Case ID: sw_135/html/0551-01.html
Source: Caselaw Access Project
Author: {"author": "DAVIDSON, P. J.", "license": "Public Domain", "url": "https://static.case.law/"}
Date Created: 2024-08-24T03:29:51.129683

MORRISON v. STATE.
    (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas.
    Feb. 15, 1911.
    State’s Rehearing Denied March 22, 1911.)
    1. Assault and Battery (§ 95) — Adequate Cause — Question for Court.
    Where a statute declared that insulting language applicable to a female relative constituted adequate cause fpr an assault, the court, in a prosecution for assault alleged to have resulted from insulting remarks by prosecutor concerning defendants wife, should determine as a matter of law whether they were insulting, and, if so found, should have charged that the use of the words constituted adequate cause.
    [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Assault and Battery, Cent. Dig. § 141; Dec. Dig. § 95.]
    2. Assault and Battery (§ 86) — Adequate Cause — Insulting Language.
    Where defendant’s assault on prosecutor was claimed to have resulted from insulting language used by prosecutor concerning defendant’s wife, communicated to him by others, an instruction that if prosecutor had uttered insulting words concerning defendant’s wife, and defendant believed the same, then such words would constitute adequate cause, was erroneous, since the criterion was not whether the alleged insulting language was used by prosecutor, but whether defendant believed the language was uttered and acted on that belief.
    [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Assault and Battery, Cent. Dig. § 131; Dec. Dig. § 86.]
    Appeal from District Court, Mitchell County ; James L. Shepherd, Judge.
    William Morrison was convicted of aggravated assault, and he appeals.
    Reversed and remanded.
    F. G. Thurmond, for appellant. C. E. Lane, Asst. Atty. Gen., for the State.
    
      
      For other oases see same topic and section NUMBER in Dec. Dig. & Am. Dig. Key No. Series & Rep'r Indexes
    
   DAVIDSON, P. J.

Under an indictment charging an assault with intent to murder, appellant was convicted of an aggravated assault; the jury assessing his punishment at a fine of $500.

In so far as the questions at issue are concerned, it may be sufficient to state that on the 4th of December a little difficulty occurred between appellant and the alleged assaulted party, Leslie. Leslie was county attorney, and made derogatory remarks in regard to appellant, as testified by appellant and his witnesses. However, they had a little personal difficulty, not of any serious import. On the 8th of the same month, in the presence of two or three parties, appellant was informed of the fact that Leslie remarked, as his (appellant’s) wife rode up on horseback to the post office, that no decent woman would ride astride. Mrs. Morrison, wife of appellant, was so riding. Shortly afterward this was communicated to appellant, and not long thereafter, and the same evening, appellant resented the remark by making the assault upon which this conviction is predicated. Leslie testified for the state, and denied having made the remark. One of the witnesses who heard the remark was impeached by several witnesses, to the effect that his reputation for truth and veracity was bad. It was sought, also, to discredit the .testimony of another witness, who testified he heard the. same remark uttered by Leslie.

1. The charge of the court, which submitted the issue of adequate cause as a predicate for a conviction of aggravated assault, is seriously criticised. That particular portion of the charge reads as follows: “If you believe from the evidence in .this case that Jim Bellah told William Morrison that Leslie had uttered insulting words concerning Morrison’s wife, and Morrison believed the same, then such words, if there were any, and they were of an insulting character, would be adequate cause.” One of the contentions is that this charge left the jury to determine two propositions: First, that Leslie uttered the words; and, second, if he did, they were insulting in their character. We believe the criticism of the charge is correct. Where the statute prescribes that certain things constitute adequate cause, the court should instruct the jury that such constitute adequate cause, and not leave it, as a matter of fact, to be ascertained by the jury. Insulting conduct of or toward a female relative as a matter of law is prescribed by the Legislature as adequate cause. The court would not be justified in submitting the issue to the jury to determine whether such was insulting language, but must charge the jury, as a matter of law, that such insulting language is adequate • cause. This question has been frequently decided by- the court in construing our statute in regard to adequate cause and sudden passion. •

2. Again, we are of opinion that the charge as given leaves it, as a matter of fact, for the jury to determine whether such insulting language was used by Leslie. Under the facts of this case, this was not the criterion for the simple reason that appellant was not present when the insulting language was used, and only heard of it. The language was communicated to him by the witness Webb. The jury might believe Leslie statement that he did - not use the language, and thus find the issue against appellant. The criterion is whether appellant believed that the language was uttered, and acted upon that belief. It will not do to lay down the rule that, in the light of all subsequent matters as viewed by the jury at the time of the trial, whether the language was uttered or not, etc. The criterion would be, first, whether appellant was informed of the fact; and, second, that he believed same to be true and acted upon it. The jury might take Leslie’s version of the matter that he did not utter the words, and, .if Leslie was on trial for something growing out of the matter, we would have a different proposition ; but appellant was on trial. The words were communicated to him, and he acted upon them. The question was not whether the jury believed the words were uttered, but that appellant believed it. It occurs to us that the charge is given in such manner as to leave this matter to the jury to determine whether the words were in fact uttered, and not that appellant believed they were uttered.

In another clause of the charge the court instructs the jury as follows: “By the expression, ‘under the immediate influence of sudden passion,’ in this case, is meant that the passion must have arisen at the time Morrison heard of, if he did hear, insulting words spoken about his wife, and.that the passion was not the result of a former provocation.” In this particular quotation the court seems to throw doubt upon the fact that the insulting language was communicated to appellant. This is simply stated to show and emphasize the fact that the court should not have left the matter for the determination of the jury as to whether this was adequate cause, but should have instructed the jury directly that, if the imputed language was conveyed to appellant, it would constitute adequate cause.

• In this connection it may be further stated that there was severe attack made upon the evidence of the witnesses Bellah and Webb, the witnesses who testified to the use of the language by Leslie, and, in addition, Leslie denied using the language. Had appellant been awarded the minimum punishment, this error may not have amounted to much. He was given §500 as his punishment, and the jury could have assessed §25.

In view of this heavy fine, we are of opinion that the error is of such magnitude and gravity as to require us to reverse the judgment, which is accordingly .done, and remanded for another trial.