Nichols v. State
Nichols v. State
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff in error, Frank M. Nichols, with others, was indicted by the grand jury of Clinton county and charged with the offense of assault with intent to kill one E. K. Miller.
For some time prior to the date of the matters that led to the indictment there had been a controversy among some of the citizens of Clinton county, growing out of the affairs of the Jefferson township school district and the management and administration of the schools. A number of citizens attended the meeting of the board of education. An altercation arose out of the discussion, and E. K. Miller, the prosecuting witness herein, who was president of the school board, was struck and knocked down. The testimony is conflicting, but there was evidence tending to show that the plaintiff in error had struck him.
At the close of the evidence offered by the state, the defendant made the following motion:
“The State having rested its case, counsel for defendant at that point, demurs to the evidence offered by the State in support of the charge as alleged in this indictment, to-wit: that of assault with intent to kill; and further moves the court to direct the jury to render a verdict of not guilty, as to that feature of the charge, thereby eliminating from the further consideration of the jury the crime of assault with intent to kill.”
The motion was overruled and exceptions noted.
The jury rendered a verdict finding the defendant guilty of assault and battery only.
In addition to the case of Reynolds v. The People, 41 How. Pr., 179, the court has examined many decisions, including Botsch v. State, 43 Neb., 501, and State v. Kyne, 86 Ia., 616, 53 N. W. Rep., 420, where the principle contended for is elaborated.
An examination of the record leads to the conclusion that there was some evidence tending to show assault with intent to kill. The proper inferences to be drawn regarding the intent was for the jury under all'the circumstances. It is not error in a criminal prosecution to submit to the jury the question of the defendant’s guilt of a higher grade of offense than that for which the conviction is had, when there is some evidence to sustain such a charge, although it is probable that a verdict therefor, had one been rendered, would have been set aside as not supported by sufficient evidence. See Whitner v. State, 46 Neb., 144. While this would dispose of the ground of error urged, the researches
There are other errors assigned.
The judgment of conviction will be affirmed.
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.