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157 Mass. 486

Commonwealth v. Blanchette

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Decided December 6, 1892

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · decided 1892-12-06

Indictment, in two counts. The first count, which is the only one material to be stated, alleged, in substance, that the defendant, on December 18, 1891, at Fall River, with intent to cheat and defraud David Hollingworth, and to induce Hollingworth to deliver to him certain goods, wares, and merchandise, unlawfully, knowingly, and designedly falsely pretended and represented to Hollingworth that he was then the proprietor and keeper of a shop which was then being carried on…

Relies on Commonwealth v. Sullivan · Commonwealth v. Finn · Commonwealth v. Drew

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1892-12-06

How this case has been cited

Cited by 6 later decisions — most recently August 2011

6 state decisions

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Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Knowlton, J.

¶1The defendant’s first motion to quash, which relates only to the second count, was rendered immaterial by a verdict for the defendant upon that count under an order of the court.

¶2His second motion to quash was rightly overruled. The first count in the indictment sufficiently sets forth an offence under the Pub. Sts. c. 203, § 60, which provides, “ Whoever, with intent to defraud, under false color and pretence of carrying on business and dealing in the ordinary course of trade, obtains from any person goods or chattels, shall be punished,” etc. Commonwealth v. Drew, 153 Mass. 588. The particulars of the contract whereby the goods are obtained need not be set forth.

¶3The only other exception taken was to the refusal to rule that there was a variance between the allegation of ownership in the indictment and the proof. The evidence tended to show that Hollingworth had possession of the goods, and mere possession was enough to support the allegation of ownership in the indictment. Pub. Sts. c. 214, § 14. Commonwealth v. Sullivan, 104 Mass. 552. Commonwealth v. Finn, 108 Mass. 466. Commonwealth v. Maguire, 108 Mass. 469. The ruling requested was rightly refused. Exceptions overruled.

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