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Bridgeforth v. State

Bridgeforth v. State.

Bridgeforth v. State, 80 So. 158 (Ala. Ct. App. 1918)
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Court
Alabama Court of Appeals · State Appellate Courts
Decided
June 4, 1918
Docket
No. 8 Div. 620.
Judges
Sampobd
Citations
80 So. 15816 Ala. App. 5841918 Ala. App. LEXIS 262
Disposition
Affirmed.
Headnotes
Criminal Law <&wkey;718 — Bemarks of Counsel. Bemark of state’s counsel in bis closing argument, “My experience lias been that it is difficult to get evidence against a bootlegger; they always work and squirm to keep from testifying,” being a reference to a matter of common observation, was not prejudicial error; not being the statement of a substantive fact pertinent to the issue.
Summary
Appeal from Circuit Court, Morgan County; B. C. Brickell, Judge. Alice Bridgeforth was convicted of violating the prohibition law, and she appeals.

Syllabus and headnotes are prepared by the reporter or publisher, not the court, and are not part of the opinion.

Opinion of the Court — Sampobd

SAMPOBD, J.

From the bill of exceptions, it appears that in open court, while the trial was in progress, and while the state’s counsel was making his closing argument, he made the following statement to the jury:

“I don’t know what your experience is, but my experience has been that it is difficult to get evidence against a bootlegger; they always work' and squirm to keep from testifying.”

This remark of the solicitor, made in the! course of his address to the jury, was a reference in argument to a matter of common observation, and, if not entirely justified, was not the statement of a substantive fact' pertinent to the issue (Cross v. State, 68 Ala. 476 -484), nor do we think that the issues, the parties, and the general atmosphere of the ease were such as to render the remark prejudicial error (Moulton v. State [Sup.] 74 South. 454 ;

2

Birmingham Ry. Co. v. Gonzalez, 183 Ala. 273 , 61 South. 80 , Ann. Cas. 1916A, 543). The foregoing is not in conflict with the line of cases cited in appellant’s brief, but, as was said in Moulton’s Case, supra, “each case of this character must be decided on its own merits.”

We find no error in the record, and the judgment i« affirmed.

Affirmed.

2

199 Ala. 411 .

How later courts describe this case

No later court has written an explanatory parenthetical about this case yet.

Cited by 12 cases

View all citing references →
1919: 11920: 11921: 11922: 31923: 11924: 11925: 21933: 11943: 119192026peak 1922 · 3

Relies on it most ⓘ

  1. Anderson v. State95 So. 171 (Ala. 1922)
  2. Windom v. State93 So. 79 (Ala. Ct. App. 1922)
  3. Gardner v. State87 So. 885 (Ala. Ct. App. 1920)
  4. Williams v. State15 So. 2d 572 (Ala. 1943)
  5. Mitchell v. State93 So. 46 (Ala. Ct. App. 1922)
  6. Bean v. State91 So. 499 (Ala. Ct. App. 1921)

Most recent

  1. Williams v. State15 So. 2d 572 (Ala. 1943)
  2. Bell v. State148 So. 751 (Ala. Ct. App. 1933)
  3. Gaither v. State106 So. 348 (Ala. Ct. App. 1925)
  4. Grimes v. State105 So. 438 (Ala. Ct. App. 1925)
  5. Savage v. State100 So. 919 (Ala. Ct. App. 1924)
  6. Allen v. State97 So. 165 (Ala. Ct. App. 1923)

Citing references are not a citator: they show that a later opinion cites this case, not whether it followed, distinguished, or overruled it. Check negative history before relying on this case.

Authorities cited 3

DepthCaseCited by
Birmingham Ry. v. Gonzalez, 61 So. 80 (Ala. 1913) 149
Moulton v. State, 74 So. 454 (Ala. 1917) 68
Cross v. State, 68 Ala. 476 (1881) 208

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