Commonwealth v. Brettun
Cases that cite this one
10 later published cases cite this decision.
- Commonwealth v. Cabot (Mass. 1922)
- State v. Thomes (Me. 1927)
- State v. Fraley (W. Va. 1912)
- State v. Morris (Or. 1911)
- State v. Hinton (Or. 1910)
- State v. McCoy (W. Va. 1907)
- Young v. People (Ill. 1901)
- Commonwealth v. Collins (Mass. 1885)
- Commonwealth v. Jenks (Mass. 1885)
- State v. Morrissey (Me. 1879)
This list shows which later cases cite this one. It does not say how they treated it, and no review of that has been done. Not a substitute for Shepard’s or KeyCite — verify before relying.
Opinion of the Court
Promissory notes are made the subject of larceny, by the Gen. Sts. c. 161, § 18. Therefore they may be described in the same manner as other things which have an intrinsic value; that is, by any description applicable to them as a chattel. The King v. Johnson, 3 M. & S. 547. On the authority of this case, it is not necessary to add to the description the words “ for the payment of money.” It is objected, that, if so general a description is held to be sufficient, the defendant has no adequate protection against a second indictment for the same offence. But the protection is the same as in other similar cases. If, for example, one is indicted for stealing a sheep belonging to a flock, it is not necessary to make the description more particular than this. An indictment is also good which alleges a larceny of a piece of paper, alleging its value, without any further description. See cases cited for the Commonwealth.
^Exceptions overruled.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.