Buford v. State

Mississippi Supreme Court
Buford v. State, 99 Miss. 770 (Miss. 1911)
56 So. 162
Whiteield

Buford v. State

Opinion of the Court

Whiteield, C.

The testimony delivered by Mr. Joy as to the discharge of the defendant we do not think competent- on the testimony in this record. It was very easy to have proved that discharge by the records of the company, or by Mr. Smith or Mr. Van Hook, or any proper agent of the company, who had personal knowledge of the fact of such discharge. It is obvious that Mr. Joy’s testimony on that subject was wholly hearsay. Whether or not the appellant had been discharged at the time he had his dealings with Mr. Briscoe was the vital point in the case. The fourth instruction, asked by the defendant and refused, should therefore have been given.

*774The defense was in substance, first, that the defendant had not been discharged as a fact; and, second, that,if he had been, he had not been notified of such discharge, and honestly believed he was still the agent, and acted in perfect good faith, then he was not guilty as charged. On this last proposition, the court refused, for the defense, charge No. 3, which is as follows: “If the jury believe- from the evidence that the defendant was in the employ of the Consolidated Adjustment' Company on May 9, 1910, under a contract for employment made with one of their agents, Van Hook by name, and that as such agent he made a contract with B. T. Briscoe in accordance with the rules and regulations of said company, in consideration of which he received eighty-seven dollars and seventy-five cents from said Briscoe, and that said contract was made in good faith, he is not guilty of any criminal act, even though, at the time of making said contract, he was not in the employ of said company, but was ignorant of that fact.” We think, on the facts in this case, this charge, also, should have been given.

We notice no other assignments of error than those specified. Reversed and remanded.

Per Curiam.

The above opinion is adopted as the opinion of the court; .and, for the-reasons therein set out, the case is reversed and remanded.

Reference

Full Case Name
T. C. Buford v. State
Status
Published
Syllabus
1. Criminal Law. Hem-say evidence. False pretenses. Instructions. Where on the trial of accused for obtaining money under false pretenses by representing himself to be the agent of an adjusting company, the issue was whether or not he had been discharged by the company before the occurrence of the transaction complained of. It was error to allow the superintendent of agents of the company to testify that the books of the company showed that accused had been discharged several months before the date of the alleged offense, he having no personal knowledge of- the fact, this testimony was hearsay. 2. Evidence. Criminal mtent. Good faith. Where accused was charged with obtaining money under false pretenses by contracting in the name of a company and obtaining money thereon and by representing himself as the agent of such company and the issue was whether or not he had been previously discharged by the company. It was error for the court to refuse him an instruction that even though he was not in the employ of the company at the time of making the contract, but was ignorant of the fact that he had been discharged and acted in good faith in making the contract and obtaining the money, then he was not guilty of the crime charged.