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41 Iowa 580

State v. Murray

Supreme Court of Iowa

Decided December 8, 1875

Supreme Court of Iowa · decided 1875-12-08

On the 23d day of June, 1873, the following information was filed before H. Tuttle, a justice of the peace of Dubuque county: “ State of Iowa, Dubuque county, ss: The State oe Iowa' v. James Murray, and Patrick Murray. -Before H. Tuttle, justice of the peace. • The defendants are accused of the crime of assault, for that the defendants on the 2d day of June,-A. D., 1873, at the county of Dubuque, and State of Iowa, did willfully and maliciously assault one Bridget McCoy,…

Cited by 2 later decisions (1 by the Supreme Court) — most recently January 1932

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1875-12-08

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Miller, Ch. J. —

¶1Section 5057 of the Revision (Code, Sec. 4662), provides that an information before a justice, of the peace, charging the commission of a public offense, “ must contain a statement of the acts constituting the offense in ordinary and concise language, and the time and place of the commission of the offense, as near as may be.”

¶2The information in this case fails to comply with this provision of the statute, in that the“ acts constituting the offense ” are not stated therein. It accuses the defendants with committing an assault, for that they committed an assault. It would not do to accuse a person with the crime of larceny, and merely allege that he committed larceny at a time and place stated. The acts which in law constitute larceny must be alleged. So in respect to every criminal offense. It will not do to accuse a party with the commission of a crime by its technical name merely. The acts which make up the offense must be charged. This was so without the statute. The judgment must be

¶3Reversed.

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