Farris v. Commonwealth
Farris v. Commonwealth
Opinion of the Court
Opinion of the Court by
Reversing.
Appellant, P. B. Parris, was indicted,' tried, and convicted in tlie Knox circuit court for the offense of selling intoxicating, spirituous, vinous, and malt liquors, or a mixture thereof, in quantities less than five gallons, in- violation of the act of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky regulating the sale of intoxicating, spirituous, vinous, and malt liquors, and the mixture thereof, in quantities less than 10 gallons in the counties of Knox and Whitley, approved April 15, 1884, and of the acts amendatoiy thereof. 1 Acts 1883-84, p, 1404, c. 789. A demurrer was interposed to the indictment and overruled by the court. The indictment is in the usual form and is not subject to criticism.
The undisputed facts show that the appellant was a licensed distiller; that, within-12 mouths before the finding of the indictment, T. S. Wilson, Bob Smith,' and others, met in a public road within 15 or 20 steps of the residence of the appelhnt, and agreed “to go in” and buy some whisky. Each man who was to' share in the whisky signed his name to a paper, showing how much money he had contributed to the fund. When a sufficient sum was contributed, some one of the subscribers went to the premises of
The trial court instructed the jury as follows: “ (1) If you shall believe from the evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant, Brit Farris, in this county, and within 12 months next before the date of the indictment, and at the time mentioned by the witnesses, sold directly or indirectly to the witnesses, Wilson, Smith, and Hiram Cain, or either of them, spirituous, vinous, and malt liquors in such manner as that they or either one of them were enabled to receive a quantity less than five gallons to himself, then you ought to find him guilty and fix his punishment at any fine not less than $60 nor more than $100, or, in lieu thereof, imprisonment in the county jail not less than 10 nor more than 40 days, or you may both fine and imprison him within these limits, .at your discretion, according to the proof. (2) Or. if you shall believe from the evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant had a scheme, plan, device, arrangement, or subterfuge to which he was a party, and which he had arranged whereby and so that he could sell liquor under the guise of selling it as in five-gallon quantities or over, and did for the purpose and knowing that it was to be divided there on the premises or near hv, and he arranged it so as to divide it in that way among his purchasers, with the design or for the purpose, or so as he knew they would get that in quantities less
The appellant complains that the foregoing instructions are erroneous and were prejudicial to the' appellant. The first instruction is erroneous, in that appellant might have sold the liquor to the witnesses, Wilson, Smith, or Cain, or any one of them, in such manner that they or one of them were enabled to receive a quantity of less than five gallons, without being guilty, unless he so sold the liquor with the
This court is of the opinion that the trial court should have instructed the jury as follows: “(1) If you shall believe from the evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant, Brit Parris, in this county, and within 12 months next before the date of the indictment, and at the time mentioned by the witnesses, sold directly or indirectly to the witnesses, Wilson, Smith, and Hiram Cain, or any one of them, spirituous, vinous, or malt liquors in quantities less than five gallons, then you should find the defendant guilty, and fix his punishment at any fine not less than $60 nor more than $100, or imprisonment in the county jail for not less than 10 nor more than 40 days, or you may both so fine and imprison the defendant within these limits, at your discretion. (2) Or, if you shall believe from the evidence, beyond a .reasonable doubt, that the defendant had a scheme, plan, device, arrangement, or subterfuge, to which he was a party, and which he had arranged, whereby he could sell liquor under the guise of selling it in quantities of five gallons or over, and with the knowledge, purpose, or design that it was to be divided there on his premises or near by, so that the purchasers, or any of them, would receive less than five gallons as his portion, and that that was part of
Judgment reversed, and cause remanded for a new trial consistent with this opinion.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.