Commonwealth v. Dolan
Decision Date | 02 December 1876 |
Citation | 121 Mass. 374 |
Parties | Commonwealth v. James Dolan |
Court | United States State Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts Supreme Court |
Suffolk. Complaint under the St. of 1875, c. 99, to the Municipal Court of the West Roxbury District, charging that the defendant, at a time and place named, "unlawfully did expose and keep for sale intoxicating liquors, with intent unlawfully to sell the same in this Commonwealth."
At the trial in the Superior Court, before Putnam, J., on appeal, the witnesses for the government testified that they found a bar inside of the defendant's saloon, a beer-pump, table, shelves, bottles and tumblers; and, behind the bar, a jug containing a gallon of whiskey; and, in the cellar, a barrel of ale, connected by a pipe with another pump on the bar.
The defendant contended that there was no evidence sustaining the allegation of exposing the liquors; and asked the judge to instruct the jury, that they must find both a keeping and exposing in order to convict; and that to keep intoxicating liquors for sale without exposing them was not a criminal offence under the statute; and, if it was, that it was not properly charged in the complaint. The judge refused to give these instructions, but instructed the jury that it was sufficient if they found that the defendant kept the liquors for sale unlawfully.
The jury returned a verdict of guilty; and the defendant alleged exceptions.
Exceptions overruled.
T. Riley, for the defendant.
C. R. Train, Attorney General, for the Commonwealth.
OPINION
Whether the defendant exposes or keeps for sale, or both keeps and exposes, it is but one offence; and a complaint charging both is good, and is supported by proof of either.
Exceptions overruled.
To continue reading
Request your trial-
Commonwealth v. Martin
...Commonwealth may prove the violation of the statute by proof of the performance by the defendant of any one of the said acts. Commonwealth v. Dolan, 121 Mass. 374;Commonwealth v. St. Pierre, 175 Mass. 48, 55 N.E. 482;Commonwealth v. Ahern, 228 Mass. 547, 117 N.E. 827. In such circumstances ......
-
Com. v. Dellamano
...its proof" to one. Commonwealth v. Martin, 304 Mass. 320, 322, 23 N.E.2d 876 (1939). There is here but one offense. See Commonwealth v. Dolan, 121 Mass. 374 (1876); Commonwealth v. Michaud, 14 Mass.App. at 473, 440 N.E.2d The amendment did not broaden the charges, see Stirone v. United Stat......
-
Commonwealth v. Houle
... ... use. The allegation that the premises were "used for the ... illegal sale and illegal keeping" of intoxicating ... liquors, charged but one offence, and evidence that they had ... been used for either would have been sufficient. Com. v ... Curran, 119 Mass. 206; Com. v. Dolan, 121 Mass ... 374; Com. v. Nichols, 10 Allen, 199; Com. v ... Tay, 146 Mass. 146, 15 N.E. 503. The court rightly ... declined to give the instructions requested by the defendant ... Those given were clearly correct, and in accordance with the ... decision in Com. v. Hayes, 145 Mass. 295, 14 ... ...
-
Morganstern v. Commonwealth
...12 Wis. 519; State v. Bielby, 21 Wis. 204; People v. Frank, 28 Cal. 507; Com. v. Eaton, 15 Pick. 273; Com. v. Brown, 14 Gray, 419; Com. v. Dolan, 121 Mass. 374; Com. v. Thomas, 10 Gray, 483; Francisco v. State, 24 N. J. Law, 30; State v. Morton, 27 Vt. 310; Edge v. Com., 7 Pa. St 275; State......