Sharff v. Commonwealth
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
IN ERROR. -ill RROR to the Quarter Sessions of Dauphin. The plaintiff in error was indicted for writing and publishing a libel on the characters of Michael Ley and Leonard Rainier, and also upon the memory of John Ramler deceased. The jury, many of whom were Germans, found the following verdict: “ Guilty of writing and publishing a bill of scan- “ dal against Ley and Rambler, but not guilty as to any Ram- “ lev deceased.”
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IN ERROR. -ill RROR to the Quarter Sessions of Dauphin. The plaintiff in error was indicted for writing and publishing a libel on the characters of Michael Ley and Leonard Rainier, and also upon the memory of John Ramler deceased. The jury, many of whom were Germans, found the following verdict: “ Guilty of writing and publishing a bill of scan- “ dal against Ley and Rambler, but not guilty as to any Ram- “ lev deceased.” Several errors were assigned and argued in this court; but the only one upon which the court thought it necessary to express an opinion, was, that the jury had not found the…
1Opinion of the Court
Txxghman C. J.
The counsel for the Commonwealth have considered the entry of the verdict as a clerical error, and as such, subject to amendment. There is'no doubt but a clerical error may be amended, even in a criminal case. But there does not appear to be any clerical error in this instance. If there be an error, it is not of the cleric, but of the jury. We must suppose that the verdict was entered as it was given.
A bill of scandal is a singular expression, A good many of the jury were Germans; perhaps it is a translation from the German to the English language. The counsel for the defendant…
2Cases cited1 opinion
- State v. LeavellIndiana Supreme Court · 1832
3Cited by4 opinions
- State v. NewsomWest Virginia Supreme Court · 1878
- Burdett v. MarshallTexas Supreme Court · 1848
- Commonwealth v. QuinlanSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 1994
- Commonwealth v. QuinlanSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 1994