Hewitt v. State

Citation43 Fla. 194,30 So. 795
PartiesHEWITT et al. v. STATE.
Decision Date09 April 1901
CourtUnited States State Supreme Court of Florida

Error to circuit court, Duval county; Rhydon M. Call, Judge.

Dick Hewitt and others were convicted of murder, and bring error. Affirmed.

Syllabus by the Court

SYLLABUS

1. By the common law an accused had the right to be tried in the county in which the offense was alleged to have been committed, where the witnesses were supposed to be accessible, and where he might have the benefit of a good character, if he had established one there; but, if an impartial trial could not be had in such county, it was the practice to change the venue to some other county, where such trial could be obtained. The right of trial in the county where the offense is alleged to have been committed, when an impartial jury can there be had, is secured to the accused by section 11, Declaration of Rights (constitution of 1885); but it is not the design of this provision to force a trial in a county where an impartial jury cannot be obtained, as to do so would defeat the greater and more important right of a speedy trial by an impartial jury.

2. The statutes in force in this state in reference to change of venue in criminal cases without the consent of the accused (sections 2928, 2929, Rev. St., and chapter 4394, Laws 1895) authorize the court to direct a change of venue when an impartial jury cannot be secured in the county where the offense is alleged to have been committed, and, limiting their meaning to authorize the change without the consent of the accused when it is impossible to secure an impartial jury in the county where the offense was committed, they are constitutional.

3. An accused may, under statutes in this state, be convicted as an accessory before the fact to murder in the second degree.

COUNSEL Wills & Long, D. M. Gornto, and John E Hartridge, for plaintiffs in error.

William B. Lamar, Atty. Gen., for the State.

OPINION

MABRY J.

In October, 1898, plaintiffs in error Dick Hewitt and Lum Hewitt were indicted in Bradford county for the murder of J. T Johnson, and plaintiff in error Moss Hewitt and one Minnie Hewitt were jointly indicted with them as accessories before the fact of said murder. Upon a trial of the case in Bradford county, in January, 1899, the jury acquitted Minnie Hewitt and disagreed as to the other defendants. The case came on for trial at another term of court in Bradford county, held in October, 1899, and after the exhaustion of two special venires, one for 100 jurors and the other for 25, and the issuance of another for 30 jurors, the court made the following order, viz.: 'Came again the defendants, each in his own proper person and attended by his counsel; whereupon, it appearing to the court that a qualified jury cannot be obtained in this county to try said case, now, therefore, it is considered that said case be, and the same is hereby, transferred, and the venue changed to the circuit court of Duval county for trial.' The order further provided for the transmission of the necessary papers to Duval county. It appears from a transcript of the proceedings in Bradford county that, in addition to the regular panel of jurors for the terms when the indictment was found and when the mistrial occurred, a special venire of 100 jurors was served for the last-mentioned term. When the court made the order changing the venue on the unsuccessful effort to obtain a jury, it appears that defendants neither requested it nor interposed any objection thereto.

The case came on for trial in Duval county without any objection on the part of defendants, and thereupon Dick Hewitt and Lum Hewitt were convicted of murder in the second degree, and Moss Hewitt was convicted of being accessory before the fact of said offense.

From the judgment of the court imposing the sentences of the law upon the defendants writ of error has been sued out by them, and two grounds of error are presented for consideration, viz.: First, the court erred in changing the venue from Bradford county; second, Moss Hewitt should be discharged because under the laws of Florida a party cannot be convicted as being an accessory before the fact to murder in the second degree.

Our present constitution (section 11, Declaration of Rights) declares that 'in all criminal prosecutions the accused shall have the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury, in the county where the crime was committed.' This provision was not contained in the constitution of 1868. Section 2358, Rev. St., provides that 'all criminal causes shall be tried in the county where the offense was committed, except when otherwise provided by law.' It is provided in section 2928, Id., that 'the judge of the circuit court may order a change of venue in all criminal cases, when he shall be satisfied that it is impracticable to get a qualified jury to try the same in the county in which the crime was committed,' and the change hereby authorized may be ordered, as provided in section 2929, 'upon the application either of the prosecuting attorney or of the defendant, upon affidavit setting forth the...

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29 cases
  • State Ex Rel. Oscar Cosner v. See
    • United States
    • West Virginia Supreme Court
    • March 4, 1947
    ...Am. St. Rep. 662, 3 Ann. Cas. 191; Commonwealth v. Reilly, 324 Pa. 558, 188 A. 574; State v. Brown, 103 Vt. 312, 154 A. 579; Hewitt v. State, 43 Fla. 194, 30 So. 795; State v. Miles, 43 Idaho 46, 248 P. 442; State v. Cutshall, 110 N. C. 538, 15 S. E. 261, 16 L. R. A. 130; People v. Peterson......
  • State Ex Rel. Cosner v. See
    • United States
    • West Virginia Supreme Court
    • March 4, 1947
    ...Commonwealth v. Reilly, 324 Pa. 558, 188 A. 574; State v. Brown, 103 Vt. 312, 154 A. 579, 76 A.L.R. 1029;[42 S.E.2d 37] Hewitt v. State, 43 Fla. 194, 30 So. 795; State v. Miles, 43 Idaho 46, 248 P. 442; State v. Cutshall, 110 N.C. 538, 15 S.E. 261, 16 L.R.A. 130; People v. Peterson, 93 Mich......
  • State ex rel. Cosner v. See
    • United States
    • West Virginia Supreme Court
    • March 4, 1947
    ... ... Barry v ... Truax, 13 N.D. 131, 99 N.W. 769, 65 L.R.A. 762, 112 ... Am.St.Rep. 662, 3 Ann.Cas. 191; Commonwealth v ... Reilly, 324 Pa. 558, 188 A. 574; State v ... Brown, 103 Vt. 312, 154 A. 579, 76 A.L.R. 1029; ... [42 S.E.2d 37] ... Hewitt v. State, 43 Fla. 194, 30 So. 795; State ... v. Miles, 43 Idaho 46, 248 P. 442; State v ... Cutshall, 110 N.C. 538, 15 S.E. 261, 16 L.R.A. 130; ... People v. Peterson, 93 Mich. 27, 52 N.W. 1039; ... State v. Holloway, 19 N.M. 528, 146 P. 1066, ... L.R.A.1915F, 922; State ex rel ... ...
  • Sailor v. State
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • April 23, 1999
    ...any Florida court approved a change of venue not explicitly requested or affirmatively agreed to by the defendant. See Hewitt v. State, 43 Fla. 194, 30 So. 795 (1901). The defendants in Hewitt did not object to a change of venue at the time the court ordered the change. The only issue on ap......
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