Spriggs v. State

Per Curiam. The appellant, Joseph Henry Spriggs, was charged and convicted by the trial judge, sitting without a jury, of the crime of lottery, second offense, and sentenced to two years in the Maryland Penitentiary. He appeals from the judgment and sentence and on this appeal challenges the admission into evidence by the trial court of a slip of paper containing figures and letters introduced by the State as a “lottery slip”, and the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the conviction. ⁵² On or about December 3, I960, at approximately 10:15 a. m., five police officers armed with a search warrant, under instructions, went to the vicinity of the 2300 block of Druid Hill Avenue in Baltimore City, to a bar known as the Sugar Hill Tavern, ordered refreshments, waited and observed the appellant, at approximately 11:15 a. m., enter the tavern. He was observed on two occasions writing on a piece of paper which he took from his pocket.

The officers approached the appellant, identified themselves, and read the search warrant to him. They placed him under arrest and took him to the Rackets Division office of the Police Department, where a piece of paper containing numbers and letters, and currency totalling $128.00 were taken from his person. At the trial of the case Officer Woods testified that he had had considerable experience in investigating