City of Columbia v. Johnson
City of Columbia v. Johnson
Opinion of the Court
This is an action brought by the plaintiff city against the defendant before the police judge of said city to recover a penalty for the violation of an ordinance. The complaint is as follows:
“city’s complaint.
“State of Missouri, 1 Before Clarence O’Mahoney, “County of Boone, > Police Judge of the City of “City of Columbia. J Columbia.
“The City of Columbia, Plaintiff, v. “Louis Johnson (colored), Defendant.
“The undersigned, city attorney of the city of Columbia, informs the court, and charges the fact to be that on the 19th day of September, 1896, at the city of Columbia, and within the corporate limits thereof, one Louis Johnson (colored) did, in violation of section 24 of an ordinance of said city, passed and approved on the 27th day of July, 1893, and entitled ‘An ordinance in relation to offenses against public morals, decency and public safety, in lieu of article 1 of ordinance 19 of Revised Ordinances of 1892, of the city of Columbia,’ then and there unlawfully carry concealed upon and about his person a deadly and dangerous weapon, to wit, a revolving pistol, contrary to said ordinance in such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of said city of Columbia. Wherefore plaintiff prays the court to declare and assess against the defendant herein, the penalties prescribed by said ordinance for the punishment of such offense, and that it render judgment therefor, together with the costs in this behalf expended, and that said defendant stand committed until judgment is complied with.
“J. S. Banks, City Attorney.
*235 “J. S. Banks, city attorney, makes oath and says that the facts and allegations contained in the foregoing are true according to his best information and belief.
“J. S. Banks, City Attorney.
“Subscribed and sworn to before me this 21st day of September, 1896.
“Clarence O’Mahoney, Police Judge.”
There was a trial in the circuit court, where the cause was removed by appeal, which resulted in judgment for the city from which defendant appealed. It is strenuously insisted by the defendant that the complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, etc.
It is in effect conceded that the city of Columbia is a city of the third class. It is disclosed by the evidence that the defendant was arrested in flagrante delicto by the marshal of the city. While in custody the city attorney filed the complaint before the police judge.
A section of an ordinance of said city, introduced in evidence, provided “that it shall not be necessary to issue a warrant against any person lawfully arrested by an officer; but in all such cases it shall be the duty of the city attorney to file a complaint against the defendant setting forth the nature of the offense charged.”
The complaint was based on the provisions of the twenty-fourth section of an ordinance approved July 27, 1893, which is as follows:
The complaint was properly filed before the police judge of the city. Section 1 of ordinance number 25, introduced in evidence by plaintiff, provides for the establishment of the police court instead of the recorder's court. The charter of the city created the office of police judge and defined his powers. He is given exclusive original jurisdiction to hear and determine all offenses against the ordinances of the city, etc. Secs. 5, 41, 42 of charter. (Sess. Acts 1893, p. 68, 72.) The jurisdiction of the police judge is therefore conferred by the charter and not by an ordinance. It is therefore manifest that the police judge had jurisdiction of the defendant and the offense of which he was charged.
This case is to be distinguished from the case of Salisbury v. Patterson, 24 Mo. App. 169, and the other like cases cited by the défendant. There the defendant was arrested without a warrant and the prosecution was on a verbal complaint of the marshal. The recorder did not make the entries on his docket that were required by Revised Statutes, section 1555. Here the defendant was in custody and the qity attorney having filed a proper complaint against him, no reason is seen why he could not be lawfully tried on the complaint without the issue of a warrant. He was fully apprised
It follows from the foregoing observations that the court did not err in its action in overruling the defendant’s objections to the introduction by the city of any evidence to sustain its complaint.
This case is in no respect analogous in its facts to that of Kirkwood v. Autenreith, 21 Mo. App. 73, cited by defendant, where there were several actions for simi
The reference made by the city attorney in his argument before the jury to the race to which defendant belonged was in exceedingly bad taste and should not have been indulged in; but this is not of itself deemed of sufficient consequence to justify a reversal of the judgment.
The judgment on account of the error of the court in admitting improper testimony must be reversed and remanded.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.