Loose v. State
Loose v. State
Opinion of the Court
The questions raised by the errors assigned so far as insisted upon, will he treated in detail and in the order of their presentation in the brief of counsel for plaintiff in error.
■ “There may be cause for a man to be arrested a great many times when there is no reason why he should be convicted.”
“It is always supposed that0there is sufficient reason for a man to be before the jury when he is charged with an offense, or otherwise he would not be there, but that is no reason to be considered by the jury at all.”
The record does not disclose the cause for making such remarks. The occasion seems to have been the excusing of a juror for cause. The examination of the juror was not preserved in the record. The circumstances suggest that such juror, on his examination, probably expressed some leaning against the accused from the mere fact that he had been arrested and placed on trial upon a serious charge. In any event, the reasonable meaning of the language of the court seems to be that a man may be charged with being guilty of a criminal offense, constituting a legitimate ground for arrest
At the commencement of the trial the court exercised its discretionary authority in accordance with the wishes of the accused, to exclude witnesses from the courtroom except as they were called to testify, yet subsequently witnesses were allowed to testify who had violated, innocently or otherwise, the order in that regard. The practice of putting witnesses under a rule during the trial, so that one shall not be affected in his testimony by that of another, and so that, so far as possible, concert between witnesses may be prevented, is as old as the history of trials in English courts. It is doubtless a very valuable means to the end to be attained, the discovery of truth. The use thereof is rarely ever refused when applied for by a party; while a careful court will sometimes discover situations where such means should be adopted, and act accordingly, without the application of counsel upon either side. Nevertheless, neither the exclusion of witnesses while others are testifying, nor the separation of witnesses till they shall have given their testimony, is a matter that can be insisted upon as a right. It is a subject wholly under the control of the court, limited only by the boundaries of sound judicial discretion. Roberts v. State, 122 Ala. 47, 25
Complaint is made because the girl upon whom the offense-was alleged to have been committed testified as to her own age. That was proper by a well-settled rule of evidence. Any one, after arriving at the age of discretion so as to be-competent to testify as a witness at all, may give evidence as-to his own age. 2 Jones, Ev. § 303, and cases cited. And that applies though the witness has no other knowledge in respect to the subject except that which was told him by his-parents. Hart v. Stickney, 41 Wis. 630.
The father of the alleged abused child was permitted to-testify as to her age. Objection was raised to that because-the witness indicated that he relied in part, in giving his testimony, upon a memorandum made by him at the time of the child’s birth, which memorandum was not produced in court. We are unable to discover any error in that. The witness testified to the effect that he was present at such birth, that he made the memorandum, and knew at the time thereof that he made it correctly. One may refer to a memorandum made by himself for the purpose of preparing to give testimony in regard to the fact involved, even if he has no present recollection independent thereof, so long as he knows that, when he-made it, it was in accordance with the truth. Bourda v. Jones, 110 Wis. 56, 85 N. W. 671; Nehrling v. Herold Co. 112 Wis. 558, 568, 88 N. W. 614. The mere fact that the memorandum is not produced in court at the time the witness’ testimony is given may go to the credibility of such testimony, but does not go to the competency thereof or justify the court in rejecting it unless the witness unreasonably refuses to comply with the order of the court to produce the memorandum. The idea suggested by counsel that the memorandum made by the witness in this case, which appears to
The claim is made in support.of the affirmative of that-proposition that, since the charge was laid under sec. 4382,. Stats. 1898, i. e., that the accused did'wilfully and carnally know and abuse the female child mentioned, she being under-the age of fourteen years, the calls of the statute were for some element of actual violence, or some actual force and' subjection of the female’s will; that carnal knowledge of the-girl by her consent and co-operation' does not satisfy the statute, nor a mere attempt in that regard, she consenting thereto, constitute an offense within the meaning of sec. 4383, Id., under which the accused was convicted; that if he was guilty of any offense it was that of fornication under sec. 4580, Stats. 1898, or of taking indecent liberties with the girl, not-intending to commit rape upon her, under sec. 4588a; or else that secs. 4382 and 4383 are void for uncertainty, in view of the other sections referred to, under the reasoning in State v. Wentler, 16 Wis. 89, 44 N. W. 841, 45 N. W. 816.
We do not deem it necessary at this time to go into a very lengthy examination, analysis and discussion of the statutes referred to and others that might be mentioned, since the significant element in sec. 4381, placed there by the act of 1887, which mainly led to the condemnation thereof in State v-Wentler, was subsequently eliminated therefrom, and later, in Proper v. State, 85 Wis. 615, 55 N. W. 1035, and Lanphere v. State, 114 Wis. 193, 89 N. W. 128, secs. 4382 and
“While the common form of an attempt to commit the ordinary rape is by assault with such intent and on an indictment for rape there may be conviction of assault if no technical rule prevents in matter of principle and by the bettor .judicial determinations there cannot be under the common-law rules, an assault with intent to have carnal knowledge of a girl with her consent: because by the common law violence consented to is not an assault and the statute which makes her consent immaterial in defense of the carnal knowledge does not extend to the assault.”
. The court disposed of the argument, both as to the validity of the statute and as to the calls thereof being for some act of actual violence and being inconsistent with consent of the female, very briefly, using language to this effect:
*124 “The prosecutrix, being under the age of consent, was ■conclusively incapable of legally consenting to the offense ■charged. It was therefore neither necessary to allege nor to .prove want of consent. Any attempt to have carnal knowl-
“The offense punishable under this provision is established when it is satisfactorily proven that, the person charged with such offense has in fact had sexual intercourse with the female named jn the information, and that she was under the-age of fourteen years; and the mqans used for the purpose-of accomplishing such intercourse are wholly immaterial. It may be brought about by persuasion, force or fraud. Still the offense has been committed if the intercourse takes place,, and it is as clearly applicable to a ease of fornication, adultery, seduction, or incest as it is to a case of ravishment by force or fraud.”
Taking that in connection with the very plain language of Fizell v. State to the same effect, of which it is merely af-
As before indicated, while all the criticisms of the statutes found in State v. Wentler have been remedied or rendered by subsequent decisions unimportant, — since some of them have not been specially referred to in any subsequent decision, yet the general condition of our statutes which gave rise thereto has not been changed, the change made going only to the matters held in that case to be fatal; and we have •evidence here that those things which brought out the other suggestions unfavorable to the laws still remain therein, and such suggestions are liable to be troublesome to trial courts and give false hopes to convicted persons for relief here, as is the case now, — we will go over the subject in response to counsel’s argument.
In State v. Wentler the court pointed out these then seeming inconsistent and unreasonable features in the statutes punishing the various phases of unlawful intercourse between the sexes: (a) The ravishment of a female over ten and under fourteen years of age by force and against her will, under •sec. 4381, is punishable with less severity than the ravishment of a female of the same age by her consent under •sec. 4382, rendering the two provisions clearly in conflict, {b) Under sec. 4381 the circumstance that the female is a •common prostitute mitigates the offense, though the criminal act he perpetrated by force and against her will, while the same act under sec. 4382 is punishable regardless of circum
Thus, in the light of the severe criticisms made in State v. Wentler, of the laws on the subject of unlawful commerce between the sexes as such laws existed at that time, the legislature has twice specially considered the matter and generally considered the same in the late revision of the statutes, with
Surveying the statutes as a whole, from all that has gone before, features “b,” “c,” and “d,-” aforesaid, that once seemed to the court highly unreasonable under the circumstances then existing, do not have-- such appearance now. Doubtless in making the radical innovation of raising the age of consent from ten to fourteen years the legislature had. in mind the construction of the statutes in Fizell v. State, and fully appreciated that cases were likely to arise falling-within the letter of sec. 4382 where it would be monstrous, to charge the offender with being guilty of a crime that might, send him to the state’s prison in effect for life. The offender might be a mere boy; the female a common prostitute, and there be a concurrence of minds with no very great difference as to the leading spirit. It doubtless was seen by the-lawmakers, and they acted having regard for the fact, that, cases were liable to arise falling within the letter of such section, where justice would be fully satisfied, or at least-punishment would be much more certainly visited upon the-offender, and so far as practicable justice would be satisfied:
If anything were needed to re-enforce what has been said as to the legislative attitude, as to a mere attempt, in the sense of physical effort, to have commerce with a female child under the age of consent, regardless of attending circumstances, being an assault to commit the crime of rape, it is furnished by the act of the legislature, sec. 4588a. It provides for punishing a person severely, the maximum being imprisonment in the state’s prison for a term of two years, for taking indecent liberties with a female under the age of fourteen years, with or without her consent, there, being no ■ intent at the time to coonmit upon her the crime of rape. That was further supplemented in 189Y by sec. 4591a.
The conclusion must be the legislature supposed that the intent to commit the crime of rapé, added to the act made so highly criminal by its last utterance, should satisfy the calls ■of sec. 4388; and with the former statutes to which we have referred, secs. 4382, 4383, 4580, 4588a, and 4591a, and •other laws incidentally referred to, all standing together, and with the effect we have indicated, would prevent or punish, so far as practicable, abuse or corruption of female children.
Two requests to instruct were refused, which werevto the effect that the jury should view the evidence of the girl with .great care, having regard for her condition of mind as an injured person, and guard themselves against being moved by sympathy in her behalf, to give undue weight to the evidence •against the accused. Here again, counsel’s attitude was that the same rule should apply where the female, though competent, is not conscious of jhaving been wronged, where she is really a participant in the unlawful act, which applies in ■case of the crime of rape committed by actual violence. Obviously the requested instructions were not good law.
Several instructions were refused which were framed upon the theory that although the girl was. under the age of legal •consent, the accused could not be convicted of the full offense •charged, nor with assault with intent to commit such offense,
Complaint is made because the court refused to specially instruct the jury as follows:
“The defendant is entitled to have the evidence against him carefully and closely considered, and can only be convicted if, after such scrutiny, you can say upon your oaths that the evidence leaves upon your minds no reasonable doubt as to his guilt.”
We are unable to see how error can be predicated on that, since the court fully instructed the jury that it was their duty to acquit the defendant unless satisfied beyond every reasonable doubt of his guilt in respect to some criminal offense charged against him in the information, and to acquit him of any offense so charged of which they were not from the evidence so satisfied.
The foregoing covers all the propositions urged upon our attention. No reason is perceived why the judgment should be disturbed. It must be affirmed.
By the Gourt.- — So ordered.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Loose, in error v. The State, in error
- Cited By
- 43 cases
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- Published
- Syllabus
- 'Trial: Rules of court: Setting aside: Discretion: Appeal and error: Criminal law and practice: Remarks of court: Separation and exclusion of witnesses: Violation of order by witness: Exclusion of evidence: Contempt: Competency of witnesses: Age: Birth: Family records: Memoranda: Best evidence: Rape: Consent: Assault with intent to commit rape: Statutes: Instructions to jury. 1. A trial judge may at pleasure set aside a rule of his own making, designed to regulate the continuance of causes after being once set down for hearing, without committing reversible error, or error at all, if the rights of no one are not thereby clearly and substantially prejudiced. :2. In a criminal case it is not error to say in the presence of the jury, in effect: A cause for arrest does not indicate any cause for conviction. When a person is duly charged in such a cause and placed upon his trial it is presumed to have been regularly done, but does not furnish any reason to be considered by the jury as regards the fact of guilt. 3. The placing of witnesses in a judicial trial under a rule as regards their presence in court other than when giving their testimony, until that shall have been given, and as regards communicating with each other till they shall have testified, is wholly a matter of judicial discretion. 4. If a witness put under a rule, as stated in the last paragraph, violates the same, it does not furnish any legitimate ground for the exclusion of his evidence if the party calling him is. an innocent party in the matter. 5. In case of a violation of a rule as mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the person calling the witness being innocent in the matter, punishment for the transgression should be confined to-the witness himself, as for a contempt of court. 6. A person having arrived at an age rendering him competent to-testify as a witness in court, may give evidence respecting his own age, although his knowledge thereof be based -wholly upon hearsay. 7. A family record is not the best evidence of a birth noted therein, nor original evidence in respect thereto, the person who made-the record being alive, competent to testify, and within reach of the court. In such a case such record is of no higher dignity than any other memorandum. 8. The maker of a memorandum, or person who knew at some time that it was made correctly, may use the writing in or out of court to refresh his memory preparatory to testifying' in respect to the matter therein referred to, and after doing so may so testify though having no present knowledge as to the truth of such matter independently of the writing. 9. The fact that the witness, in the circumstances above stated,. fails to produce the memorandum in court, gives no ground' for rejecting his testimony, unless he unreasonably refuses to produce it pursuant to the court’s order. Absence of the writing can be considered as bearing on the credibility of the witness to such extent as the jury think proper under all the circumstances. 10. Under sec. 4382, Stats. 1898, disabling females under the age of fourteen years from consenting to sexual intercourse, one committing such an act upon such a .female, regardless of the means used to accomplish it, and of the female’s consent, and co-operation, is guilty of the crime of rape. 11. An attempt to do the act mentioned in sec. 4382, Stats. 1898, regardless of the means reported to and of whether the female consents of not, is an assault with intent to commit the crime-of rape under sec. 4383, Id. 12. The fact that a person charged with the crime of rape under-sec. 4382, Stats. 1898, may instead be charged under sec. 4580 with the offense of fornication, or be charged under appropriate-statutes' with the crime of seduction, or incest, according to the facts,. does not militate against the validity of such statutes nor the wisdom thereof, since the manifest purpose o£ the same is to insure adequate punishment, so far as practicable, of persons guilty of unlawful commerce with female children, avoiding the danger of their going entirely unpunished in some cases because of the severity of the penalty, or the law being endangered by the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments, — in view of the change in the legal age of consent to fourteen years. Criticisms of the legislative policy, above indicated, made in State v. Wentler, 76 Wis. 89, withdrawn. 13. The rule as regards the evidentiary effect of disclosure or failure to make disclosure by a female, to those in her confidence, as regards a crime of rape perpetrated or attempted to be perpetrated upon her, does not apply where the element of non-consent in respect to the offense is supplied by the statute and there is consent in fact. 14. Neither does such rule apply to a person to whom disclosure is made, who delays in reporting her knowledge to others or causing legal proceedings to be instituted. 15. It is not the duty of the court, nor is it proper as a general rule, upon request or otherwise, to point out to the jury the evidence of any particular witness upon a disputed matter, giving particular significance thereto and stating how it should or should not be viewed as regards the truthfulness thereof. 16. The suggestion customarily made to juries in prosecutions for rape, that they should view the evidence of the prosecuting witness with great care, having regard for her state of mind as an injured person, and be on their guard against being moved by sympathy for her to give undue weight to the state’s evidence, does not apply to a case where, though there was . nonconsent by force of the statute, there was consent in fact. 17. The court having instructed the jury in a criminal case that they should acquit the accused unless satisfied of his guilt from the evidence beyond every reasonable doubt, is not required, whether requested or not, to give further instructions on the same subject. .[Syllabus by Mabshall, J.]