properly refused. 4. An instruction that “the court instructs the jury, that it is incumbent upon -the State to prove every material allegation of the indictment a.s charged therein, nothing is to be presumed or taken by implication against the defendant; the law presumes him innocent of the crime with which he is charged until he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by competent evidence, and if the evidence in this case leaves upon the minds of the jury any reasonable doubt of defendant’s guilt, the law makes it your duty to acquit him and find him not guilty” is properly refused.