State v. Rhoads
State v. Rhoads
Opinion of the Court
The defendant R. Stanley Rhoads was indicted by the grand jury of Franklin county at the January term for the year 1907, and charged with the crime of giving a bribe to Charles B. Burr, while he, Burr, was a member of the board of public service of the city of Columbus. The accused entered a plea of not guilty, and on trial to a jury was acquitted, but during the progress of the trial, several controversies arose over the admission of evidence, and over the rulings of the trial court as to the right of the accused and his counsel to inspect the
Three decisions of the trial court have been selected for our investigation, and after we state each of them with its appropriate settings, we
First. The inquisition conducted by Solicitor Marshall seems to have occurred on or about February 18, 1907, at his office. How Nelson Cannon happened to be at this office, we are not informed, and we need not inquire. It was a personal, private inquiry, and did not assume any official character. It was not a court proceeding in any sense, and when the disclosures were taken by the stenographer and written out, it was not officially filed in any court or office, for there is no provision of law for the custody or lodgment of such a paper.
We are informed by the record sufficiently to state, that Cannon in this private inquiry made disclosures relative to several bribery transactions, and the complicity of various persons involved in the charges of bribery of the members of the board of public service in connection with a contract for the re-surfacing of part of East Broad street. The Cannon statement was delivered by the city solicitor to the prosecuting attorney for his use in the prosecution of the bribery cases of which there were several, including the case against Rhoads now under consideration. At the trial of Rhoads, the prosecuting attorney had with him a transcript of the Marshall inquiry. .Cannon was a witness for the state and testified concerning the acts and statements of Rhoads respecting the alleged bribery of Burr. He was cross-examined as to what he had told Solicitor Marshall in the interview, but witness seemed unable to give the specific questions by Marshall
Second. Henry Maetzel was a witness called by Rhoads and he testified in his behalf. He had been a witness before the grand jury that indicted Rhoads, on which indictment he was being tried. On cross-examination, Maetzel was asked several questions by the prosecuting attorney as to statements he had made as a witness before the grand jury which was investigating the Rhoads case and claimed to be at variance with his evidence in chief. In conducting the cross-examination. the prosecuting attorney had in his possession an unsigned stenographic report of the evidence given by Maetzel as a witness before the grand jury and was using the same as a memorandum to aid in such cross-examination.
Third. The defendant Rhoads testified in his own behalf, fie had also testified before the grand jury that indicted him, having appeared there voluntárily after asking and obtaining permission of the prosecuting attorney to make such appearance. He was cross-examined relative to his testimony before the grand jury. The prosecuting attorney did not use the transcript of the grand jury evidence as memoranda in conducting the cross-examination, but framed his questions with the aid of the notes made from the transcript. On objection of the accused, the court ruled that using such notes was an evasion of its rulings and opinions, and on request of counsel for ac
In considering what we may denominate as the Marshall-Cannon inquisition or interview, it would seem quite sufficient to observe again that the transcript of the same which had been delivered to the prosecuting attorney by Marshall, and was being referred to as an aid in the examination of Cannon, a witness at the trial for the state, had no public characteristic whatever. It was not an official or public record or document, and had not been filed with anyone as such. The city solicitor .no doubt had gained some intimation from some source of what Cannon knew and might disclose as to the corrupt practices of some of the city officials. He turned the inquisition or interview, which had been taken steno-graphically and afterwards typewritten, over to the prosecuting officer of the proper court in which to institute a thorough legal inquiry with a view to indictment and prosecution of such officials, should the evidence warrant that action.
This transcript was not evidence, and of itself could never become such under any circumstances of which we can have any present conception, certainly not independent evidence. If the witness Cannon had been using the transcript from which to testify, or to refresh and aid memory in giving testimony on the issue between the state and Rhoads, it might have been entirely proper and
But that was not the situation we are reviewing. The prosecuting attorney, in preparing for an important trial, may in the seclusion of his study prepare notes of the facts which he expects to present at the trial; the names of witnesses and sketches of the evidence of each, and the order in which he desires to examine them. In such memoranda he may note precautions to be taken on this or that stage of the trial. Has the court authority to compel counsel, on request of his adversary to deliver this prepared memoranda for his inspection? Could such a practice of search and seizure be justified by.the law, or any reasonable rule of procedure? If so, an attorney’s private papers and his written data — his private notes made to aid memory on the trial — are no longer safe or sacred, and their possession may be ordered given over to one who has no legal claim to or upon them. Such an order would very much resemble the order under review. We, cannot accord to one accused of crime what could not be awarded to the law-abiding citizen in a court of justice.
The trial court erred in making the order complained of and exception thereto is sustained.
Some preliminary considerations are appropriate here in order to a full understanding of what will follow. What is the source of the transcripts of the evidence before the grand jury? Before the days of official stenographers, the. grand jury might make one of their number a clerk for the purpose of having minutes of the proceedings. This was not required by the statute, but wás a matter of convenience in the discretion of the grand jury. With or without the service of a stenographer, the prosecuting attorney may take such notes of the evidence as he desires to assist him in the prosecution if an indictment should be found. These would be his own personal and private memoranda. By the provisions of Section 7195, Revised Statutes, touching the privileges of the prosecuting attorney, we see that he may interrogate witnesses when he or the grand jury deem it necessary. The official stenographer of the county “shall, at the request of the prosecuting attorney, take shorthand notes of the testimony and furnish a transcript of the same to the prosecuting attorney, and to no other person, but such stenographer shall withdraw from the jury room before the jurors begin to express their views, or give their votes on any matter before them. Such stenographer shall take an oath to be administered by the court after the grand jurors are sworn,
While at this point, it is well to notice the law concerning the organization of the 'grand jury. Section 7190, Revised Statutes, provides that when it is impaneled, the court shall appoint one of the number foreman. The next section prescribes his oath as follows: “Saving yourself and fellow jurors, you as foreman of this grand inquest, shall diligently inquire and true presentment make, of all such matters and things as shall be given you in charge, or otherwise come to your knowledge touching the present service; the counsel of the state, your own and your fellows, you shall keep secret, unless called on in a court of justice to make disclosures; and you shall present no person through malice,” etc. After this oath of the foreman, comes that of his fellows, to-wit: “The same oath which A. B. your foreman hath now taken before you on his part, you and each of you, shall well and truly observe and keep on your respective parts.”
We assume that both Maetzel and the. defendant Rhoads, respectively, gave evidence before the jury after it was so organized, and that the
It appears that the rights of accused persons are thus safeguarded, and they are not forced to trial unaware of what may be developed.
With this, we recur to the direct question respecting the right to inspect the transcripts in the possession of the prosecuting attorney. As before remarked, they are not evidence in and of themselves, and never can be, except under certain conditions, and then they are not evidence, but may be used by the prosecuting attorney merely as reference memoranda in laying the foundation for showing that a witness on the trial testified at variance with his testimony before the grand jury. These shorthand notes taken by the stenographer in the grand jury room are not signed
In course of the opinion, on page 455, the court says: “On the trial, the defendant offered to read to the jury the minutes of the testimony taken before the grand jury, for the purpose of showing that the witnesses had made different and contradictory statements from those made before the court on the trial, and for the purpose of making the said minutes evidence. * * * For the same purposes, the defendant offered to read in evidence the notice served by the district attorney under Section 4786, Revised Statutes, upon the defendant, of the introduction of the testimony of Sarah Sawyer, to prove the facts stated in the notice. The court excluded both of these items
In the State v. Hayden, 45 Ia., 11, it is ruled, that “the minutes of evidence given before the grand jury, or that submitted on preliminary examination, are not admissible upon the trial for the purpose of impeaching the witness.” And. on pages 13 and 14 the court gives the reasons for the ruling. Such minutes are not independent evidence, yet the court say, on page 15, “excluding the written minutes or substance of the evidence from being introduced, does not prevent an impeachment. The grand jury may be required by the court to disclose the testimony of a witness examined before them,” etc. The court so held, notwithstanding we find on examination of the statutes of Iowa as to grand jury proceedings,
If such minutes or report of the grand jury testimony could be considered as evidence, our statutes and rules of practice prescribe the method to obtain its inspection, and the method is not a “short order” of the court at. or before the trial, that the prosecuting attorney deliver it to the defendant or his counsel. By Section 7289, except as otherwise provided, “the provisions of the code of civil • procedure relative to compelling' the attendance and testimony of witnesses, their examination, and the administering of oaths and affirmations, and proceedings for contempt to enforce the remedies and protect the rights of parties, shall extend to criminal cases, so far as in their nature applicable.” If the grand jury transcript is evidence, independent evidence, notwithstanding the cases first cited herein, and if the provisions of the civil code as to the inspection of documents, etc., can be extended to criminal cases, we may turn to Sections 5290, 5291 and 5292, Revised Statutes, as the guide. Section 5290 provides, “either party or his attorney, may also demand of the adverse party an inspection and copy, or permission to take a copy, of a book, paper, or document in his possession, or under his control,
In addition to the foregoing decided cases, we cite a few covering the subject generally, and which hold against the right asserted by Rhoads and his counsel. There are many s’uch authorities. Except in states where statutory provisions control to the contrary (and these are very rare) the authorities are remarkably uniform.
In Merrick v. The State, 63 Ind., 328, it is held: “The prosecuting attorney cannot be compelled to furnish the defendant with a copy of the evidence given against him before the grand jury in finding the indictment.” In that case a stenographer acting under the statutes had taken shorthand notes of the evidence, as' was done in the case before us.
In Cannon v. The People, 141 Ill., 270, the supreme court held: “A person charged with the crime of murder is not entitled to the minutes
One of the leading cases on the question before us is Havenor v. State, 125 Wis., 444, and was decided in 1905. The following points are made in the syllabus:
(1) “The minutes of the clerk of a grand jury of their proceedings kept under the provisions of chapter 90, laws of 1903, are not a public record open to the inspection of all persons.
(2) “The record of the proceedings of a grand jury is secret, and such secrecy must be maintained and kept inviolate within the bounds prescribed by the statutes and the decisions of the supreme court.
(3) “One accused of a crime is not entitled to an inspection of the records of the grand jury, in so far as they relate to the testimony given by him before the grand jury concerning the transaction involved upon his trial.
(4) “One accused of crime is not entitled to the inspection of the records of a grand jury, either before or at his trial, for the purpose of
(5) “The records of a grand jury proceedings as kept by the official stenographic reporter, are not official statements which in themselves constitute proof of the acts thus reported, but are memoranda made by the official in the course of his official duties, and.can only be used in evidence when the official can testify that at or about the time the records were made he knew their contents and the accuracy thereof.
(6) “Such records may, however, when proper, be used either to aid the witness in his present recollection or in his past recollection of their contents.”
The third proposition specially fits the refusal of the demand of inspection of evidence given by Rhoads before the grand jury in his case. The opinion cites other cases which we need not notice here, but they support one or more of the above propositions.
Many other cases of like import are collated’ in the brief of exceptor.
The counsel defending against the exceptions cite some cases decided by courts of New York,_ but, as we remember, none determined by the court of appeals. The statutes of that state respecting grand jury proceedings materially differ from ours. The duties of the stenographer before the grand jury are like the duties imposed here, with the addition, that when he has delivered the stenographic report of the evidence to the district
Clark, J., in the case last referred to, laid down the following proposition: “An examination of the minutes of the grand jury cannot be had for the purpose of assisting defendant in his preparation for the trial or of putting the state’s testimony in the hands of defendant, and the sole purpose for which such examination may be had is to enable defendant to move to set aside the indictment on the ground that it is not properly found, indorsed and presented, or that an improper
The case of Eighmy v. The People, 79 N. Y., 546, cited against the exceptions, shows that when the case was moved for trial, the prisoner’s counsel, before the jury was empaneled, moved the court to order the district attorney to disclose what evidence was produced before the grand jury, and whether any other evidence was produced, save such as had been furnished the prisoner, with -a view of moving to quash the indictment, on the ground that there was not sufficient evidence before the grand jury to justify it. The motion was denied by the trial court and this was affirmed, the reviewing court stating, that granting or refusing the motion was a matter of discretion — discretionary where the
In the case at hand, the quashing or dismissing of the indictment was not contemplated in the .use of the grand jury testimony, had it been turned over to the defense. No particular purpose or use was disclosed to the trial court in the application for the inspection. Yet the court made the broad order of delivery.
We are not disposed to follow the New York practice even as limited by the decisions of the inferior courts of that state, for it is easily gathered from the various cases in which the question arose, that embarrassing conditions followed the enforcement of such a rule of practice, which' it seems, received its' particular impetus in the case of People v. Molineux, 27 Misc. Rep., 60. While certain advantages may accrue to a defendant by disclosing the state’s testimony, there are higher considerations to be weighed — the public peace and welfare. As said in Thompson & Merriam on Juries, latter part of Section 623: “If the state had a right to a new trial, or any means of vacating verdicts of acquittal obtained by fraud or perjury, the reasons in justification of a rule which exposes the state’s evidence to the accused in advance of the trial would be more clear.” On page 662 (Section 608) of the . same authors, it is said concerning disclosure of the state’s .evidence in a preliminary examination: “Besides
In quoting this language, we disclaim any imputation' of bad motives or evil design to either the defendant or his counsel in this case. We are dealing here with principles rather than persons.
Another argument advanced is, that the prosecuting attorney represents the public of which Rhoads is one, and that he acts in a semi-judicial capacity in discharging his duties, and that he should aid the defense when aid is needed. We agree that this officer should not endeavor to convict an innocent person, and he should not suppress or conceal evidence that might tend to acquit the prisoner. But that he should assist in the defense, we deny. The state furnishes counsel to indigent prisoners and pays them. The trial, when the issue is joined, is not a friendly recitation, but a real trial. No morbid sentiment or sympathy for one charged with crime should overshadow the rights of the public. In these days criminals are both skilled and cunning, and it is a contest between
The state cannot compel the prisoner at the bar to submit his private papers or memoranda to the state for ■ use or even examination, for he cannot be required to testify- in the case, nor to furnish evidence against himself. Then why should the accused be allowed to rummage through the private papers of the prosecuting attorney? Neither the sublime teachings of the Golden Rule to which we have been referred, nor the supposed sense of fair play, can be so perverted as to sanction the demands allowed in this case.
The exceptions are sustained.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.