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114 Ark. 391

Woods v. State

Supreme Court of Arkansas

Decided October 12, 1914

Supreme Court of Arkansas · decided 1914-10-12

Cowling, Judge, We think the trial court erroneously construed the purport of the decisions of this court in liquor selling cases to be that where one, with money furnished 'by ■another, purchases intoxicating liquor'of an unlicensed dealer then, no matter whether he is acting solely as agent of the party who furnished the money and is not interested in the liquor or its sale, or not, the party making the purchase is guilty, notwithstanding the party for whom it is bought…

Cited by 5 later decisions — most recently November 1923

5 state decisions

Relies on Bobo v. State

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

reversed · Decided 1914-10-12

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Kirby, J.

¶1Appellant was ' convicted of the offense of selling intoxicating liquor without license upon a directed verdict, and appealed from the judgment.

¶2The State’s testimony tended to show that one Mc-Nutt, who was in the employ of the Anti-Saloon League ■as a detective, went to the appellant in Little Eiver County and furnished him money with which to buy the whiskey, after first asking him if he knew where any could be procured, and that defendant replied that he did and took the money and purchased the whiskey and delivered it to McNutt. McNutt admits that at the time he gave appellant the money he told him where to go and from .whom to purchase the whiskey, saying that he had already before talked with appellant and ascertained from him that the party to whom he directed him to go was selling whiskey. Appellant testified that McNutt came to Mm, asked him if he knew where he could buy any whiskey or who was selling wMskey, to which he replied that he did not; that McNutt then gave Mm the money and told him to go over to Graham’s, who was selling liquor, and purchase some for Mm, which he did.

¶3If the State’s testimony was undisputed, the appellant would have been guilty of violating the law by a sale of the liquor, and the verdict properly directed within the ■authority of Bobo v. State, 105 Ark. 462. The testimony is not uneontradieted, however, the appellant having sworn positively that he told McNutt that he did not know of any one who was .selling liquor, nor where any could be bought; that thereupon the detective gave him the money and told him the names of the parties who were selling liquor, and asked him to go and buy it, which he did, and that he had no interest whatever in the liquors nor the sale thereof.

¶4Under Ms own testimony he was gmilty, at most, of procuring or purchasing the liquor for another, under section 5135, Kirby’s Digest, for which he could not be convicted under ian indictment charging the violation of the law by a sale thereof.

¶5For the error in directing the verdict, the judgment is reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial.

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