Commonwealth v. Brandon
Commonwealth v. Brandon
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
The grand jury found a presentment against Brandon “for unlawfully standing a covering Jack,” in the county
If the defendant could escape responsibility by showing that he acted as the agent of the owner only, he should at least have shown, by his proof, who the owner or his principal was. But the language of the statute is “that no person shall hereafter stand any covering horse or Jack, until he has applied to the Clerk of the County Court and obtained a license. And if any person shall hereafter stand a covering horse or Jack, without a license, he or she shall be subject to a fine of ten dollars and tripple tax.” The person who superintends and lets a Jack to mares, in common parlance, may and is as well denominated a person who stands him, as the owner. It is the standing him by the season, within the State, without license, that constitutes the offence; and if any person be guilty, whether he be the owner or another, he is liable to the fine. Whether he be the owner or not, he may obtain the license, and it is his duty to do so if the owner has not, before he stands him, If no other than the owmer were liable, it would be quite easy to violate the law with impunity, and evade the penalty, by transferring the ownership to a person who lived out of the State or beyond the process of our Courts, or non-residents might crowd the State with standing horses and Jacks, wdthout paying the tax required by our laws.
The price by the season not being shown by the proof, the tripple tax cannot be assessed, but the fine of ten dollars may be.
Judgment reversed and cause remanded, that a new trial may be granted.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.