Commonwealth v. Weiss

Citations

• 139 Pa. 247
• 21 A. 10
• 1891 Pa. LEXIS 982

Syllabus

<p>[To be reported.]</p> <p>1. .Guilty knowledge, or guilty intent, is, in general,,an essential element in crimes at common law; but, whether a criminal intent, or a guilty knowledge, is a necessary ingredient of a statutory otfenoe is a matter of construction, to be determined from the language of the statute, in view of its manifest purpose and design.</p> <p>2. One who sells “ oleomargarine,” in ignorance of its real nature, is nevertheless liable for the penalty imposed by § 3, act of May 21, 1885, P. L. 22, which contains nothing to imply that the forbidden act must have been done knowingly or wilfully: to construe the act as so implying would defeat its manifest intent.*</p>