Snelling v. State
Snelling v. State
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff in error was indicted for the murder of Wylie Tridgeon and convicted of manslaughter in .the Circuit Court for Jackson county, and brings this writ of error from the judgment.
The court permitted the defendant to prove that deceased was a trespasser- while in the house occupied by the defendant.
The answer to the second question above quoted was properly excluded as immaterial since it did not appear that the deceased was gambling in the house.
A witness for the defendant was by the defense asked the question: “Do you know whether or not Wylie Pridgeon (the deceased) had been forbidden to go on these premises?” An objection by the State to this question was sustained, and án exception noted. The question was not limited to the enquiry whether the defendant had lawfully forbidden the deceased to go on the premises, and it was properly excluded. The same witness was asked by the defense: “Do you know what his (deceased) business was?” and “what was his business?” The difficulty between the defendant and the deceased did not arise from discussing any business matter. These questions were clearly immaterial as the business of the deceased had no material bearing on defendant’s guilt or innocence of the crime for which he was being tried, and they were properly excluded.
The State in rebuttal called, a witness who testified that she was an official court reporter. She was asked by the State whether she reported the case before the committing magistrate. This question was objected to on the groun 1 that the law providing for a court reporter does not provide for reporting cases in any court except Circuit Courts. The witness testified that she took the testimony in the case referred to infcher capacity as a stenographer,
Exceptions were taken to charges requested by the defendant and refused by the court upon the questions of presumption of innocence, reasonable doubt, and consideration of the evidence given by the defense and by the State. These subjects were fully covered by the general charge of the court, and it was not error to- refuse the charges requested.
Exception was taken to the refusal of the court to give a charge requested by the defendant on the subject of self defense, and also to the giving of the charge with this addition: “Provided he had used all reasonable means wiihin his power, consistent with his own safety, to avert the danger and avoid the necessity of taking Pridgeon’s life.”
The defendant can not complain of a charge given at his request unless the modification of it by the court before giving it made it erroneous. The language of the modification made by the court in the proviso above quoted has been approved by this court in the case of Peaden v. State, 46 Fla. 124, 35 South. Rep. 204, and we now hold that there was no error in refusing to give the charge as requested, nor in giving the charge as modified.
The court refused to give a charge requested by the defendant, but did give it with the following added thereto: “Provided he had used all other reasonable means in his power, consistent with his own safety, to avert the danger and to avoid the necessity of taking Pridgeon’s life.” The charge as requested to be given is: “If you should believe from the evidence that the defendant was free from fault
The evidence amply sustains the verdict.
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Loren Snelling, in Error v. The State of Florida, in Error
- Cited By
- 11 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Immaterial and irrelevant questions o,n- cross-examination are properly excluded upon objection duly made, and answers to questions on cross-examination when immaterial are properly stricken on motion. 2. An official court reporter for the Circuit Court under the statutes of this State may testify in rebuttal as to evidence given at a preliminary hearing before a committing magistrate when the testimony is given independently of any record or from memory as refreshed by a transcript of notes taken by the witness at the preliminary hearing. 3. It is not error to refuse instructions containing propositions already substantially given in charges though couched in different language. 4. Where the court has given a proper charge ion the subject of reasonable doubt it is not error to refuse a requested charge that “to justify a jury in finding a verdict of unlawful homicide in any of its degrees against the defendant, each individual juror must be convinced from the evidence for himself that the defendant is so guilty.” 5. In a prosecution for murder it is not error to add to a charge on the subject of self defense requested by the defendant the following: “Provided he had used all reasonable means within his power, consistent with his own safety, to avert the danger and avoid the necessity of taking P.’s life.” 6. In -a prosecution for murder where the question of self defense was raised by the testimony the court refused to give the following charge as requested by the defendant: “If you should believe from tlie evidence that the defendant was free from fault in bringing on the difficulty, and was not .the- aggressor therein, and that he was assaulted by the deceased, or by the deceased -and another who were armed with deadly weapons, and that such assault was made under such circumstances that it reasonably appeared to the defendant that an ordinarily cautious and prudent man that he was in danger of death or great bodily harm at the hands of the deceased, or of the deceased and another as aforesaid, then you are instructed that under shch circumstances, it would not be incumbent upon the defendant to flee in order to avoid the difficulty or avert the necessity of taking the life of his assailant; but on the other hand under such circumstances, he might lawfully stand his ground and if assaulted by the deceased, or the deceased and another, under -the circumstances aforesaid, then in such event, he would be justified- in his acts and you would find him not guilty;” but the court did give the charge with the following added thereto: “Provided he had used all other reasonable means in his power, consistent with his own safety, to avert the danger and to avoid the necessity of taking P.’s life.” The charge as modified and given was not inconsistent nor misleading, and was not error.