Boggs v. Commonwealth
Boggs v. Commonwealth
Opinion of the Court
Opinion op the Court by?
Reversing
High L. Boggs was convicted of the offense of selling intoxicating liquor in violation of the local option law and his punishment fixed at a fine of $60.00. He appeals.
The only question presented is whether or not the facts show a sale within the meaning of the statute'.
It appears from the evidence that the prosecuting witness, Ernest Jayne, entered into an arrangement with the appellant, Boggs, who is a licensed distiller, by which Jayne was to deliver to Boggs a quantity of apples out of which Boggs was to make brandy. Boggs was to keep one-half of the brandy for his services in distilling the apples and deliver to Jayne the other half of the brandy. Each party was to pay the internal revenue license on his half of the brandy. It further appears that in carrying out this arrangement the apples which Jayne' delivered to Boggs were put in sep
In addition to other instructions, the court instructed the jury as follows:
“ An arrangement or agreement between the prosecuting witness, Jayne, and the defendant, Boggs, by which Jayne delivered to defendant an amount or quantity of apples which were distilled into brandy, and one-half of said brandy being- delivered to Jayne by the defendant in consideration of said apples, constitutes a sale of liquor.”
It is well settled that the transfer of liquor to another, in consideration of any article of value or of services to be performed by the transferee, constitutes a sale within the njeaning of the statute. Therefore, if this were a case where Jayne merely exchanged his apples for brandy belonging to Boggs, there can be no doubt that the transaction would have been a sale and that Boggs would have violated the local option law. Commonwealth v. Davis, 12 Bush 240; Friedman v. Commonwealth, 26 R. 1276; Commonwealth v. Clark, 14 Gray (Mass.) 367; Barnes v. State, 88 S. W. (Texas), 805; L. L. Stanley v. State, 43 Texas Criminal Reports 270. Such a case, however, is not presented by the record. Here the prosecuting- witness furnished a quantity of apples to be manufactured into brandy. Boggs Avas to have half of the brandy for his services. The brandy which the prosecuting- witness received was the product of his own apples. The case is not unlike that of a farmer furnishing a particular' quantity of wheat to a miller to be manufactured into flour, the miller to retain a certain portion of the flour for his services. Clearly the miller, in returning to the farmer his portion of the flour manufactured from the particular wheat furnished by the farmer, cannot be said to have sold the flour to the farmer. In the case under consideration the apples belonged to Jayne. His half of the brandy also belonged
Judgment reversed and cause remanded for proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.