Hawk v. Olson

16 N.W.2d 181, 145 Neb. 306, 1944 Neb. LEXIS 143
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 3, 1944
DocketNo. 31841
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 16 N.W.2d 181 (Hawk v. Olson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hawk v. Olson, 16 N.W.2d 181, 145 Neb. 306, 1944 Neb. LEXIS 143 (Neb. 1944).

Opinion

Wenke, J.

This habeas corpus proceeding was instituted in the district court for Lancaster county by the petitioner, Henry Hawk, against Neil Olson, warden of the Nebraska state penitentiary, as respondent, to obtain the petitioner’s release. From an order denying the writ the petitioner has appealed to this court.

The petitioner’s petition discloses that a complaint was filed ag-ainst him in the municipal court of the city of Omaha containing two counts charging him with first degree murder. Preliminary hearing thereon was had on February 11, 1936, and on the same day he was bound over to the district court. Information to the same effect was then filed in the district court on February 17, 1936. On March 16, 1936, after being arraigned and pleading not guilty, the defendant was tried to a jury. By the verdict of the jury, rendered on March 18, 1936, he was found guilty of murder in the first degree, which verdict fixed the penalty at imprisonment in the penitentiary during life. On March 19, 1936, after motion for new trial had been overruled, the court, as provided in the verdict, sentenced the petitioner to the Nebraska state penitentiary for the period of his natural life. He is confined and is being held, in said institution pursuant thereto.

This court, in Hawk v. O’Grady, 137 Neb. 639, 290 N. W. 911, has determined the validity of the form of the judgment entered by the trial court.

Petitioner complains that at the time he was tried he was a federal prisoner incarcerated in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, and therefore outside of the jurisdiction of the state. Further, that when he had completed his term in the federal prison he was turned over to the Nebraska authorities and confined in the state penitentiary without further order. These contentions are without merit.

The petition states that he was brought to Omaha for [308]*308trial by the federal authorities and then returned by them to the federal prison; and that when his term in the federal penitentiary expired the federal authorities turned him over to the state authorities. As stated in Ponzi v. Fessenden, 258 U. S. 254, 42 S. Ct. 309, 22 A. L. R. 879: “ * * * the fact that a defendant in an indictment is in prison serving a sentence for another crime gives him no immunity from the second prosecution. * * * ‘The penitentiary is not a place of sanctuary; and an incarcerated convict ought not to enjoy an immunity from trial merely because he is undergoing punishment on some earlier judgment of guilt.’ ” As stated in Rigor v. State, 61 Atl. 631 (101 Md. 465) : “That accused is serving a sentence under a prior conviction of a distinct crime is no ground for postponing his trial until the expiration of such sentence.” See, also, Cato v. Smith, 104 Fed. 2d 885; Kelley v. Oregon, 273 U. S. 589, 47 S. Ct. 504. And in Ponzi v. Fessenden, supra: “Nor, * * * is there any difficulty in respect to the execution of a second sentence. It can be made to. commence when the first terminates. Kite v. Commonwealth, 11 Metc. 581, 585, an opinion by Chief Justice Shaw; Ex parte Ryan, 10 Nev. 261, 264; Thomas v. People, 67 N. Y. 218, 226.”

Many of the petitioner’s grounds for release are pleaded in the form of conclusions. The petitioner must set forth the facts from which it is made to appear he will be entitled to discharge. See In re Application of Tail, Tail v. Olson, ante, p. 268, 16 N. W. 2d 161.

“In an application for a writ of habeas corpus if the applicant or petitioner sets forth facts which, if true, would make out a case which would entitle him to his discharge, then the writ is a matter of right and the petitioner should be produced and a hearing held thereon to determine the question of fact presented. But, if he shows by the facts which he sets forth in his application for the writ that he is not entitled to relief, then the writ will be denied for it would be useless to go through the procedure of granting the writ and having the party brought before the court merely to be remanded back to the custody out of which he [309]*309seeks to be discharged. Since the allegations of the petition are often inconclusive and mere statements of conclusions of the pleader the court may refuse to issue the writ if, upon the face of the petition, it appears that the party is not entitled thereto.” In re Application of Tail, Tail v. Olson, supra.

The petitioner questions the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain his conviction and says he is innocent. “ ‘The guilt or innocence of one accused of crime, or convicted of a crime, is not justiciable in habeas corpus.’ Smith v. Amrine, 156 Kan. 486, 134 Pac. 2d 400.” In re Application of Tail, Tail v. Olson, supra. See, also, Carlsen v. State, 129 Neb. 84, 261 N. W. 339.

The petitioner sets forth parts of the evidence taken at the time of trial and attempts to show that the same are contradictory, conflicting, impeached, incompetent, and uncorroborated; that the state was permitted to impeach its own witnesses; that the court overruled his motion for continuance made after he had been arraigned and pleaded not guilty but before trial; and that there was error in the instructions given by the court. “Habeas corpus is a collateral, not a direct, proceeding when regarded as a means of attack upon a judgment sentencing a defendant. It cannot be used as a substitute for a writ of error.” In re Application of Maher, North v. Dorrance, 144 Neb. 484, 13 N. W. 2d 653. “A judgment or sentence of a court of record in a criminal case is thus supported by the usual presumptions of validity and regularity when thus attacked. To obtain release from a sentence of imprisonment by habeas corpus, such sentence must be absolutely void.” State ex rel. Gossett v. O’Grady, 137 Neb. 824, 291 N. W. 497. “A writ of habeas corpus is not a writ for the correction of errors and will not be allowed to be used for that purpose. Michaelson v. Beemer, 72 Neb. 761.” In re Application of Cole, Cole v. Fenton, 103 Neb. 802, 174 N. W. 509.

The petitioner refers to the testimony of certain witnesses as being perjured and other witnesses as having been intimidated or bribed. These statements are mere conclu[310]*310sions. They do not set forth facts which, if true, would entitle him to relief. However, if sufficient facts were set forth to entitle him to relief on this basis his remedy would not be by habeas corpus. The writ of error coram nobis has been recognized in this state. Carlsen v. State, supra. The object of the writ is to bring into the record, before the court that rendered the judgment, facts which were unknown to the defendant at the time of trial through no lack of reasonable diligence on his part, which, if known at the time of the trial, would have resulted in a different judgment. As stated in Carlsen v. State, supra: “ * * * the writ of habeas corpus does not afford a corrective judicial process to remedy an error of fact, at the trial, without which a conviction would not have resulted. * * * Habeas corpus is not a proper remedy to release one from prison who has been wrongfully convicted.”

Petitioner complains of his inability to perfect his appeal. On April 10, 1936, he filed notice of appeal and affidavit of poverty with the trial court.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
16 N.W.2d 181, 145 Neb. 306, 1944 Neb. LEXIS 143, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hawk-v-olson-neb-1944.