Accuse
Bouvier's Law Dictionary and Concise Encyclopedia · John Bouvier; revised by Francis Rawle · 1914
Bouvier's Law Dictionary and Concise Encyclopedia
To charge or impute the corncm of crime or immoral or disgraceful conduct or official delinquency. It does not necessarily import the charge of a crime by judicial procedure; State v. South, 5 Rich. (S. C.) 489, 493; Com. v. O'Brien.
12 Cush. (Mass.) 84; Robbins v. Smith, 47 Conn. 182; 1 C. & P. 479.
See People v. Braman, 30 Mich. 4G0, where the court was divided as to the meaning of the term, Cooley, C. J., and Ghristiancy, J., holding that it meant any public accusation of crime as well as a formal complaint, and Graves and Campbell, J J., contra; and Com. v. Cawood, 2 Va. Cas. 527 where, Barbour, J., dissenting, it was held that one is not accused until indicted.