Gears v. State , 25467.

• Decision Date: 05 June 1931
• Docket Number: No. 25467.,25467.
• Citation: 203 Ind. 3,176 N.E. 553
• Parties: GEARS v. STATE.
• Court: Indiana Supreme Court

203 Ind. 3

176 N.E. 553

GEARS

v.STATE.

No. 25467.

Supreme Court of Indiana.

June 5, 1931.

Appeal from Vanderburgh Circuit Court; Chas. P. Bock, Judge.

Omer Gears was convicted of grand larceny, and he appeals.

Affirmed.

W. D. Hardy, of Evansville, for appellant.

The Attorney General, for the State.

MYERS, C. J.

Appellant, in the court below, was convicted of grand larceny, and judgment pronounced pursuant to the finding. Section 2451, Burns' Ann. St. 1926, Acts 1905, c. 169, pp. 584, 667, § 377. He prosecuted this appeal and has assigned as error the overruling of his motion for a new trial. Causes relied on in support of this motion are: Finding of the court not sustained by sufficient evidence, and finding contrary to law.

It is first insisted that the finding of the court was contrary to law for want of an indictment or affidavit in the circuit court charging appellant with the offense of which he was convicted. The record discloses that an affidavit was filed in the city court of Evansville, charging appellant with feloniously taking and carrying away chickens of the value of $50, personal goods and chattels of one Dr. J. L. Whittinghill. A preliminary examination was had in that court whereby the accused was held to bail for his appearance before the Vanderburgh circuit court. An order-book entry of the Vanderburgh circuit court shows that during its adjourned December term, a transcript of the proceedings had in the city court, together with “an affidavit,” was filed in the office of the clerk of the Vanderburgh circuit court. Looking to the face of the affidavit, it appears to be the one filed in the city court and by the clerk of the city court filed in the office of the clerk of the Vanderburgh circuit court. To this affidavit in the latter court, appellant was arraigned and entered a plea of not guilty. There was no motion to quash the affidavit nor motion in arrest of judgment, nor any objection to a trial in the circuit court of the issue joined. The affidavit was, by indorsement, approved by the prosecuting attorney and signed by him as such officer.

Appellant claims that the affidavit filed in the city court and refiled in the circuit court, and upon which he was tried, was insufficient to confer jurisdiction of the subject-matter upon the latter court, for the reason that the only alleged statutory authority for trying him upon that affidavit is unconstitutional and void, in that the subject expressed in the title of the act is fees for justices of the peace, etc., and in no manner includes the subject of charging the offense in the court to which the prisoner is recognized. Upon the foregoing premise he insists that the Vanderburgh circuit court was without jurisdiction over the subject-matter of this action, and hence its finding was contrary to law.

Chapter 51, Acts 1911, p. 75, § 1 was amended, chapter 252, Acts 1921, p. 742, § 1, section 2103, Burns' Ann. St. 1926, by adding the clause which, in substance, permits the trial of an accused upon the affidavit filed before a justice of the peace or other officer of like jurisdiction charging a felony, when filed in the criminal or circuit court, and properly indorsed and signed by the prosecuting attorney.

[1][2][3] The jurisdictional question which appellant seeks to present for the first time in this court depends entirely upon the constitutionality of the amendment. While we are mindful that jurisdiction of a trial court over the subject-matter of an action may be challenged on appeal as well as in the court below, yet it is equally well settled that this court's authority to review questions on appeal is limited to those properly presented to a court of original jurisdiction. Drake v. State, 201 Ind. 235, 240, 165 N. E. 757;In re Northwestern Indiana Tel. Co., 201 Ind. 667, 681, 171 N. E. 65;Lindsay v. State, 195 Ind. 333, 145 N. E. 438;Simmons v. Simmons, 186 Ind. 575, 116 N. E. 49;Atlas Securities Co. v. Grove, 79 Ind. App. 144, 147, 137 N. E. 570.

The validity of the amendment to which we have referred was not questioned in the trial court, and inasmuch as the jurisdictional question sought to be presented by appellant depends entirely upon that amendment, it necessarily follows that we have no ruling on the controlling question for review.

Appellant next contends that the name of the owner of the stolen property is a material allegation of the affidavit and must be proved as charged. The affidavit charges that one “Dr. J. L. Whittinghill” was the owner of the stolen chickens. On direct examination he testified that his name was “J. L. Whittinghill,” and on cross-examination he gave his names as “James L. Whittinghill.” Hence, a fatal variance is claimed because proof of the name of the owner of the stolen property does not correspond with the name in the affidavit.

The inexcusable carelessness on the part of the state in failing to...