State v. Snellgrove
Supreme Court of Arkansas
Appeal from Baxter Circuit Court. John B. Mo Caleb, Judge. STATEMENT BY THE COURT. The defendant, Felix Snellgrove, was indicted for arson by tbe grand jury of Baxter county.
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Appeal from Baxter Circuit Court. John B. Mo Caleb, Judge. STATEMENT BY THE COURT. The defendant, Felix Snellgrove, was indicted for arson by tbe grand jury of Baxter county. Tbe body of tbe indictment is in the following language: “The grand jury of Baxter county, in the name and by the authority of the state of Arkansas, accuse Felix Snellgrove of the crime of arson, committed as follows, to-wit: The said Felix Snellgrove, in the county and state aforesaid, on the 14th day of June, A. D. 1899, did then and there feloniously, wilfully and maliciously set fire to and burn and destroy by fire…
1Opinion of the CourtRiddick, J.
(after stating the facts.) The only question on this appeal is whether the indictment against the defendant states facts sufficient to constitute the crime of arson. The circuit court held that the indictment was insufficient, and we regret that no brief has been filed on the part of ‘the defendant, for we are. thus compelled to decide the question without knowing the grounds upon which the circuit court based its decision.
Under the common law, arson is defined to be the wilful and malicious burning the house of another. 2 Am. & Eng. Enc. Law (2d ed.) 917. Our statute defines it as the wilful…
2Cases cited2 opinions
- Commonwealth v. BossidyMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1873
- Mary v. StateSupreme Court of Arkansas · 1862
3Cited by1 opinion
- State v. HannaSupreme Court of Arkansas · 1917