Commonwealth v. Hartland

Opinion by

Kenwobthey, J.,

This is an appeal from a conviction of burglary. Appellant asks us to grant a new trial because (1) the evidence was insufficient to sustain the verdict 1 and (2) the court’s charge to the jury was inadequate in that it failed to instruct them on the circumstantial evidence rule.

Frank Mastrangelo, an alien, lived in a small shanty in Mifflin Township, Allegheny County. On August 25, 1940, appellant, a constable, went with a search warrant to Mastrangelo’s place and found an old shotgun, and a .32 revolver. He seized the weapons, placed Mastrangelo under arrest and put…