Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1893

Loggins v. State

Loggins v. State
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas · Decided October 21, 1893 · Davidson
24 S.W. 408; 32 Tex. Crim. 358; 1893 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 277 (South Western Reporter)

Counsel

R.L. Henry, Assistant Attorney-General, for the State. — 1. The indictment is sufficient. Penal Code, art. 212; Willson's Forms, No. 138. 2. There are no facts in the record showing the judge to be disqualified, and no bill of exceptions to his presiding. The presumption ought to be, that there was no truth in the plea, and that it was abandoned. Abrams v. The State, 31 Tex. Crim. 449 .

Loggins v. State

Opinion of the Court

DAVIDSON, Judge.

Appellant, Sam Swan, and W. E. T. Ogletree were jointly indicted for breaking into the county jail of Sabine County, for the purpose of liberating several prisoners therein confined.

*359 Appellant was tried and convicted; hence this appeal. Motion to quash the indictment was made, because it did not allege that appellant and his codefendants “ acted together ” in the commission of the said offense; and further, that it omitted to charge the breaking to have been done “ willfully” and by “ force.”

The terms “willfully” and “force” do not occur in the statute defining this offense. Penal Code, art. 212. It was not necessary to insert either term in the indictment.

Indictments charging two or more persons with the same offense are sufficient, in that respect, without averring they “acted together.” Such allegation, when made, is surplusage. Watson v. The State, 28 Texas Cr. App., 34; Finney v. The State, 29 Texas Cr. App., 184.

The plea of defendant setting up the disqualification of the special judge is not supported by testimony nor shown to be true, wherefore the court did not err in overruling it. The record contains neither a statement of facts nor a bill of exceptions. We find no error in the record, and the judgment is affirmed.

Affirmed.

Judges all present and concurring.

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