Middleton v. State
Middleton v. State
Opinion of the Court
Upon a call of this case for trial the accused made a motion for continuanse, because of the absence of two witnesses. The overruling of this motion was made one of the grounds of the motion for a new trial. The other special grounds of the motion were based upon alleged prejudicial remarks made by the'judge in the presence of the jury while he was hearing evidence on the motion to continue the case, and in requiring the defendant to go to trial before jurors who were in the court-room at the time these remarks were made. The judge said: “I do not like the aspect being exhibited in some of these cases.” Counsel for the accused then said: “Well, I assume your honor refers to this case.” Thereupon the judge remarked: “As well as others.” In his written order overruling the motion for a new trial the judge said: '“In passing upon the first ground of the amendment to the motion for a new trial, the ground based upon the motion for continuance, I call attention to the fact that neither of the absent witnesses accompanied the defendant, and what the defendant expected to prove by these witnesses was that they were to go with him hunting hogs in these woods, but, for the reasons stated, they neither of them went; that he was at their place about 30 or 40 minutes before he was captured, and the distance from where he had met them to the place where he was arrested about a mile and a half away. When this testimony is considered in the light of the evidence of the sheriff and his deputy, I do not think it would materially affect 'the case. In reference to the second and third grounds of the amendment to the motion for a new trial, I desire to say that the remark was made in view of the fact that in every case called where the charge was the violation of the prohibition law, the defendants or their witnesses were absent and could not, after diligent search on the part of the
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.