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31 Tex. 440

Anderson v. State

Texas Supreme Court

Decided October 15, 1868

Texas Supreme Court · decided 1868-10-15

The case was tried before Hon. John 0. West, a special judge chosen by the parties. The appellant had been very abusive to Napoleon Varnell, a youth about his own age, in the morning. The insults were apparently without provocation. There was evidence, however, that the deceased bandied epithets with him. About 3 o’clock the deceased renewed the conversation, and demanded to know what he meant by insulting language. They came together, and accused dropped his pistol.

Decided 1868-10-15

Caldwell, J.

¶1— We are of opinion that there is no error in the record, and that the judgment must be affirmed.

¶2The indictment is for murder; verdict, murder in the second degree.

¶3The charge of the court is elaborate, and, taken as a whole, quite accurate. In making the distinction between murder of the first and second degree this paragraph occurs:

¶4“If you believe the defendant killed the deceased in a sudden and unexpected fight without previous malice, and with no time for deliberation, and no previously-formed design, then he will be guilty of murder in the second degree.”

¶5This is objected to, as calculated to mislead the jury, and preclude them from finding a verdict of manslaughter. Taken in connection with the facts, we do not so regard it. Malice is an essential ingredient of murder, and, whenever found to exist, there can be no such offense as manslaughter. The terms, “without previous malice” and “no previously-formed design,” are used above to negative the idea of express malice, and to direct the mind of the jury to implied *443malice, such as the law presumes from a sudden killing without “adequate cause,” which would reduce the offense to manslaughter.

¶6This view is more evident from the succeeding paragraph of the charge, which lays down the law of manslaughter with great liberality to the prisoner.

¶7Judgment aeeirmed.

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