State v. Butler
State v. Butler
Opinion of the Court
The information in this case, omitting names of witnesses indorsed, signature of assistant state’s attorney, and the verification, reads as follows:
*233 State of North Dakota County of Ward
ss.
In
Court.
State of North Dakota vs. William Butler and William Kimball, Defendants.
Doit Carroll, assistant state’s attorney in and for the county of Ward, in the state of North Dakota, as informant here in open court, in the name and by the authority of the state of North Dakota, gives this court to understand and be informed:
That heretofore, to wit: On the 21st day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and thirteen, at the county of Ward, in said State of North Dakota, William Butler and William Kimball, late of said county of Ward, and state aforesaid, did commit the crime of engaging in ring fight and contention, committed as follows, to wit':
That at said time and place the said William Butler and William Kimball did wilfully, wrongfully, and unlawfully engage in certain unlawful premeditated fight and contention with each other in a ring, wherein the said William Butler and William Kimball did then and there fight and contend with each other by striking and attempting to strike, and beating and attempting to beat each other.
This contrary to the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the state of North Dakota.
Dated at Minot, N. D., this 8th day of April, a. d. 1913.
On the back the information was indorsed, “In county court, county of Ward,” with the names of the parties, the offense, and the certificate of filing in the county court of Ward county, during a term of said court by the order of the court.
To this information, the defendants interposed a demurrer, stating in the caption that it was in the county court of Ward county, and alleging as the grounds of the demurrer, among others, that the same
1. Does the information charge more than one offense? The information was drawn under § 9089, Kev. Codes 1905, which reads: “Every person who engages in, instigates, encourages, or promotes any ring or prize fight, or any other premeditated fight or contention, whether as principal, aid, second, umpire, surgeon, or otherwise, although no death or personal injury ensues, is guilty of a misdemeanor.” It will be observed that the information is drawn in the language of the statute quoted, in so far as it is applicable to the principals in a ring fight. To it is added the allegation that they “did, then and there, fight and contend with each other, by striking” and attempting to strike, and beating and attempting to beat.” The respondents did not appear in this court on the hearing, and have filed no briefs. We gather from the brief of the state that the contention was that the allegation last quoted described a different offense from the one quoted in the language of the statute. We do not so construe this information. The last quotation is simply a description of the acts claimed to have been done by the defendants in engaging in a ring fight and contention. In many cases it is sufficient to allege the commission of the offense in the lan
Does the fact that this information, in addition to the allegation that the defendants “did wilfully, wrongfully, and unlawfully engage in a certain unlawful, premeditated fight and contention with each other, in a ring,” charges that they “did, then and there, fight and contend with each other, by striking, etc.,” render the language of the information uncertain or indefinite ? We think it adds certainty and definiteness to the allegations of the information. It states the acts in which the parties engaged, and which constituted or completed the commission of the offense. Had this allegation been omitted, the defendants would undoubtedly have been before the court asserting vigorously that the preceding allegation only constituted a conclusion, and that no acts had been set forth, as having been done, which constitute the offense of engaging in a ring or prize fight. The two allegations do not charge separate and distinct offenses when read together, as they must be. It is manifest, of course, that the “striking and attempting to strike” might be acts constituting some other offense, if these terms were employed without reference to the remainder of the information, but they are charged, not as a separate offense, but as the acts done, which constituted violation of the statute. Hence, as relates to this phase of the demurrer, it is not well taken.
2. The omission of the word “county” in describing the court was
Reference
- Full Case Name
- THE STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA v. WILLIAM BUTLER and William Kimball
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published