Court Opinion

ID: 9640960
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 17:19:45.611296+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:34.157297
License: Public Domain

STONE, Circuit Judge
(dissenting). I think this judgment should be affirmed. The point upon which the majority think there should be reversal is that the court intemperately commented upon the evidence in his charge. The assignment in this regard is that the court erred in this respect:
“In that he failed to instruct and comment accurately upon the theory of the defense as to the reasonableness of the negro informers going to the office of the justice of the peace to pay a gasoline bill, when in fact the theory and the proof of the government’s case showed a prearranged plan between the informers,' the chief of police, the deputy *835marshal, the prohibition inspector and the district attorney to deliver money to the defendant where he could be found.”
The matter which is sought to be argued here is the alleged intemperance of the comments which were actually made and not, according to the assignment, as to an omission to charge. Because of this lack of proper assignment, this court should not pass upon this matter. However, if properly assigned, the matter is not well founded. Although the court rather clearly stated to the jury that he took little stock in some of the evidence offered by the defendants, yet he repeatedly stated to the jury, and clearly, that they were the exclusive triers of the fact, were not bound by anything that he might say concerning the facts and should make up their minds from the evidence and not from what he might say. Not only was this true of the charge, but it was further emphasized at the end of the charge, when this particular matter was brought to the attention of the court and the jury by an exception to the charge. The defense, in this particular, was so palpably untrue and manufactured that the court was justified in stating to the jury that it was such in his opinion.