Case Name: The State v. Owen Bunten
Court: Constitutional Court of South Carolina
Jurisdiction: South Carolina
Decision Date: 1820-05
Citations: 2 Nott & McC. 441
Docket Number: 
Parties: The State v. Owen Bunten.
Judges: Bax, Richardson, Hugee, and Johnson, JJ., concurred.
Reporter: South Carolina Law Reports
Volume: 11
Pages: 638–639

Head Matter:
The State v. Owen Bunten.
Where a man is indicted for stealing a cow and calf, and no evidence is given as to the calf, and general verdict of guilty is found, a new trial will be granted.
The defendant in this case was indicted for stealing a cow and a calf.
There was no evidence with regard to the calf; the jury nevertheless found a general verdict of guilty.
This was á motion for a new trial, on the ground that the verdict was contrary to evidence.
The case was tried at Colleton, Spring Term, 1820.

Opinion:
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
Nott, J.
It would be sufficient in this case to say, that the question has already been decided in the case of the State v.-. The defendant in that case had been indicted for stealing two cows. It was abundantly evident that he had stolen one, but there was no proof against him as to the other. The jury, however, found a general verdict. The next day it occurred to the solicitor, that the verdict was wrong, as the defendant stood convicted of stealing two cows, when, in fact, there was no evidence that he had stolen but one. He therefore moved the Court to permit the jury to amend the verdict, so as to correspond with the testimony, which motion was granted. But on a motion in this Court it was held, that the Court below had no *power to amend or alter ,-*" the verdict after the jury had separated; and a new trial was L granted.
White, for the motion. Petigru, contra.
In ordinary cases of larceny, where a person is charged with having stolen several articles, and he is proved to have stolen only some of them, and not all, a general verdict is good, because the punishment will be the same. But in this case the punishment is double, the penalty being increased in proportion to the number of animals stolen.
The motion for a new trial must be granted.
Bax, Richardson, Hugee, and Johnson, JJ., concurred.
See Chev. 76; 1 Brev. 169.