People v. Carpenter

ALLEN, P. J.

Appeal by defendant from a judgment of conviction and from an order denying a new trial.

An information was regularly filed by the district attorney of Riverside county charging defendant with the crime of obtaining money by false pretenses. This information alleged that defendant, “with intent to defraud one C. S. Gove of his property, unlawfully, knowingly, designedly, falsely and feloniously, did represent and pretend to the said C. S. Gove that he was then and there the owner of a certain patent device to light gasoline stoves, duly issued by the Government of the United States of America, and then and there in the hands of his attorneys at Los Angeles, California, and that he then and there needed the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars in money to settle expenses with his attorneys aforesaid and procure his said patent, and that on getting possession thereof he had an opportunity to at once obtain the sum of two thou

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sand five hundred dollars for the right to sell the said patent in the State of California, and did then and there exhibit and read to said Gove a pretended telegram to him, said defendant, so as aforesaid offering the said sum of two thousand five hundred dollars for the said right to sell said patent in said State, and said Gove being deceived thereby and believing said false representations to be true, was induced by reason of said false pretenses and representations so made as aforesaid by the said defendant to loan said defendant, and did then and there deliver to said defendant, relying solely on the truth of said false pretenses, the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars in lawful money of the United States of America, which said money was so obtained by said defendant, A. B. Carpenter, unlawfully, knowingly, and designedly to defraud said C. S. Gove out of money aforesaid, and all of said representations were made knowingly, designedly, fraudulently and feloniously by defendant with intent to cheat and defraud said Gove out of all said money, and by which means said Gove was defrauded as aforesaid.”

To this information a demurrer was filed,' which, among other things, challenged the information as not containing a statement of the facts constituting the offense charged in ordinary and concise language and in such manner as to enable a person of common understanding to know what is intended; that said facts stated in said information do not constitute a public offense. This demurrer was overruled by the court, and defendant’s trial and conviction followed.