v.
VUCKOVICH
prepared the opinion for the court.
The defendant was informed against, tried and convicted of the crime of murder in the first degree. From the judgment entered on the verdict and' an order overruling his motion for a new trial defendant has appealed.
I. The defendant claims that “the judgment and verdict
“I am unable to trace a registration of the birth of Jacob Barer, 17 March 1892. The following record No. 215 for the year 1892, appears in the records of this department: 25 Feb. 1892. I, Coppel Borer, at Fonseca St., Winnipeg, Father Isak Borer (Pedlar) Mother, Mali Weisman.”
A certificate of birth was also presented, as follows:
“Provincial Board of Health [Seal] Manitoba.
“Certificate of Birth
“On the 25th day of February, 1892, at Fonseca St., Winnipeg, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, there occurred the birth of J. Coppel Borer. Name of father, Isak Borer. Occupation, pedlar. Residence, Winnipeg, Man. Birthplace, not given. Maiden name of mother Mali Weisman.
“This birth is certified to be registered as No. 215 for the year 1892 in the register of the registration division of city of Winnipeg, now on record in the archives of the provincial board of health.
“Given under my hand and seal of the board 16th day of April, 1921.
“ [Seal.] E. N. Wood.
“Secretary of the Board.”
This is all of the evidence presented by the defendant to sustain his contention that the juror Jacob Barer was not a citizen of the United States, except that other affidavits were filed which purport to contain statements made by Jacob Barer relative to the time and place of his birth. To combat these affidavits the respondent filed the affidavit of said juror Jacob Barer, which is to the effect that he did not know his age, stating that he had heard that he was born on the 17th of March, 1892, and had heard that he was born on the 17th of March, 1893, and that he did not know in which year his birth occurred; that he recalled distinctly that at the time [*487] Ms father received his final naturalization papers in Walla Walla, Washington, he was under twenty-one years of age; that he and his father talked the matter over, and knew by reason of being under twenty-one years of age he became a citizen of the United States. The affidavit of the father, Isaac Barer, was also filed, and is to the effect that he knew the juror Jacob Barer was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on the seventeenth day of March, 1893, and he also refers to the incident of securing his final naturalization papers and to the discussion he then had with his son relative to his son becoming a citizen, and he was then under twenty-one years of age. It appears that Isaac Barer and his wife, the mother of the juror, had not lived together for a period of twenty years, the mother then residing in Los Angeles, California. She also made and filed an affidavit to the effect that her son, Jacob Barer, was born on March 17, 1893, at Winnipeg, Canada. This is all the evidence relating to the citizenship of the juror Jacob Barer. The court found that he was a citizen of the United States, and, in view of the fact that there is not any evidence showing that “I. Coppel Barer,” or “J. Coppel Borer,” and Jacob Barer is the same person, there is not any evidence that the juror was not a citizen except his own affidavit, which he later explains. It is unnecessary to enter upon any discussion of the law when it affirmatively appears from the facts that the juror was a citizen of the United States at the time he was called.
II. Appellant claims that the jury which tried the defend-
This ease was set for trial on March 21, 1921, and came on for trial on that day. During the progress of the trial it became necessary to draw a special jury from box No. 3, and, later on, during the trial, it became necessary to draw another special jury from box No. 3. It further appears that at the time the special venires were issued in the instant case the panel in attendance was exhausted. The appellant does not contend that the court abused its discretion in the finding made that it was necessary to discharge the original panel at the end of two weeks’ service, or in the order of the court discharging such panel on the twenty-third day of February, 1921. The contention seems to be based wholly on the ground that at the time it made the order, on the 14th of February, for the fifty additional jurors, there was already a jury in attendance, and that the court could not lawfully make the order for the second drawing. A hundred and fifty regular [*489] jurors were drawn under the orders made January 24, February. 14, and March 11. The statute (sec. 6348) does not limit the court as to the number of jurors it may draw; hence it was in the power of the court on January 24 to have caused to be issued a venire for the entire 150 jurors, and to have placed them on the payroll of the county when it was known that they would not be needed in the discharge of the duties then before the court. Had this been done the appellant could not complain. How, then, could he be prejudiced by the fact that they were drawn under successive orders, instead of under one order? It appears from the evidence that the crime with which the defendant was charged was alleged to have been committed in the city of Missoula, where the court was held. The court evidently endeavored to secure a jury from the body of the county, instead of making the selection from those who resided in the city wherein it is claimed the crime was committed. The statute does not, in express terms, nor do we think by implication, convey the meaning or impression that the power of a court is exhausted when it has drawn the first jury. If that is its meaning, then the court would be powerless if, for any reason, it became necessary to excuse all the jurors obtained from the original venire, unless a special jury was drawn from box No. 3 for each case tried. The purpose of drawing a jury at all is to enable the court to proceed with the trial of cases. The phrase, "and no jury is in attendance,” appearing in the section, means a sufficient number of jurors to transact the business of the court, and if that phrase were not in there at all it would not be presumed that a court would have two independent juries in attendance at the same time. The special juries called were drawn' under authority of sections 6357 and 6738, Revised Codes, after the panel then in attendance had been exhausted. A party litigant in neither a civil nor criminal case has. any vested right to have his case passed upon by a jury taken from the panel drawn at any certain time. All that he can demand is that [*490] he have a fair and impartial jury, drawn at the time and in the manner recognized by law. When a jury is so drawn, the parties litigant cannot complain. (State v. Byrd, 41 Mont. 585, 111 Pac. 407.) As further elucidating these questions, we cite here People v. Jackson, 111 N. Y. 362, 19 N. E. 54; 24 Cyc. 233.
III. The information was filed by leave of court upon this
Defendant moved to set aside the information for the reason that he had not been committed by a magistrate, and that not sufficient evidence had been presented to the court to warrant the court in granting leave to file the same. This motion was overruled. A demurrer was then interposed on the grounds that the information was not sufficiently specific, was verified, and did not state a public offense, which demurrer was overruled. A demand for a bill of particulars was then made, which was denied. It appears that the copy of the information delivered to the defendant at the time of his arraignment did not contain the words “a felony” after the phrase “of murder in the first degree,” as appears in the information filed. On discovering this fact defendant again moved to quash the information for the reason that a true copy had not been given to him. The court ordered the words inserted in the copy, and overruled the motion. Thereupon defendant again successively moved to quash, demurred, and [*491] demanded a bill of particulars, all of which were overruled and denied.
The right of the court to grant leave to file an information without previous examination by a committing magistrate is settled law in this state. It is authorized by the Constitution (sec. 8, Art. Ill), granted by the statute (secs. 9105, 8929), and confirmed by numerous decisions of this court (State v. Brett, 16 Mont. 360, 40 Pac. 873; State v. Spotted Hawk, 22 Mont. 33, 55 Pac. 1026; State v. Little Whirlwind, 22 Mont. 425, 56 Pac. 820; State v. Bowser, 21 Mont. 133, 53 Pac. 179; State v. Martin, 29 Mont. 273, 74 Pac. 725).
The facts on which the court acts in granting leave must be satisfactory to the court “whatever may be the form or manner of their presentation.” (State v. Martin, supra.) The county attorney is a constitutional officer (Art. VIII, see. 19, Const.), acting under oath, vested with authority, and it°is his duty to inquire into alleged violations of law, to institute criminal proceedings, and to represent the state in matters and proceedings in his county (sec. 3052, Rev. Codes), signs all informations (sec. 8921), and may make “application for leave to file an information before an examination, commitment, or admission to bail” (see. 8928), and when the application, as in this case, is accompanied by an affidavit and the court is satisfied with the report thus made, it may act thereon and grant such leave, although it may require additional information if it so desires. The complaint that the information was verified is without merit. Formerly it was contended that an information must be verified. (State ex rel. Nolan v. Brantly, 20 Mont. 173, 50 Pac. 410; State v. Shafer, 26 Mont. 11, 66 Pac. 463.)
IV. The words “a felony” were surplusage, and might as well have been stricken from the information. The information states all that is required to be stated by the provisions of sections 9156 and 9157, including the manner in which the offense is alleged to have been committed. (State v. Stickney, 29 Mont. 523, 75 Pac. 201; State v. Crean, 43 Mont. 47, Ann. [*492] Cas. 1912C, 424, 114 Pac. 603; State v. Hliboka, 31 Mont. 455) 3 Ann. Cas. 934, 78 Pac. 965.) The court did not commit any error in overruling the various motions, demurrers, and demands.
V. During the trial the state called the police magistrate,
It has been held by this and other courts that for the purpose of enabling the jury “to inquire what the motive or impulse was which prompted the defendant” to commit the act complained of, evidence of the condition of feeling existing between the deceased and the defendant is pertinent and material. (State v. Shafer, supra; 13 R. C. L., sec. 216, pp. 9-12; 21 Cyc. 915; People v. Colvin, 118 Cal. 349, 50 Pac. 539.)
The state also called as a witness the chief of police, and put in evidence a conversation had between him and the defendant on the thirty-first day of January, 1921, relative to a state of feeling existing between the defendant and the deceased. In the general conversation that followed, the chief of police advised the defendant not to go around the home of deceased, as it might get him into trouble. This evidence was also objected to; and, while it might well have been left out of the record entirely, it did tend to show that the condition of feeling existing between the parties, testified to by .the former witnesses, continued to exist at that time. Independent statements made by the officer, and not a part of the conversation, would have been improper, but the evidence given was apparently a part of the general conversation, and falls under the same general head as that just discussed, and no reversible error was committed in permitting either it or the former testimony to be given in evidence.
VI. The bullet which caused the death of the deceased was
VII. Appellant also complains of instructions Nos. 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 31, 32 and 33, given by the court. These instructions are stock instructions given in homicide eases, and are mostly copies of the statute. No useful purpose would be served by discussing them. It is sufficient to say that they are not open to any objection made to them, and that no error was committed in giving them.
Defendant’s offered instruction No. D-6 was fully covered by instructions given, and his offered instruction, No. D-ll, is erroneous from any standpoint under the facts in this case.
VIII. The principal ground on which the appellant asked
The evidence introduced by the state, we believe, is sufficient to sustain this verdict and, where it conflicted with the evidence of the defense, it raised a question for the jury to determine. We have not been able to discover any ground on which the defendant could properly be granted a new trial.
Defendant’s specification No. 13, relating to the action of the court in denying his motion for continuance, has not been referred to herein, for the. reason that the same is not discussed in appellant’s brief. We have examined the record, however, and find that the court did not commit error in denying the motion.
We therefore recommend1 that the judgment and order be affirmed.
Per Curiam : For the reasons given in the foregoing opinion the judgment and order are affirmed.
Affirmed.