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97 Mass. 595

Commonwealth v. Austin

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Decided November 15, 1867

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · decided 1867-11-15

<p>On the trial of an indictment for maintaining a place used for illegal keeping and sale of intoxicating liquors, the government, in order to show that the defendant intended to use and did use the place for that purpose, having introduced evidence that he took a license from the United States to sell such liquors there, Reid, that evidence was admissible, in the defendant’s behalf, of what passed between him and the assessor of internal revenue, at the time when he applied for the license, in order to show the reasons and purpose for which he took it.</p> <p>On the trial of an indictment under the Gen. Sts. c. 87, for maintaining a certain place used for illegal keeping and sale of intoxicating liquors, the government having introduced, in support of the charge, a record of the conviction of the defendant on a complaint under the Gen. Sts. c. 86, § 34, for keeping intoxicating liquors with intent unlawfully to sell the same, which record did not show the place where such liquors were kept, Reid, that the jury should have been instructed to disregard it unless they were satisfied that the place was the same place alleged in the indictment.</p>

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1867-11-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 4 later decisions — most recently April 1889

4 state decisions

20186718701880decided

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.

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Wells, J.

¶1The government, in cross-examination of the defendant, put in the fact that he had taken a license from the United States to sell intoxicating liquors at the place complained of as a nuisance, in order to show that he intended to ose and did use the place for that purpose. Its relation to the *597issue depends upon the intention and purpose with which the license was taken. It was proper for him therefore to explain his reasons for taking the license, so as to rebut the inference that might otherwise be drawn from it, and show that it was consistent with his testimony as to the manner of conducting the business. What passed between him and the assessor was competent, not to prove the facts stated, but to show the reasons and purpose for which the license was taken.

¶2The record of the conviction of the defendant as a common seller was competent evidence upon the main issue, provided the conviction was based upon sales made at the same place. But as that did not appear from the record itself, it was necessary that it should be shown aliunde. The jury were instructed that they should disregard it “ if they were satisfied he did not keep the liquors complained of in this place.” They should have been instructed to disregard it unless they were satisfied that he did keep the liquors, or make the sales complained of, in this place.

¶3For these two causes we think the verdict must be set aside.

¶4 Exceptions sustained.

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