Torbert v. Clough
Torbert v. Clough
Opinion of the Court
I. ,It is shown by an agreed statement of facts that during the years 1883 and 1884, the time of the sales of the intoxicating liquors in question, plaintiff was a druggist and pharmacist, duly registered under the laws of the state; that prior to obtaining a permit from the board of supervisors he sold defendant intoxicating liquors, and received in payment therefor $412.56, and after that tipie he sold to defendant such liquors, and received payment in the sum of $30.92. The defendant was not a registered druggist and pharmacist, and had no permit from the board of supervisors for selling intoxicating liquors. She was doing
II. The following question arises upon these facts, the determination of which is decisive of the case: Under the statute in force in 1883 and 1884, could a registered pharmacist, who held no permit from the supervisors of the county, lawfully sell intoxicating liquors at wholesale? Under chapter 6, tit. 11, of the Code, all sales of intoxicating liquors were unlawful except those made by persons holding permits for specified purposes declared to be lawful. [Section 1523.] Under chapter 75, Acts of the Eighteenth General Assembly, registered pharmacists were authorized to sell intoxicating liquors at retail, and in no other way. Section 1 forbids any one not a registered pharmacist “ to conduct any pharmacy, drug-store, apothecary shop, or store for the purpose of retailing, compounding or dispensing medicines, or poisons for medical use, except as hereinafter provided.” Section 8 provides that “ apothecaries registered as herein provided shall have the right to keep and sell, under the restrictions as herein provided, all medicines and poisons authorized by the National American or United States dis-pensatory and pharmacopoea as of recognized medical utility.” Section 9 declares that it shall not be lawful “ for any licensed or registered druggist or pharmacist to retail or sell or give away any alcoholic liquors or compounds as a beverage.”
It clearly appears that the first section of the statute applies restrictions to retailing medicines and poisons, and
The abstract before us presents no ground upon which we can interfere with the finding by the district court as to the amount which defendant is entitled to recover. The judgment, therefore, must be Ahfiemed.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissentmg.) The liquors in question were sold by a registered pharmacist, for the purposes of medicine, and there is no evidence that they were not used for that purpose. The opinion of the majority, as I understand it, proceeds upon the theory that the plaintiff would have been guilty even if they had been used for that purpose, because he held no permit from the board of supervisors. In my opinion, such permit was not necessary prior to July 4,1884, though the goods where sold at wholesale, and the sales in question do not appear to have been made after that time.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.