West v. State

Texas Supreme Court
West v. State, 35 Tex. 89 (Tex. 1872)
Ogden

West v. State

Opinion of the Court

Ogden, J.

The indictment in this case is too indefinite and uncertain to support a conviction. The defendants are charged with entering, with force and arms, by night, the store house of Simon E. Clement, with intent then and there, feloniously and burglariously, to steal, take and carry away the goods and chattels of the said Simon E. Clement. The intent charged is not sufficiently definite to constitute the crime of burglary ; neither the language of the statute-nor its equivalent is used. Had the indictment charged the defendants with entering the house, with intent of committing a felony, or of committing the crime of “theft from a house,” or any other felony, charging it specifically, that might have been sufficient. But to charge that defendant did steal, take and carry away the goods and chattels of another, from a house, is not specifically charging a felony. The remaining portion of the indictment (whether from the carelessness of the clerk in making the transcript, or from an original defect in the indictment, we are unable to determine), is-absolutely unintelligible. The jury found the defendants guilty of burglary; and as the indictment is insufficient to warrant such a finding, the judgment is-reversed ; and because of the insufficiency of the indictment in other respects, we think the court erred in. overruling the motion to quash.

The case is therefore dismissed.

Reversed ahd dismissed.

Reference

Full Case Name
J. West and another v. State
Cited By
3 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
Indictment charged defendants with having feloniously and burglariously entered the store house of one C., in the night time, ‘ ‘ with the intent, the goods and chattels of the said C., then and there being, then and there feloniously and burglariously to steal, take, and carry away.” Held, that the intent charged is not sufficiently definite to constitute the crime of burglary, as defined by the Penal Code. (Paschal’s Digest, Article 2859.)