Smith v. State
Smith v. State
Opinion of the Court
The State relies entirely upon circumstantial evidence and the fact relied upon by the State for a conviction is the recent possession of the articles stolen. The defendant contends that he did not steal the meat described in the indictment and that he knew nothing of the theft; that he carried the meat to the store-keeper; that another negro had the meat and told the defendant that he owed the store-keeper and that if he carried the meat there, the store-keeper would take out the money he owed him; that the other negro paid the defendant a quarter for his services. The judge charged that: “If he [defendant] fails to reasonably satisfy you that his possession of the stolen goods was obtained in a legal manner, such unexplained possession may, in your opinion, be sufficient to convict the defendant of the crime of burglary as charged in the indictment.” (Italics ours.)
Judgment reversed.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting. While I agree that the excerpt from the charge of the court, complained of, was inaccurate, I do not think it requires a new trial when considered in the light of the entire charge and the facts of the case. In my opinion the evidence, while circumstantial, was sufficient to exclude every reasonable hypothesis save that of the defendant’s guilt, and, as said by Bleckley, Chief Justice, in Cornwall v. State, 91 Ga. 277, 284 (18 S. E. 154), in passing upon a similar exception to the charge of the court, “why should a conviction which was undoubtedly right and proper in itself be set aside on a verbal criticism of the court’s charge?”
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.