Commonwealth v. Jeffery
Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Appeal, No. 187, Oct. T., 1921, by defendant, from judgment of Q. S. Phila. Co., Oct. Sessions, 1920, No. 715, on verdict of guilty, in the case of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Harry S. Jeffery. Indictment for libel.
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Appeal, No. 187, Oct. T., 1921, by defendant, from judgment of Q. S. Phila. Co., Oct. Sessions, 1920, No. 715, on verdict of guilty, in the case of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Harry S. Jeffery. Indictment for libel. Before Stern, J. The case is stated in the following charge of the court below: “The Criminal Code of this State provides that: ‘If any person shall write, print, publish or exhibit any malicious or defamatory libel, tending either to blacken the memory of one who is dead, or the reputation of one who is alive, and thereby exposing him to public hatred, contempt or ridicule,…
1Opinion of the Court
Pee Cueiam,
The defendant was indicted under the Act of March 31, 1861, P. L. 408, for libel. A plea of not guilty was entered and after the case was submitted to a jury, a verdict of guilty was rendered and he was sentenced to pay a fine of $200. While the libel charged is somewhat out of the ordinary, the rules of law applicable to the case have been clearly defined in many cases. Every debatable question of fact was fairly submitted to and considered by the jury, and every proposition of law was rightly decided by the court, after full argument.
The charge of the court, which will be printed…
2Cases cited6 opinions
- Briggs v. GarrettSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1886
- Conroy v. Pittsburgh TimesSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1891
- Commonwealth v. SwallowSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 1898
- Montgomery v. New Era Printing Co.Supreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1910
- Mulderig v. Wilkes-Barre TimesSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1906
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