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14 Mo. 398

State v. Welker

Supreme Court of Missouri

Decided March 15, 1851

Supreme Court of Missouri · decided 1851-03-15

The point arising in this case upon the record, is the want of venue of the alleged offence. The indictment does not show where or within what jurisdiction the alleged second deed was executed; the residence of the parties does not supply the defect. The indictment is also defective in that it vaguely sets out the deed to Grief Roe, “a deed for the conveyance’’ of certain, tracts of land; defines nothing in regard to the legal qualities or properties of the deed.

Decided 1851-03-15

Ryland, J.,

¶1delivered the opinion of the court.

¶2The defendant Welker was indicted in the Cape Girardeau circuit *399court at November term, 1850, for fraudulently making a mortgage to certain lands, which he had before sold and conveyed to another person, without reciting the fact in the mortgage deed of such previous sale.

¶3The defendant appeared in court, and moved the court to quash the indictment. The main reason assigned in suppovt of the motion is the want of venue. The court sustained the motion, quashed the indictment; the circuit attorney prayed an appeal for the State, and brings the case to this court.

¶4Upon inspecting the indictment, we come to the conclusion, that the court below committed no error in sustaining the motion to quash. The indictment is obviously defective. There is no venue laid in the indictment to the charge of making the mortgage deed. The offence consists in making the second conveyance without reciting the first; and this offence must be charged with sufficient certainty, both as to time and place. Here, there is no averment of place, no venue; and this defect sufficiently warranted the action of the circuit court in quashing the indictment.

¶5The judgment is therefore affirmed.

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