ball argued decided may asst atty dickinson justice gray delivered opinion october term circuit eastern district texas grand jury returned indictment millard fillmore ball john ball robert boutwell murder william box alleging defendants white men indians june pickens county chickasaw nation indian territory unlawfully feloniously malice aforethought deadly weapon wit gun held hands loaded charged gunpowder leaden balls make assault upon body william box shoot discharge contents said gun upon body said william box inflicting thereon ten mortal wounds mortal wounds said william box languish languishing die upon indictment three defendants arraigned pleaded guilty tried together upon issues joined trial began wednesday october proceeded day day saturday november jury retired consider verdict verdict returned usual hour adjournment kept open receive verdict sunday november jury returned verdict follows jury find defendants ball boutwell guilty charged indictment find fillmore ball guilty day made following order therefore considered defendants ball boutwell guilty charged indictment herein found jury ordered remanded custody marshal committed county jail lamar county await judgment sentence ordered defendant ball discharged go hence without day afterwards term john ball robert boutwell adjudged guilty sentenced death sued writ error assignment errors filed circuit appears record transmitted case specified among things legal indictment returned respondents indictment tried alleges said william box died errors stated apparent upon record herein respondents pray judgment reversed cause remanded new trial brief filed behalf concluded submitting judgment reversed indictment dismissed upon writ error october term held indictment although sufficiently charging assault yet reason failing aver either time place death box fatally defective support sentence murder therefore reversed judgments john ball robert boutwell remanded case directions quash indictment take proceedings relation justice ight appertain ball sup april term circuit indictment dismissed grand jury returned three defendants new indictment one like former one except charging assault malice aforethought loaded gun upon box june pickens county indian territory went charge three defendants shoot discharge contents said gun upon body said william box inflicting thereon mortal wound mortal wound said william box languish languishing instantly die die within year day infliction said mortal wound aforesaid indictment defendant millard ball filed plea former jeopardy former acquittal relying upon trial verdict acquittal order discharge upon former indictment certified copy record proceedings upon annexed made part plea defendants john ball boutwell filed plea former jeopardy reason trial conviction upon former indictment dismissal indictment pleas overruled three defendants severally pleaded guilty trial appeared william box killed june defendants offered evidence record proceedings upon former indictment admitted parties offense charged former indictment charged present indictment one transaction offense wit killing box three defendants defendants two indictments persons writ error ever sued upon judgment order entered upon former indictment millard ball circuit among instructions instructed jury find pleas former jeopardy decided former indictment insufficient indictment murder jury returned verdict guilty murder three defendants adjudged guilty accordingly sentenced death thereupon sued writ error first matter considered effect acquittal millard ball jury upon trial former indictment england acquittal upon indictment defective objected trial motion arrest judgment writ error supported conviction sentence generally considered insufficient support plea former acquittal hale hawk starkie cr pl ed chit cr law archb cr pl ev ed russ crimes ed general tendency opinion country effect greenl ev bish cr law cases cited foundation doctrine vaux case coke william vaux duly indicted murder nicholas ridley persuading drink poisoned potion pleaded former acquittal record set forth similar indictment alleging ridley knowing potion poisoned confiding persuasion vaux took drank without saying drank said potion plea guilty special verdict finding ridley killed taking poison vaux present took judgment rendered thereon poisoning ridley persuading take poison found verdict murder defendant go without day sine die upon hearing plea autrefois cquit queen bench opinion vaux principal although present ridley took poison indictment insufficient expressly alleging ridley drank poison indictment case insufficient reason legitimo modo acquietatus life party judgment law ever jeopardy yet decision vaux case treated lord coke lord hale maintainable upon ground judgment upon first indictment quod eat sine die might given well insufficiency indictment defendant guilty offense lord hale clearly opinion judgment quod eat inde quietus go insufficiency indictment must go matter verdict perpetual discharge inst hale starkie observed doctrine expounded case appear consist general principle plea autrefois acquit said depend since acquittal upon special verdict leave defendant exposed second prosecution whenever formal flaw detected first indictment subsequent period starkie cr pl note leading american case people barrett johns majority consisting chief justice kent justices thompson spencer followed english authorities justices livingston tompkins strongly dissented reasons fully stated justice livingston distinguishing cases upon first trial general verdict acquittal jury special verdict upon discharged defendant well cases defendant suggested imperfection first indictment thereupon obtained judgment favor said defendants availed imperfection judgment effect pronounced case short presents novel spectacle public officer whose business frame correct bill openly alleging inaccuracy neglect reason second trial pretended merits fairly issue first party shall deprived benefit acquittal jury suggestion kind coming officer drew indictment seems comport universal humane principle criminal law man shall brought danger offense like permitting party take advantage wrong practice tolerated trials accused end conviction take place whether indictment good otherwise ten one judgment passes read bill probable penetration enough discern defects counsel assigned content hearing substance charge without looking hardly accord think duty examine indictment detect errors many hundreds perhaps state prison erroneous indictments however fairly tried merits reverse case suppose acquittal take place prosecutor dissatisfied bent conviction nothing tell indictment good nothing venue deficient particulars therefore right second chance convicting prisoner toties quoties johns com purchase pick chief justice parker speaking doctrine allows man ried acquitted indictment substantially bad said suggested never jeopardy presumed discover defect time prevent judgment bottomed upon assumed infallibility courts admitted case rev mass provisions inserted commissioners reported said define determine far may cases former acquittal shall shall bar subsequent prosecution offense follows person shall held answer second indictment offence acquitted jury upon facts merits former trial acquittal may pleaded bar subsequent prosecution offence notwithstanding defect form substance indictment acquitted person indicted offence shall trial acquitted upon ground variance indictment proof upon exception form substance indictment may arraigned new indictment may tried convicted offence notwithstanding former acquittal similar statutes passed lead cr cas ed american decisions english doctrine followed based upon english authorities nothing added way reasoning full consideration importance question demands doctrine appears us unsatisfactory grounds proceeds well unjust operation upon accused crime question first time presented unable resist conclusion general verdict acquittal upon issue guilty indictment undertaking charge murder objected verdict insufficient respect bar second indictment killing constitution fifth amendment declares shall person subject twice put jeopardy life limb prohibition twice punished twice put jeopardy accused whether convicted acquitted equally put jeopardy first trial acquittal jurisdiction course like proceedings case absolutely void therefore bar subsequent indictment trial jurisdiction offense com peters metc mass hawk bish cr law although indictment fatally defective yet jurisdiction cause party judgment void voidable writ error avoided collaterally impeached judgment upon verdict guilty unreversed stands good warrants punishment defendant accordingly discharged writ habeas corpus ex parte parks judgment upon acquittal defendant indeed seek reversed government sanges sup fact judgment jurisdiction case practically final affords reason allowing validity conclusiveness impugned another case former indictment set forth charge murder although lacking requisite fullness precision verdict jury trial upon issue guilty guilty acquitted millard ball whole charge murder well less offense included therein rev thereupo discharged circuit reason acquittal jury reason insufficiency indictment clearly shown fact order discharged committed defendants found guilty verdict custody await sentence afterwards adjudged guilty sentenced death upon indictment millard ball acquittal verdict jury deprived legitimate effect subsequent reversal judgment defendants upon writ error sued true verdict finding john ball robert boutwell guilty charged indictment finding millard ball guilty returned sunday well order thereupon made considered first two defendants guilty charged indictment found jury remanded custody await judgment sentence millard ball discharged go without day made day order indeed ready adjudged effect judgment two defendants convicted judgment lawfully entered sunday ball sup bl comm case committed jury saturday verdict may received jury discharged sunday generally put upon ground reception verdict discharge jury ministerial act involving judicial discretion act necessity certainly tends promote observance day keeping jury together monday hoghtaling osborn johns van riper van riper law huidekoper cotton watts baxter people gilman hiller english strob cory silcox ind webber merrill reid state meece state ford la ann defendant acquitted verdict duly returned received take action order discharge verdict acquittal final reviewed error otherwise without putting twice jeopardy thereby violating constitution however may england country verdict acquittal although followed judgment bar subsequent prosecution offense sanges sup com tuck pick west state law lead cr cas reasons verdict acquittal conclusive favor millard ball judgment must reversed judgment rendered upon plea former acquittal therefore becomes unnecessary consider questions raised trial affect millard ball proceed consider affecting defendants john ball robert boutwell plea former conviction sustained upon writ error sued judgment sentence reversed indictment ordered dismissed far taken steps set aside proceedings former case verdict sentence therein held bar new indictment need considered quite clear defendant procures judgment upon indictment set aside may tried anew upon indictment upon another indictment offense convicted hopt utah sup sup sup regina drury cox cas car com gould gray therefore rightly overruled plea former jeopardy prejudiced afterwards permitting put evidence former conviction instructing jury plea bad two defendants moved tried separately millard ball previously acquitted government relied acts declarations made killing presence hearing material witness behalf question whether defendants jointly indicted tried together separately question resting sound discretion marchant wheat appear abuse discretion ordering three defendants tried together duly limit effect evidence introduced competent one defendant incompetent others see sparf sup contrary upon offer evidence declarations made millard ball killing presence defendants upon objection admissibility said presence jury course evidence said anything afterwards requested make ruling upon point exception restriction cross berney two material witnesses prosecution sustained permitted defendants counsel purpose showing bias prejudice part witnesses ask whether expense employed another attorney assist district attorney prosecution case frankly answered fact thus proved admitted question one much pay might properly excluded presiding judge immaterial government introduced evidence tending show box killed lowmold buckshot going home cornfield late night wounds breast collar bone hips gun wadding found close body shot double barreled gun belonging defendant john ball marshal exclusive control since arrest defendants gun scattered buckshot badly defendants introduced evidence gun scatter shot requested permission take gun shoot presence deputy marshal order test threw shot denied request defendants excepted denial granting refusal request first made midst trial clearly within discretion grounds motion arrest judgment argued indictment allege box died wound charged inflicted upon body defendants died place within jurisdiction indictment alleged defendants pickens county indian territory june shooting loaded gun inflicted upon body box mortal wound mortal wound said william box languish languishing instantly die thus distinctly unequivocally alleged box died mortal wound alleged inflicted defendants died time place mortal wound inflicted overruled motion defendants new trial made upon ground jury time impaneled returned verdict charge proper officer hearing motion admitted jury trial charge deputy marshal district sworn bailiff jury oath ever administered deputy marshal many months trial instructed jury case must separate must talk must allow talked party outside case according usual regular practice administer special oath officer put charge jury jury charge deputy marshal taken oath things well truly without malice partiality perform duties office marshal deputy rev objection taking charge jury without new oath made stage trial jury duly cautioned separate allow person talk case nothing tending show jury exposed influence might interfere impartial performance duties way prejudice defendant facts obliged matter law set aside verdict special oath administered officer charge jury question law affecting defendants john ball robert boutwell presented copy record submitted stipulation counsel agreed contain everything material judgment reversed millard ball affirmed defendants