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38 La. Ann. 684

State v. Wire

Supreme Court of Louisiana

Decided July 15, 1886

Supreme Court of Louisiana · decided 1886-07-15

<p>1. A motion for new trial that is unaccompanied by any hill of exceptions, or evidence touching tho errors complained of, will not he examined.</p> <p>2. Unless the record discloses a bill of exceptions, motion in arrest of judgment, proper assignment of error, or error apxmrent on its face, the judgment will be affirmed.</p>

Cited by 2 later decisions — most recently November 1900

2 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1886-07-15

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¶1Tlie opinion of tlie court was delivered by

Watkins, .1.

¶2The accused r^as indicted, tried and convicted of rape, and from a sentence to lifetime imprisonment in the penitentiary, in pursuance of the verdict of the jury, has prosecuted this appeal, which is predicated upon an alleged error of the trial judge in refusing to grant him a new trial, as prayed for.

¶3The application for the new trial was not sivpported by any evidence, and no hill of exceptions was reserved for the accused, to the ruling complained of, and, even in the brief of defendant’s counsel there is no suggestion of any error apparent upon the face of the record, which would fatally affect the proceedings.

¶4However much we may he disposed to favor the liberty of the citizen by entertaining appeals when the proper defense of the accused has suffered through neglect, or mismanagement of counsel, we will restrict that disposition to extreme cases, unless the record discloses error apparent, a hill of exceptions, motion in arrest of judgment, or proper assignment of error. 38 Ann. State vs. Balize; 40 S. 190; 7 N. S. 234; 40 S. 658; 5 N. S. 341.

¶5Neither of those conditions exist in this case.

¶6This court has repeatedly and recently held that it cannot take notice of any facts adduced during the trial of a criminal case, pertaining to rulings of the judge, unless same accompanies a bill of exceptions, reserved at the time such ruling was made. 35 Ann. 742, State vs. Williams; 32 Ann. 842, State vs. Nelson; 35 Ann. 823, State vs. Belden; 35 Ann. 769, State vs. Jackson.

¶7The counsel for the defendant has filed in this court what he styles an assignment of errors, and which is to the effect, that “all the/acts stated in his brief as to the refusal of the judge a quo to allow a hill of exceptions to he drawn up … and as to the statement of the prosecuting witness,” etc.; and further to the effect that the judge *686stated from the bench “ that counsel might do so, but that he would not sign ” such a bill of exceptions — but such errors cannot be presented in this manner. 35 Ann. 770, State vs. Riculfi and McClung; 90 S. 275, Wallace vs. Thompson. They are certainly not apparent upon the face of the record, and on this form of procedure we cannot grant the requested ruling.

¶8The judgment is bheiefove affirmed.

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