Clarke v. People

171 P. 69, 64 Colo. 164, 1918 Colo. LEXIS 232
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedJanuary 7, 1918
DocketNo. 8868
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 171 P. 69 (Clarke v. People) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clarke v. People, 171 P. 69, 64 Colo. 164, 1918 Colo. LEXIS 232 (Colo. 1918).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Allen

delivered the opinion of the court.

The plaintiff in error, hereinafter also referred to as the defendant, was convicted of obtaining money by false pretenses, and brings error.

The evidence, on the part of the prosecution, shows that one O. F. Broman, the prosecuting witness, had several conversations with the defendant during October, 1913. In those conversations the defendant represented to Bro-man that the Clarke Medical Company had at that time in operation two institutions for the treatment of persons afflicted with either the liquor, or the morphine habit; that one of such institutions was located at Denver, and the other at Trinidad; that the one at Trinidad took care of the miners there, and was a paying institution, because a good many miners addicted to strong drink were willing to pay the fee; and that the institution at Denver was well equipped, had sixteen beds, besides a county ward, where county patients, averaging about twelve a year, were accommodated. The evidence further shows that in those conversations the defendant represented that the company earned, in the business, between 240 and 260 per cent, dividends on its capital stock, and that it had $6,000 in the bank. It was also represented by the defendant that there was never any difficulty in having the alleged Denver institution filled with inmates, and that the average fee in each case was $175, and that the county of Denver paid $100 for the treatment of each county patient.

The defendant denied that he made such representation's. It appears to be conceded that the statements or pretenses, if made, were false. The defendant was a director in the [166]*166Clarke Medical Company, and a majority of the shares in the company was held by his wife. After these conversar tions between Broman and the defendant took place, and during the same month, the defendant came into Broman’s office and, as Broman testified, “pulled out these stock certificates.” It appears that on that occasion the defendant transferred to Broman 1,000 shares of stock in the company, and received from Broman a check for $200, at that time, and a check for $800 at a later date.

The first contention of the plaintiff in error is that the trial court erred in refusing to direct a verdict of acquittal. It is claimed that the evidence fails to show that Broman relied upon the representations, or that they constituted the initial cause of his paying the defendant the money as charged.

Broman testified on direct examination that he believed the representations that the defendant made; that he acted upon them; and that if he had not believed them he would not have paid $1,000 for the stock. This witness further testified that he secured the stock as a result of the defendant’s representations, and that on account of such statements he gave defendant the two checks of $1,000.

The plaintiff in error, defendant below, insists that this testimony of Broman must be qualified by what the witness said on cross-examination, and that his testimony on such cross-examination materially, if not altogether, destroyed the specific statements, above mentioned, made in the direct examination.

We do not take this view of Broman’s testimony. He testified on cross-examination that he did not give the matter any serious thought at the time he took the stock, and' that the stock transaction “came at the psychological moment.” The witness also said: “I accepted the papers because they made out the papers to me, or because of the impression received regarding the business in the past.” In answer to the question: “Did you turn over in your mind any specific statement you had heard whether from Clarke (the defendant) or anyone else?,” the witness said: “No, [167]*167I don’t know that I did except in a subconscious manner perhaps.”

This evidence did not contradict, nor was it inconsistent with the testimony given in chief. One may rely upon statements previously made to him, and act on, and because of, the same, without consciously reflecting upon those statements, provided the impressions theretofore created by such representations still remain on his mind.

The evidence was sufficient to warrant the jury in finding that the prosecuting witness relied and acted upon the false pretenses. In the case of State v. Thatcher, 35 N. J. L. 445, the prosecutor did not expressly testify that he was induced to act because of the false pretenses but the court said:

“It is sufficient, if the jury are satisfied that the unlawful purpose would not have been effected without the influence of the false pretense, added to any other circumstance which might have contributed to control the will of the injured party.”

There was no error in refusing to direct a verdict of acquittal, upon the ground mentioned.

• The plaintiff in error further contends that the trial court erred in including in the instruction numbered 7 the expression: “whether consciously so induced on the part of Broman.” The context of this expression, or the portion of the instruction containing the same, reads as follows:

“And in this case, if you find from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant falsely made in substance, any of the alleged pretenses without at the time intending Broman to act thereon in purchasing the stock of the company, but afterwards sold to Broman the stock with intent and design that Broman should rely upon and be influenced to buy such stock and make payment therefor because of the former false pretense, or false pretenses, whether consciously or subconsciously so induced on the part of Broman, you should in such case treat such former pretense as though by adoption renewed upon such dealing by the defendant on trial.”

[168]*168The expression contained in the instruction, and objected to in this connection, was evidently intended to-be adapted to the theory that a person may be induced to act upon statements previously made to him without, at the time of acting, thinking about any of the statements. Such theory is correct because impressions are formed and a belief may be created at the time when the representations are made, and a party may act upon and because of the statements and pretenses, without consciously reflecting upon them, or even upon the belief which they created. In such case it may be said that a person is acting “subconsciously” in reliance upon the truth of the statements previously made to him because of the ■ impressions created on his mind by such statements. The testimony in this case justified, though not required, some instruction based on this theory.

The instruction given is not erroneous. When considered along with other instructions, it is not misleading on account of its reference to the subconscious mind or its use of the phrase, “consciously or subconsciously.” In other instructions the jury were told that it must be shown that Broman parted with his money, and the defendant received it, by means of the false pretenses, and, that in order for a pretense to be an inducing cause of the paying of money it is necessary that it be shown that the money would not have been paid if such pretense had not been made, and had not been believed and relied upon. The jury was told that all instructions must be taken, considered and read together. There was no prejudicial error in the giving of instruction 7, when viewed with reference to the objection now made to it.

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Bluebook (online)
171 P. 69, 64 Colo. 164, 1918 Colo. LEXIS 232, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clarke-v-people-colo-1918.