Knight v. State
Knight v. State
Opinion of the Court
The appellant was indicted, jointly with one T. J. Barnhart, for the theft of a cow belonging to one Millie Fondron. The appellant, being tried alone, was convicted; a motion for a new trial was made and overruled, ahd notice of appeal was given in open court. Judgment was entered on the verdict, and the defendant was sentenced in accordance with the verdict and judgment; and this appeal was prosecuted.
From the view taken of the merits of this appeal, it will not be necessary to notice the several errors assigned, except in so far as they are necessary to a decision, and likely to arise on another trial. There are two transcripts of the record before us. The first transcript was filed in this court on April 5, 1879. On April 19, 1879, the attorney-general representing the State, filed a motion for certiorari, which
It is evident from the dates that this order was made after the case had been removed to this court by appeal. This order the court had no authority to make, even if the clerk had made the order in fact and had so amended the record (but which does not appear to have been done), for the reason that by the appeal and the filing of the record in this court, the jurisdiction of the District Court was at an end and the jurisdiction of this court had attached, agreeably to art. 727, Code of Criminal Procedure (Pasc. Dig., art. 3191), which declares that “ the effect of an appeal is to suspend and arrest all further proceedings until the judgment of the Supreme Court [Court of Appeals] has been received by the District Court.” Hill v. The State, 4 Texas Ct. App. 559 ; Rev. Code Cr. Proc., art. 849.
It may be supposed that the minutes of the court were under the control of the court, and subject to correction at .any time before the adjournment for the term, which is ordinarily the case ; but this power ceases whenever an appeal in a case of felony has Been taken in the manner required by law, and the transcript has been filed here. The defendant had done all the law required of him to notify the court
It is attempted to be made to appear by bill of exceptions that the court had provided a jury of twenty-four men for the week, and that the court had of its own motion excused two of this number without having their places filled, and, when the accused was brought into court, had twenty-two jurors drawn from the jury-box, and required the defendant to strike from the list of twenty-two, without first having filled the panel to twenty-four, and thus his challenges were exhausted, leaving but nine in the box; that three jurors were summoned as talesmen, whom he attempted to challenge, but was not permitted so to do. This bill of exceptions, it is stated, the judge refused to sign, and it appears to have been signed and certified by three by-standers, and filed by the clerk. This document, purporting to be a bill of exceptions, is not prepared as required by the law which authorizes by-standers to certify to the matters set out therein, and therefore cannot be considered. Pasc. Dig., arts. 217, 218; Houston v. Jones, 4 Texas, 170; Rev. Stats., arts. 1353 et seq.
On the .trial, the prosecution was permitted to prove, over objection, certain facts in the nature of admissions derived from T. J. Barnhart, the jointly indicted co-defendant of
In view of another trial, we are of the opinion that the charge is in one respect objectionable. After the judge had properly instructed the jury that they were the exclusive judges of the weight of the evidence and the credibility of the witnesses, the charge proceeds as follows: “You may believe or disbelieve all or any portion of the statements of any witness; you may believe one witness and disbelieve another; you may believe a portion of the statements of a witness and disbelieve other portions of said statement.” Bishop v. The State, 43 Texas, 390 ; Stuckey v. The State, decided at the present term, ante, p. 174.
For the reasons above stated, the judgment is reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial.
Reversed and remanded.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.