Ragland v. Commonwealth
Ragland v. Commonwealth
Opinion of the Court
Opinion op ti-ib Court by
Affirming.
_ The appellant was tried and convicted of illegally selling whiskey to O. Castleman, by and through her agent, Frank Hunter. For reversal of the judgment it is urged that the court erred in not directing a verdict of acquittal, and in failing to instruct the jury upon the question of Hunter’s agency.
The Commonwealth proved by Castleman that ho purchased whiskey from Hunter at the home of defendant, but not in her presence, and that in a few minutes thereafter the defendant had in her possession a marked $1.00 bill that Castleman had paid Hunter for the whiskey.
It is insisted that an acquittal should have been directed because of the absence of any evidence to show that in making the sale Hunter was acting as the agent of the defendant; but we are of the opinion that the existence of such agency is reasonably inferable from the above circumstances.
It is true that the first instruction, which alone is discussed by counsel for appellant, simply authorizes the jury to find defendant guilty if they believe beyond a reasonable doubt that she sold the liquor to Castleman “by and through her agent Frank Hunter,” without informing them as to what would constitute him her agent
It is clear, therefore, that there is no merit in this or either of appellant’s contentions.
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.