People v. Tong

I concur in the judgment. The verdict of the jury was not a nullity. Comparing it with the rest of the record, including the charge of the court, it is clear that it could not have been returned except as the result of a finding by the jury of every element of the crime of larceny. In other words, the jury did actually find the defendant guilty of larceny, but under the erroneous instruction of the court called it robbery. The verdict, however, is uncertain for the reason that whether construed by itself or in connection with other parts of the record it cannot be known whether the jury would have found it to be grand or petit larceny. This renders a new trial necessary. *Page 586