State v. McGraw

Decision Date31 October 1881
Citation74 Mo. 573
PartiesTHE STATE v. MCGRAW, Plaintiff in Error.
CourtMissouri Supreme Court

Error to Pettis Criminal Court.--HON. JOHN E. RYLAND, Judge.

REVERSED.

S. A. Wardan and Smith & Shirk for plaintiff in error.

D. H. McIntyre, Attorney General, for the State.

NORTON, J.

The defendant was jointly indicted with one Jno. McGraw, in Pettis county, for burglary in the second degree, and larceny, and being put upon his trial was convicted, and his punishment assessed at five years' imprisonment in the penitentiary. He brings the case here upon writ of error, and among others assigns as a ground of error the action of the court in permitting the prosecuting attorney in his cross-examination of defendant, who was introduced as a witness, to examine him as to other matters than those testified to by him upon his examination in chief. Under section 1918, Revised Statutes, the cross-examination of a defendant in a criminal case, who becomes a witness, must be confined to those matters referred to by him in his examination in chief. The latitude given the prosecuting attorney in cross-examining defendant touching matters wholly foreign to those spoken of by defendant in his examination in chief, was error under the above statute, inasmuch as the questions propounded did not undertake to lay a proper foundation for the impeachment of defendant as a witness. None of them were pertinent either to the issue or things testified to by defendant in his chief examination.

The State's attorney was allowed to ask and defendant compelled to answer the following question: “If he had not been convicted and sent to the penitentiary of Kansas under the name of Hallow?” Under the ruling of this court in the case of State v. Rugan, 68 Mo. 214, this action of the trial court is reversible error.

As the judgment will be reversed for this error, it may be well to observe that the first instruction is inaccurate. The instruction, after defining burglary and its punishment, tells the jury that if after entering the shop defendant feloniously stole and carried away any goods or personal property or anything of value, he is guilty of both burglary and larceny. The instruction should have been confined to the stealing and carrying away the property charged in the indictment to have been stolen. While a person who commits a burglary and also commits a larceny is punishable for the larceny without regard to the value of the property stolen, as for grand larceny, yet when he is...

To continue reading

Request your trial
58 cases
  • State v. Davis
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • July 11, 1935
    ...233 Mo. 269; State v. Kyle, 177 Mo. 663; State v. Hathhorn, 166 Mo. 239; State v. Grant, 144 Mo. 64; State v. Porter, 75 Mo. 178; State v. McGraw, 74 Mo. 573. (5) The court erred in refusing to give defendant's Instruction 12. State v. Peak, 237 S.W. 470; State v. Gore, 237 S.W. 998; State ......
  • State v. Davis
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • July 11, 1935
    ... ... 138; ... State v. Goodwin, 195 S.W. 729, 271 Mo. 73; ... State v. Santino, 186 S.W. 978; State v ... Sharp, 135 S.W. 492, 233 Mo. 269; State v ... Kyle, 177 Mo. 663; State v. Hathhorn, 166 Mo ... 239; State v. Grant, 144 Mo. 64; State v ... Porter, 75 Mo. 178; State v. McGraw, 74 Mo ... 573. (5) The court erred in refusing to give defendant's ... Instruction 12. State v. Peak, 237 S.W. 470; ... State v. Gore, 237 S.W. 998; State v ... Crone, 209 Mo. 328; State v. Hendricks, 172 Mo ... 662; State v. McMullin, 170 Mo. 627; Secs. 3681, ... 3694, R. S. 1929; State ... ...
  • State v. Biswell
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • April 3, 1944
    ...in chief, and in permitting her to discuss confidential communications between her and the defendant. R.S. 1939, sec. 4081; State v. McGraw, 74 Mo. 573; State Santino, 186 S.W. 976. (11) Prosecuting Attorney was guilty of misconduct in displaying to the jury the bloody shirt of the deceased......
  • The State v. Foley
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • February 19, 1913
    ...which was entirely foreign thereto. State v. Grant, 144 Mo. 56; State v. Hathorn, 166 Mo. 229; State v. Kyle, 177 Mo. 659; State v. McGraw, 74 Mo. 573; State v. Turner, 76 Mo. 350; State v. McLaughlin, 76 Mo. 320; State v. Hudspeth, 150 Mo. 31. (7) The instructions given by the court of its......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT