LEGAL DOCUMENT

Case: The State v. John A. Littlefield
Citation: 3 R.I. 124
Court: Supreme Court of Rhode Island
Jurisdiction: Rhode Island
Decision Date: 1855-03
Docket Number: 
Pages: 124–125
Volume: 3
Reporter: Rhode Island Reports

Parties: The State v. John A. Littlefield.

The State v. John A. Littlefield.
The correction by the certifying officer of an inferior Court of an error in the copy of a case filed by an appellant in the Superior Court, is warranted by established usage, and is no sufficient ground for granting' a new trial.
A defendant’s admissions,'unless obtained by improper means,'the State is entitled to use against him, in any case, the evidence being relevant.
This was a motion for a new trial of an appeal from a judgment of guilty rendered by tbe Court of Magistrates of tbe city of Providence, on tbe lltb of November, 1854, upon a complaint for selling or suffering to be sold strong liquors contrary to law, on tbe lOtb of June, 1854, and on divers other days between that day and tbe 15tb day of June. Tbe motion was grounded upon alleged misrulings of tbe presiding Justice of tbe Court of Common Pleas (Staples) to wbicb tbe defendant filed exceptions, two in number as follows: — “ 1. Because tbe copy of tbe papers of the original case in tbe Court of Magistrates of the City of Providence, certified by William Sandford, clerk of said Court, to be a true and correct copy of tbe originals on file, was altered in this Court, by inserting tbe name of John B. Puller, in place of Jabez J. Potter, as tbe person making oath to tbe complaint. v2. Because a conversation between tbe defendant and Edward P. Knowles, mayor of tbe city of Providence, and William H. Hudson, city marshal, in relation to another complaint, and in which said Littlefield, among other things, admitted that he had sold liquors before the time mentioned in the complaint, was allowed to be put in evidence before the Jury, although objected to by the defendant’s counsel.”
William Knowles in support of the motion.
Robinson, 'Attorney General, for the State,
the Court declined hearing in reply.

Staples, C. J.
— The alteration in the copy to which exception was taken, was made by the clerk who made the same, after comparison with the original papers before the Court. It was simply the correction of an error made by the clerk, in Ms copy. Such amendments have been frequently allowed, both in civil and criminal cases. The whole effect of them is to relieve the appellant from difficulties and doubts resulting from " the "misprision of the clerk.
The admissions of defendants in criminal matters have always been held-as evidence against them, unless obtained by some improper means. It does not appear that any such improper means were used in this case. If the admission is of a fact, it makes no difference whether made in view of this prosecution or of some other, or of none at all. The State has a right to use it in any case where it is relevant.
Exceptions overruled.