The People v. Abbate

Plaintiff in error, Guissepi Maria Abbate, (hereafter referred to as the defendant,) was found guilty in the criminal court of Cook county, by the court without a jury, of statutory rape upon Lucy Vitiello, a girl thirteen years old. He was sentenced to the penitentiary for life and has prosecuted a writ of error from this court to review the judgment.

Several grounds of reversal are urged, but it will be necessary to consider only one of them, namely, whether the evidence establishes the guilt of the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt.

The indictment was returned on July 17, 1931, and charged…