State v. Bridges

Defendant was indicted and tried for murder and was convicted of manslaughter.

Of the several bills of exceptions in the record, we find it necessary to dispose of only one. It refers to the judge’s charge on the subject of involuntary manslaughter, as distinguished from accidental and excusable homicide. The defendant, who was under the age of 15 years, had shot and killed another boy. The defense was that the gun went off accidentally. Under those circumstances, the most important subject on which the judge had to instruct the jury was the legal distinction between involuntary manslaughter…