State v. Meche

The defendant, indicted for murder, was by the verdict of the jury found guilty without capital punishment, and sentenced accordingly. He appeals; his ground of complaint being set forth in a simple bill of exceptions, in which it is recited that, while the district attorney was delivering the closing argument to the jury, he charged the defendant, among other things, with being “an incarnate devil.”

Whereupon the defendant, through his counsel, objected to this comment on facts calculated to prejudice, which had -no bearing on the issues, and evidence of which would have been ruled out, as…