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83 Tex. Crim. 61

200 S.W 832

Johnson v. State

Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas

Decided October 17, 1917

Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas · decided 1917-10-17

<p>1.—Local Option—Indictment.</p> <p>Where* upon trial of a violation of the local option law, the indictment was according to approved precedent, the motion to quash was correctly overruled. Following Watson v. State, 52 Texas Crim. Rep., 551.</p> <p>8.—Same—Sufficiency of the Evidence—Detective—Agency.</p> <p>Where, upon trial of the violation of the local option law, the convictioti rested not only upon the testimony of a detective, but was largely corroborated by the defendant’s testimony himself, and the question of agency, claimed by the defendant in buying the whisky, was properly submitted to the jury, the conviction must be sustained.</p> <p>3.—Same—Functions of the Jury—Sufficiency of the Evidence.</p> <p>Where appellant insisted that the State’s witness, upon whose testimony the conviction rested, was unworthy of belief, but the evidence was sufficient, although conflicting, to sustain the conviction, this court will not set the same aside on that ground. Following Turner v. State, 37 Texas Crim. Rep., 451, and other cases.</p>

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently May 1928

1 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1917-10-17

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¶1 on rehearing.

¶2 February 13, 1918.

MORROW, Judge.

¶3 Appellant in a very earnest and forceful motion insists that the State’s witness, upon whose testimony the conviction rests, was unworthy of belief. ' There is no bill of exceptions complaining of the admission of evidence nor of the manner in which the issues were ’ submitted to the jury. The State’s witness testified to facts, which, if true, constitute an offense. Appellant testified to a state of facts, which, if believed, would have exculpated him.

¶4*64 This court has never assumed the right, where the evidence is sufficient, if believed, but conflicting, to set aside the verdict because the judges might, if they had been upon the jury, believed the evidence of one witness and disbelieved that of another. The contrary view has been taken by this court throughout its history, and by the Supreme Court when it had jurisdiction of criminal matters. Shaw v. State, 27 Texas, 750; Lockhart v. State, 3 Texas Crim. App., 567; O’Connor v. State, 37 Texas Crim. Rep., 267; Turner v. State, 37 Texas Crim. Rep., 451, and numerous cases listed in White’s C. C. P., p. 601, sec. 942. In fact, the Code of Criminal Procedure, in terms, provides that “The jury, in all cases, are exclusive judges of the facts proved, and of the weight- to be given to the testimony.” To the same effect is article 734, as follows: “The jury are the, exclusive judges of the facts in every criminal case.” Later expressions of the court will be found in Vernon’s C. C. P., p. 689, note 15.

¶5 The motion for rehearing is overruled.

¶6 Overruled.

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