Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

81 Miss. 397

Stark v. State

Mississippi Supreme Court

Decided October 15, 1902

Mississippi Supreme Court · decided 1902-10-15

From the circuit court of Winston county. Hon. Guión Q. Hall, Judge. Stark, appellant, was convicted of having indecently exposed the private parts of his person in a public place — a singing school — and was sentenced to thirty days’ imprisonment. He appealed to the supreme court. The intent that actuated the defendant in doing the act complained of is the gist of the offense. The exposure must have been ‘1 willfully and lewdly done.” Code, 1892, § 1218.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1902-10-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 5 later decisions — most recently February 2002

1 federal appellate · 4 state decisions

2019021910192019301940195019601970198019902000decided

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 →

Calhoon, J.,

¶1delivered the opinion of the court.

¶2The indictment was drawn under code, § 1218, against the exposure of the person in a public place, etc. The statute requires the exhibition to be “willfully and lewdly” made. Thé indictment charges that it was ‘£ unlawfully and willfully ’ ’ made, omitting the word £ £ lewdly. ’ ’ If this may be left out, so may the wore) £ £ willfully, ” by the same process of reasoning, leaving the whole charge to depend on the word £ £ unlawfully.” We hold, therefore, that the indictment is void on its face. The statute does not use the word £ £ unlawfully. ’ ’ The pleader very properly did, but he failed to use a word essential to the description of the offense, so as to support the pleader’s conclusion that the act was unlawful. Cook v. State, 72 Miss., 517 (17 South., 228); Dee v. Same, 68 Miss., 601 (9 South., 356); Lewis v. Same, 49 Miss., 354; Harrington v. Same, 54 Miss., 490; Roberts v. Same, 55 Miss., 421; and the other cases cited in Brame & A. Dig., p. 305, secs. 93-99, and those in George’s Dig., p. 814, secs. 305-312. The exposure may be willful, because sometimes inescapably necessary, and yet not at all lewd ; and this is of the very essence of the offense, *399and therefore must be charged. Hodnett v. State, 66 Miss., 27 (5 South., 518). For the same, and even stronger, reason, we think there was error in granting the only instruction asked for by the state. This charge tells the jury that, if satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt, (‘ that the defendant willfully and lewdly exposed” his person or did a specified act in a public place, etc., they should convict. So, if he did the particular act, whether he did it unlawfully, willfully, or lewdly, or not, according to this charge, he was guilty.

¶3Even if defendant had been properly indicted and convicted under' proper instruction, the statute limits the judgment of imprisonment to twenty days, and the court was without power to sentence him for thirty days, as it did.

¶4Reversed and remanded.

/81/miss/397 · .json · Public domain