State v. Banks
State v. Banks
Opinion of the Court
This is a prosecution against Levi Banks upon an- indictment found in the circuit court of Logan county at the July term. 1903, for unlawfully, maliciously and feloniously shooting one Jonah Perguson. The case was tried at the November term of Logan court, 1903, when the jury returned a verdict of not guilty of malicious shooting and wounding, but' guilty of unlawful shooting, and Banks was sentenced to the penitentiary for three years. The case was brought here on writ of error and the judgment reversed and the case remanded for a new trial. — See 55 W. Va. 388.
At the May term, 1905, of the circuit court of Logan county when the case was again called for trial, defendant moved for a continuance and presented his petition praying for a change of venue and the court entered an order removing said cause to Lincoln county circuit court for trial. On motion of the prosecuting attorney of Lincoln county the case was docketed on the 6th day of June, 1905, in the circuit court of Lincoln county; and on motion of the defendant the case was continued until the seventh day of the next regular term. On the 11th day of September, 1905, when the case was called the defendant moved the court for a continuance until the next term and filed his affidavit in support of his motion and the cause was again continued, and at the December term when the case was called, the defendant, by his counsel, suggested a diminution of the record of the proceedings of the the cause in the circuit court of Logan county and suggesting that the record as certified by the clerk of the circuit court of Logan county was not complete and that all orders, proceedings and recognizances therein had not been copied and certified to the clerk of the Lincoln county circuit court as required by law, and moved the court for a ruling against the clerk of Logan circuit court requiring him to certify to the clerk of the circuit court of Lincoln county a complete record of the proceedings, which motion was overruled and the defendant by counsel moved the court to strike the case from the trial docket for want of a cotnplete record as stated, which motion was also overruled. The defendant then moved for a continuance on the ground of the absence of Loudon White, a material and necessary witness for the defendant, and introduced evidence to show his materiality, which mo
A writ of certiorari was awarded the State in this Court to the clerk of the circuit court of Logan counts'" and in return to such writ the said clerk of Logan county circuit court certified to this Court the order of the 3rd of Mas»-, 1905, transferring the case on the motion of the defendant from said Logan circuit court to Lincqln circuit court for trial. This return of the writ shows thfe existence of the order of removal of the case and completes the record. The case having been docketed without objection in Lincoln circuit court and continued therein for two terms on the motion of the defendant and it now appearing that the order of removal had been duly entered in the circuit court of Logan county, the judgment cannot be reversed because of the incompleteness of the. record as it appeared at the time of the trial in Lincoln circuit court. In Shifflet v. Commonwealth, 14 Grat. 652, (Syl. pt. 5), it is held: “Where, upon the motion.of the prisoner, the venue is changed,' and the record sent by the clerk of the court from whence the trial is removed, to the court to which it is sent, does not show that the indictment was found by the grand jury; but the prisoner is tried and convicted; upon a writ of error to the court of appeals, tliat court may direct a certiorari to the court from whence the case was sent, for a better record; and if it appears from the record returned, that the indictment was found by the grand jury, the judgment will not be reversed.”
Affirmed.
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