State v. Godard
State v. Godard
Opinion of the Court
The appellant was indicted for the crime of murder. Upon trial, defendant requested to have subpoenaed upon her behalf five named witnesses. Thereafter she requested
This application came too late to entitle the defendant to the hpnefit of-section 8151 of the Eevised Statutes, as amended in the Session Laws of 1893, at page 20. Our statutes in behalf ■of criminals are altogether too liberal already, and we do not think that the public weal or the administration of the law in justice warrants their extension in that' direction by construction. If every criminal who succeeds in securing an acquittal, by no matter what means, can charge the expense of his prosecution upon the county or the state, as a matter of finance we had better repeal our criminal laws entirely. 'Olhe statute is altogether too loose. Before any person accused of crime should be entitled to charge the county with the expense of his ■defense, he should be required to show to the satisfaction of the court his inability to bear such expense. It is true the utisdom, or, perhaps, rather the lack of wisdom, of our legislators, has not made this a prerequisite to the invocation of the aid ¡of the public treasury in defense of criminals, but the extent to which they have gone will not be enlarged by judicial construction. The judgment of the district court is affirmed, with costs. \
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE v. GODARD
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- WITNESS Pees and Mileage — Exceptions.—To entitle a defendant to a review of the action of the district court, the record must show an exception duly taken to such action of thei court. To entitle a defendant to the benefit of the provisions of section 8151 of the Kevised Statutes as amended by Session Laws of 1893, there must be a strict compliance with the provisions of said section, and the necessity and materiality of such witnesses must be shown before subpoena will be issued, or any expense incurred chargeable to the county. (Syllabus by the court.)