Commonwealth v. Palmer
Commonwealth v. Palmer
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The defendant was charged in the first count in the indictment with assaulting an officer in the discharge of his duty, and in the second with assault and battery. A verdict of guilty on each was returned, and the defendant was sentenced thereunder. The controlling facts of the case are fairly summarized in the charge of the court to the jury, as follows: “While this is a case of ordinary assault and battery, the alleged offense came at a time when extraordinary and unusual conditions existed in Homer City where the alleged violation of law was committed. It is in evidence that on the 1st day of May of this year, the date of the trouble here complained of, the people not only of Homer City, but of Indiana, Graceton, Coral and the surrounding communities were terrorized, and in fear of threatened violence to life and property by an element now in this country that is opposed to organized government, and to our institutions generally, known as the Bolsheviki. In order to repel this threatened attack the sheriff of our county, who is the chief peace officer of the county, together with hundreds of other loyal citizens of these several communities, set about to devise ways and means to accomplish this result. A score of members of the State police were called to aid, hundreds of deputy sheriffs were sworn into service, public meetings were held to inform the public of what was threatened, and what was necessary to be done to obviate trouble. Certain prohibitions were placed upon citizens, and
“The evidence along these lines was admitted for the purpose of showing and having the jury understand the concern of our people, and to explain the presence of the State policemen at Homer City on May 1st the date of the alleged offense.”
The peace officers were energetic in the discharge of their duty to prevent disorder and violence. The defendant, while not actively identified with these agitators and disturbers of the peace could not help but know, that by his conduct in exhibiting the red emblem on that day he was in defiant antagonism to the sheriff’s proclamation. It is idle for him to say that he did not know of the tenseness of the public mind, and the anxiety on the part of the local and State authorities to prevent a violent demonstration on May 1st by parties who were in active and violent opposition to our system of government. He was present at a public meeting in the courthouse when many prominent citizens addressed the audience, and urged upon all the necessity of sustaining the lawful authorities in preserving the public peace. His display of the red emblem at the time he did could be construed only one way — that he wanted all
We see no reversible error in this record. The assignments of error are overruled, and the judgment is affirmed. The record is remitted, and it is ordered that the appellant appear at such time as he may be called and that he be by that court committed until he has complied with the sentence imposed or any part of it that had not been performed at the time this appeal became a supersedeas.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.