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102 Miss. 599

Sowell v. State

Mississippi Supreme Court

Decided October 15, 1912

Mississippi Supreme Court · decided 1912-10-15

Hon. Paul B. Johnson, Judge. Lark Sowell was indicted for disturbing public worship. From a judgment sustaining a demurrer to the indictment the state appeals. Held: “That charging when one hissed, applauded, laughed was sufficient to charge offense.” I submit that under all the authority the indictment at bar is sufficient.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently February 1961

1 state decisions

Relies on Conerly v. State

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1912-10-15

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Reed, J.,

¶1delivered the opinion of the court.

¶2The indictment in this case is for disturbance of worship under section 1113 of the Code of 1906. It charged that appellee “did unlawfuly and willfully disturb a congregation of persons lawfully assembled at Prospect Church for religious worship, by then and there talking in a loud tone of voice, in the presence and hearing of said congregation. ”

¶3An indictment is sufficient if the crime is charged in direct, concise, and positive terms; and in misdemeanors it is only necessary that the offense be substantially charged. The indictment in this case is sufficient. It is different from the indictment in the case of Conerly v. State, 66 Miss. 96, 5 So. 625, in that the following words are included: “By then and there talking in a loud tone of voice, in the presence and hearing of said congregation”- — which stated the nature or character of the disturbance. In the Conerly Case there was no statement showing what caused the disturbance.

¶4Reversed and remanded.

¶5Reversed and remanded.

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