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25 Tex. 303

Evans v. State

Texas Supreme Court

Decided October 15, 1860

Texas Supreme Court · decided 1860-10-15

Appeal, from McLennan. The case was tried before Hon. iST. W. Battle, one of the district judges. The defendant, Evans, was indicted for a violent assault, for that with force of arms, &e., upon the body of Grisham Lee, &c., he did make an aggravated assault, with premeditated design, and with a stick, &c., did inflict upon the said Lee great bodily injury. Evans moved to quash the. indictment, because it did not state any offense.

Decided 1860-10-15

Roberts, J.

¶1—The objection made to the indictment is, that it does not allege that the violence was inflicted “with intent to injure” the person assaulted, or some other person. That is an element which always enters into this offense. Our Penal Code simply follows the common law upon this subject. (Penal Code, Art. 475.) It also adopts the presumption of the common law, which is, that “ when an injury is caused by violence to the person, the intent to injure is presumed, and it rests with the person inflicting the injury to 'show the accident or innocent .intention.” (Penal Code, Art. 476.)

¶2“It is not necessary to state in an indictment anything which it is not necessary to prove.” (Code Crim. Pro., Art. 896.)

¶3Ko reason is perceived why an indictment for this offense, in the forms adopted and sanctioned by the common law, is not sufficient.

¶4This indictment plainly alleges an assault and battery, substantially in accordance with the recognized precedents, and it was error to sustain the exceptions to it.

¶5Judgment reversed, and case

¶6Remanded.

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