Hightower v. State
Hightower v. State
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
This case may be considered as if Mr. Frankel had not tes
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Alex. Hightower v. State
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Confession. Before magistrate. Presumption as to whether reduced to writing. As the law requires a magistrate, in examining a criminal charge, to reduce to writing any confession made by the accused, the presumption is, on the trial of one in the Circuit Court who has made such confession, in the absence of proof, that it was reduced to writing by the magistrate, in the discharge of his official duty. 2. Same. Search for record, thereof. Admission of secondary evidence. If, upon such trial in the Circuit Court, the defendant demands the production of the record of the proceedings in the examination by the magistrate, and the court sends “ one of its officers to search for the record, and he reports to the court, under oath, that it cannot be found,” it is proper to admit parol evidence of the confession, in case there be no evidence of such record being elsewhere than in the possession of the Circuit Court, as it is presumed to be. 3. Same. Whether voluntary. Absence of proof from record. Presumption'in this court. Where, upon an appeal by the defendant in a criminal case, it is objected that there is no proof that a confession which was used in evidence against the accused was voluntary, the objection will not be entertained by this court if it does not appear by the record that it was made in the court below. In such case, the presumption is that it was proven before the Circuit Court that the confession was voluntary.