United States v. Dahl
United States v. Dahl
Opinion of the Court
The indictment in this case charges a conspiracy, under section 37 of the Penal Code, for a violation of section 11 of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, as amended. After
“It is apparent from a reading of section 37, Crim. Code (section 5540 Rev. Stat.); and has been repeatedly declared in decisions of this court, that a conspiracy to commit a crime is a different offense from the crime that is the-*911 object of the conspiracy. Callan v. Wilson, 127 U. S. 540, 555 [8 Sup. Ct. 1301, 32 L. Ed. 223]; Clune v. United States, 150 U. S. 590, 595 [16 Sup. Ct. 125, 40 L. Ed. 269]; Williamson v. United States, 207 U. S. 425, 447 [28 Sup. Ct. 163, 52 L. Ed. 278]; United States v. Stevenson (No. 2) 215 U. S. 200, 203 [30 Sup. Ct. 37, 54 L. Ed. 157]. And see Burton v. United States, 202 U. S. 344, 377 [26 Sup. Ct. 688, 50 L. Ed. 1057, 6 Ann. Cas. 362]; Morgan v. Devine (No. 685) 237 U. S. 632, 35 Sup. Ct. 712, 59 L. Ed. —, decided this day. The conspiracy, however iniiy lormed, may fail of its object, however earnestly pursued; the coniemplated crime may never be consummated; yet the conspiracy is none the less punishable. Williamson v. United States, supra. And it is punishable as conspiracy, though the intended crime ho accomplished. Heike v. United States, 227 U. S. 131, 144 [33 Sup. Ct. 226, 57 L. Ed. 450, Ann. Cas. 1914C, 128].”
In the same case the court says:
“ * * A conspiracy to commit an offense made criminal by the Bankruptcy Act is not of itself an offense ‘arising under’ that act, within the meaning of section 29d, and lienee the prosecution is not limited by that sewion.”
This was a prosecution under a charge of conspiracy to violate section 29d of tlic Bankruptcy Act (Act July 1, 1898, c. 541, 30 Stat. 554 [Comp. St. 1913, § 9613]), in which the indictment must be returned within a year. The indictment was not returned until after the expiration of a year, and the court concluded that, the conspiracy being the gist of the action, the limitation to apply was not under the bankruplcy provision which it was conspired to violate, but the limitation which applied to section 37, supra.
Section 11 of the act of 1882, as amended by the act of 1884, denounces the bringing into the United States of Chinese. Section 13 of the same act excepts from the general provisions diplomatic and other officers of the Chinese government, with their servants, and other exceptions appear by the act. The act of 1888 (Act Sept. 13,1888, c. 1015, 25 Slat. 476) designates certain ports for admission of Chinese, and rule 1 of the regulations of the Department of Labor, governing the admission of Chinese, contains a further provision relating to the entry of Chinese into the United States through Canada, requiring an examination at Vancouver for entry at Sumas, the place charged for operation, and other places named. The allegations in the indictment, I think, bring the indictment within the rule of pleading, to fully advise the defendants of every fact which the government is required to set out. An indictment charging the unlawful bringing into the country of Chinese aliens manifestly would be insufficient unless it set out the. facts with the particularity contended for by the defendant, and such contention is supported uniformly by authority. It is in this respect that the indictment differs from the authorities which have been presented by the defense, and which brings this indictment within the holding of the Court of Appeals of this Circuit in Wong Din v. U. S., 135 Fed. 702, 68 C. C. A. 340.
The motion is denied.
Reference
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- Syllabus
- 1. Conspiracy §=>43—Criminal Offenses—Indictment—Requisites. An indictment charging a conspil'acy under Fen. Code (Act March 4. 1909, c. 321) § 37, 35 Stat. 1092 (Comp. St. 1913, § 10201), for a violation of Chinese Exclusion Act May 6, 1882, c. 126, § 11, 22 Stat. 58, as amended by Act July 5, 1884i, c. 220, 23 Stat. 117 (Comp. St. 1913, § 4298), which alleges that defendants conspired and agreed together and together with divers “other persons to the grand jurors unknown,” is good as against an objection that the conspiracy could not be entered into unless it included persons who were excluded by the act. Í Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Conspiracy, Cent. Dig. §§ 79, 80, 84-99; Dee. Dig. §=13.] 2. Conspiracy §=13—Criminal Offenses—Indictment—Requisites. An indictment charging a general conspiracy to bring into the country Chinese aliens not lawfully entitled to enter the United States need not set forth the names of the persons who were brought into the United States. ! Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Conspiracy, Cent. Dig. §§ 79, 80, 84-99; Dec. Dig. §=43.] 3. Conspiracy §=43—Criminal Conspiracy—Indictment—Sufficiency. An indictment charging a conspiracy to violate a law of the United States need not set out the means by which the conspiracy is to be carried out, nor that the means were a part of the agreement or confederation, nor what part each conspirator should play, nor the character of the acts to be performed to effectuate the purpose, for it is the conspiracy to do the unlawful act that is the gravamen of the offense. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Conspiracy, Cent. Dig. §§ 79, 80, 84-99; Dec. Dig. §=4S.] 4. Conspiracy §=43—Criminal Conspiracy—Indictment—Requisites. An indictment charging a conspiracy under Fen. Code, § 37, for a violation of Chinese Exclusion Act 1882, § 11, as amended by Act July 5, 3884, need not charge a violation of the Exclusion Act with the same particularity necessary to-'charge a crime under the act, and an indictment alleging that defendants conspired and agreed together, and together with divers other persons to the grand jurors unknown, to violate the act, and then charging overt acts committed in furtherance of the conspiracy, is sufficient. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Conspiracy, Cent. Dig. §§ 79, 80, 84-99; Dec. Dig. §=43.]