{ "id": 2454308, "name": "Jeff. Hildreth, v. The People of the State of Illinois", "name_abbreviation": "Hildreth v. People", "decision_date": "1863-04", "docket_number": "", "first_page": "36", "last_page": "38", "citations": [ { "type": "official", "cite": "32 Ill. 36" } ], "court": { "name_abbreviation": "Ill.", "id": 8772, "name": "Illinois Supreme Court" }, "jurisdiction": { "id": 29, "name_long": "Illinois", "name": "Ill." }, "cites_to": [ { "cite": "4 Denio, 364", "category": "reporters:state", "reporter": "Denio", "case_ids": [ 485458 ], "opinion_index": -1, "case_paths": [ "/denio/4/0364-01" ] } ], "analysis": { "cardinality": 253, "char_count": 4368, "ocr_confidence": 0.46, "pagerank": { "raw": 5.007575075132414e-08, "percentile": 0.3159035526781677 }, "sha256": "fcc0a28e65bb04e7e15f1592d8a5c32d3bd291008b773efa5551e58e4f603fdc", "simhash": "1:9c205cbe197a655b", "word_count": 782 }, "last_updated": "2023-07-14T18:50:57.113711+00:00", "provenance": { "date_added": "2019-08-29", "source": "Harvard", "batch": "2018" }, "casebody": { "judges": [], "parties": [ "Jeff. Hildreth, v. The People of the State of Illinois." ], "opinions": [ { "text": "Mr. Justice Walker\ndelivered the opinion of the Court:\nIt is urged that the verdict in this case is not sufficient to sustain the judgment. It is this: \u201cWe, the jury, find the defendant guilty of larceny, of twelve hundred and seventy dollars, as charged in the indictment, and fix his punishment at three years in the state penitentiary.\u201d It is true the verdict does not, in terms, find the value of the money stolen. But it finds that he was guilty of stealing a certain number of dollars, and as dollars indicate a fixed and precise value, the verdict is as certain in that respect as if they had found the worth of the money. The indictment charges that the defendant stole so many dollars in bank bills, and the jury find that he was guilty of the larceny of that number of dollars. This was, although not strictly in form, sufficient in substance.\nThe evidence was sufficient to warrant the finding of the jury. It showed that the bills passed at but one per cent, discount, and this was a fact which clearly established that the bills were genuine. We know that spurious and broken bank bills do not circulate, and never pass at so small a discount. It is only genuine bills, on solvent banks, that circulate as money. When it was proved that these bills were at but one per cent, discount, that was ample evidence under which to find the bills genuine.\nThe judgment of the court below is affirmed.\nJudgment affirmed.", "type": "majority", "author": "Mr. Justice Walker" } ], "attorneys": [ "Mr. E. Vah Buren, for the plaintiff in error.", "Mr. D. P. Jones, State\u2019s attorney, for the people." ], "corrections": "", "head_matter": "Jeff. Hildreth, v. The People of the State of Illinois.\n1. Vebdict \u2014 on conviction for larceny. A party was indicted for stealing twelve hundred and seventy dollars in current bank bills of the value of $1,2'70. The jury found him \u201c guilty of larceny of twelve hundred and seventy dollars, as charged in the indictment.\u2019\u2019 This was a sufficient finding of the value of the property stolen.\n2. Evidence in cbiminaij cases \u2014 what is proof of genuineness of money stolen. Upon the trial of a party charged with stealing current bank bills, the genuineness of the bills is fully proven by evidence that they passed at only one per cent, discount.\nWrit op Error to the Recorder's Court of the city of Chicago; the Hon. Robert S. Wilson, Judge, presiding.\nThe plaintiff in error, Jeff. Hildreth, was tried at the June Term, 1862, of the court helow, upon an indictment charging him with having stolen ten one hundred dollar bank bills, and twelve hundred and seventy dollars in current bank bills, of the value of $1,270.\nThe only question made upon the evidence was, whether it was sufficiently proven that the bank bills which were stolen, were genuine. On this subject, Mr. J. Conrad testified, that he had been a banker for five years, and upon examining the bills in question, stated that they were current funds in Chicago, and were worth one hundred cents on the dollar. It was further proven, that the bills passed at but one per cent, discount.\nThe jury returned a verdict of guilty, in these words:\n\u201c We, the jury, find the defendant guilty of larceny of twelve hundred and seventy dollars, as charged in the indictment, and fix his punishment at three years in the State penitentiary.\u201d\nA motion for a new trial was overruled, and a judgment entered upon the verdict.\nThe defendant sued out this writ of error, and now alleges:\n1. That the bank bills charged to have been stolen were not proven to be genuine; and,\n2. That the verdict was insufficient in not finding the value of the property.\nMr. E. Vah Buren, for the plaintiff in error.\n1. The verdict is defective, because it is too general. It should have found the property stolen and its value. 1 Scam. R. 392; 3 Gilm. R. 33.\n2. The judgment should be reversed, because there is no evidence that the bills were genuine; nor the existence of the bank that issued them. It seems, from the testimony, the bills purported to be issued by banks of other states. 3 Greenlf. Ev. 153.\nMr. D. P. Jones, State\u2019s attorney, for the people.\nBank notes are considered and treated as money, and the true rule of them val\u00fae, as respects the graduating of the offense of larceny, is the sum which upon their face thev promise to pay. 2 Har. & Gill. R. 407.\nThe record shows that the bills stolen were current money and that the discount on them was not more than one per cent. This is presumptive evidence of the existence of the bank and genuineness of the bills. 4 Denio, 364; 3 Greenlf. Ev., 153." }, "file_name": "0036-01", "first_page_order": 36, "last_page_order": 38 }