Case Name: The State vs. Robert Cheney
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1880
Citations: 1 Mann. Unrep. Cas. 394
Docket Number: No. 7294
Parties: The State vs. Robert Cheney.
Judges: 
Reporter: Unreported cases heard and determined by the Supreme Court of Louisiana, from January 8, 1877, to April, 1880
Volume: 1
Pages: 394–397

Head Matter:
No. 7294.
The State vs. Robert Cheney.
The clerk of the Supreme Court is forbidden by law from requiring security for costs on appeals in criminal prosecutions, and this inhibition includes exvi termini demanding a deposit of money for such appeals.
The object of the law is to prevent any obstacle being interposed to a convicted defendant in bringing his case promptly before this court; and not to relieve such defendant from paying the costs absolutely. For although the costs of criminal prosecutions are to be paid by the several parishes, it must be presumed this means when the defendant is unable to pay them.
Where a prisoner’s trial has been set for the second week of a term, and the list of jurors for the first week and the second also has been served upon him, it is no objection that the list for the first week was served. That list was mere surplusage.
On the list of jurors for the second week were three who had not been found. Objection was made that that fact had not been noted on the list. The defendant did not discover it until five jurors had been sworn. No law requires such details and minutiie to be noted on the list. It is requisite only that the list served shall be substantially correct, not that it shall be absolutely free from every error.
Every rape includes an assault, and this latter is charged as an ingredient of the crime and not as a separate offence, and therefore the time and place charged are applicable to all the acts constituting the crime of rape, and need not be charged twice.
The jury are not polled except at the request of the State or the party defendant, and when not polled, it is sufficient for the minutes to shew that the verdict was returned, and what it is.
The question to the prisoner, if he has anything to say why sentence of the law should not be pronounced against him, is not addressed to him to give him opportunity to say what he pleases. The only modes in which a prisoner can say why sentence should not be pronounced against him are a motion for a new trial, and a motion in arrest of judgment, and when he has already had opportunity to avail himself of either of these modes, the stereotyped question, has no longer significance and may be omitted.
Appear from the District Court for Iberville. McVea, J.
Lamon, District-Attorney, for the State. Barrow, for Defendant.
On rule.

Opinion:
Manning, C. J.
The clerk of this court refused to file the transcript of appeal in this case until ten dollars was deposited with him for costs. The defendant refused to pay any sum, and takes this rule on the clerk to compel him to file the transcript. The clerk answers that our rules require a deposit of twenty dollars or a bond for fifty before any transcript can be filed, and he has demanded only ten because of the provision that on no criminal cause shall the costs of the clerk of this court exceed ten dollars. Rev. Stats., sec. 756.
Our law directs that on the granting of an appeal in criminal causes, the clerk of the lower court shall make the transcript and cause it to be filed in this court and that our clerk shall not require any security for costs. Rev. Stats., sec. 1002. The obvious intention of the Legislature is to afford those who are convicted of appeal-able offences every facility to have the law which has been applied to their cases reviewed by this court. In enacting that the clerk of the court shall not require any security for costs, it includes ex vi termini, the prohibition of demanding any deposit of money, for the bond could, in most cases, be more easily given than the deposit be made.
The costs of criminal prosecution are to be paid by the several parishes (outside of New Orleans) in which the offences may have been committed. Rev. Stats., sec. 1042. It must be presumed this means when the convicted party is unable to pay them, for it would be monstrous that the public treasury of any parish or of the city should bear the costs of a criminal prosecution when the party convicted is able to pay, and the judgment or sentence is, as it always must be, that he shall pay them.
' No obstacle can be interposed by the clerk to a defendant in a criminal cause in bringing his appeal up for review, either by requiring security or a deposit of money.
Rule made absolute.