Baron v. United States

286 F. 822, 1 Ohio Law. Abs. 450, 1923 U.S. App. LEXIS 2763
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit·Decided February 6, 1923·No. No. 3704·Published·Cited by 15 cases

Opinion

DENISON, Circuit Judge.

Baron was a wholesale liquor dealer in Brooklyn, N. Y., who had procured due permits to purchase whisky in Pittsburgh and ship it to Brooklyn. He withdrew from a Pittsburgh distillery warehouse 500 cases — being five truck loads — and started the transportation. Barnett accompanied the trucks as guard. When they had reached Youngstown, Ohio, on their journey to Brooklyn, the whisky was seized, and Baron and Barnett, with others, were arrested. They were later indicted, with several others, and were charged in count 6 of the indictment with a conspiracy to violate the National Prohibition Act (41 Stat. 305), by using permits for the withdrawal and transportation to Brooklyn of whisky for medicinal purposes as a subterfuge to cover the intended and actual withdrawal and shipment to Youngstown for sale there for beverage purposes. Baron and Barnett, and one other, were eventually put on trial; the others indicted were, for some reason, not brought to trial. Baron and Barnett were found guilty on three counts, including this one for conspiracy, and they separately assign error.

Baron complains because the court did not grant his request for continuance, made on account of his physical and mental unfitness to go to trial. This request involved an issue of fact which was thoroughly tried out and considered by the District Judge, and the request was denied. It is entirely plain that he did not abuse the discretion vested in him on that subject. The same conclusion must be reached as to Barnett’s demand for a separate trial.

Barnett contends that there was not sufficient evidence to justify his conviction. The case against him is circumstantial and a verdict to the effect that his guilt was not established beyond reasonable [824]*824doubt might well have been hoped for; but we think the case against him was one for the jury. There was ample justification for believing that the whole expedition was for unlawful purposes. Barnett was confessedly a member of the expedition; his defense was, in a measure, one of confession and avoidance. He admitted participation as far as the transportation had-gone, but he claimed he supposed it was going on to Brooklyn, in accordance with the permits. A prosecution against a man who is thus prima facie implicated rightly appeals to a jury in a light somewhat different from that which is applied to a defendant who denies any participation; it is like the possession of stolen property, which in a practical sense must be explained so as to satisfy the jury. The claim that Barnett, in good faith, believed that in going to Youngstown he was on his way to Brooklyn might very well have been accepted; but the jury, which saw Barnett and heard him testify, was not obliged to believe his statement to that effect.

Further, there was testimony tending to show that Barnett had gone to Youngstown from Pittsburgh with Baron on the occasion a few days before (not earlier than May 7; May 8 is the earliest date given), when Baron made his alleged arrangement with a Youngstown official for permission to sell in Youngstown this expected shipment; that there was about then a registration at a Youngstown hotel by “H. Lewis, Pittsburgh”; and that immediately after Barnett’s arrest, he registered at the police station as “H. Lewis, Pittsburgh.’’ These later things, by themselves, would be only suspicious circumstances which would be — we assume — unsatisfactory as the sole support of a conviction; but they tend to confirm the inferences to be drawn from the remainder of the situation, as described, and the verdict of guilty against Barnett should not be disturbed by an appellate court on this ground.

After Baron’s arrest he was searched, and upon him were found what seemed to be copies of several letters written by him from Pittsburgh to associates in Brooklyn during the few days before this first Youngstown trip was taken. These letters were received in evidence, and Baron and Barnett severally complain. Baron suggests violation of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. Passing by the doubt whether the federal agents were responsible for the search and seizure, and passing by the effect of such doubt, we see no unreasonable search and seizure with resulting compulsory evidence by Baron against himself. He had been arrested, although without warrant; but there was clearly probable cause to believe him guilty of a felony. His temporary “booking” on a misdemeanor was not inconsistent. His arrest was therefore lawful, and to search the person of one lawfully arrested is not such an unreasonable seizure of evidence found on him as to prohibit its use upon his trial. 5 C. J. 401, 405, 416, 434; Weeks v. U. S., 232 U. S. 383, 392, 34 Sup. Ct. 341, 58 L. Ed. 652, L. R. A. 1915B, 834, Ann. Cas. 1915C, 1177.1

[825]*825Baron next complains that these letters had no harmful tendency, except to show him guilty of other offenses of the same kind; hence that they should have been received in evidence only as bearing on his intent in the matter of this indictment, while the court permitted them to be considered in a general way for whatever evidential value they might have upon the charge here made. Under the circumstances of this case, a distinction between the letters as evidence of this crime, and the letters as evidence of guilt to be inferred in this instance from other similar crimes, is academic. The letters of May 2-May 6 indicated generally that, while in Pittsburgh, Baron was either carrying on, or contemplating, or both, an unlawful traffic in beverage liquor, rather than a lawful dealing in medicinal liquor. Under the indictment on trial, nothing was in dispute except the intent. If Baron intended to sell his liquor in Youngstown, he was undeniably guilty; if he intended to take it to Brooklyn for medicinal purposes, he was entitled to acquittal. Under such circumstances, clearly developed by the undisputed testimony and the general charge, when the court permitted these letters to be received and considered as against Baron for whatever tendency they might have- upon the conspiracy charge, he permitted them to be received as to Baron’s intent and for no other purpose. The conspiracy was the intent and the intent was the conspiracy — assuming an overt act and an associate.

Barnett complains that the letters were admitted at all, as against him, since they had no tendency to show his guilty intent. When they were first offered and received, the court expressly ruled that they were received against Baron only, and not against Barnett. In the final charge to the jury and discussion of the evidence, the jury was told that it could consider as against Barnett whatever there was in these letters tending to show a conspiracy only in case it found there was a conspiracy to which Barnett was a party. It is not quite clear where this left the matter, nor what answer there was to Barnett’s claim that the letters antedated his first alleged connection with the plan; but, in any view, it is hard to see substantial prejudice as against Barnett. The evidence, which the jury doubtless believed, was conclusive as to Baron’s conduct which would establish the conspiracy, if others were joined with him. It showed that, on his previous trip to Youngstown, he had arranged with the Youngstown safety director to pay him $5 per case, or $2,500, as the price of being allowed to sell the liquor there, and that on the later trip, and just before his arrest, he paid the money.

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Baron v. United States, 286 F. 822, 1 Ohio Law. Abs. 450, 1923 U.S. App. LEXIS 2763 (6th Cir. 1923).

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