Judge v. Jordan

46 N.W. 1077, 81 Iowa 519
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedOctober 29, 1890
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 46 N.W. 1077 (Judge v. Jordan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Judge v. Jordan, 46 N.W. 1077, 81 Iowa 519 (iowa 1890).

Opinion

GfivEN, J.

1 Intoxicating ' liquors: sales contrary to law: aam-ages: evi-diet00:ver' I. A brief statement of the undisputed facts is necessary to an understanding of the questions discussed. On and for some time prior to ^ January 2,1887, the defendant Jordan kept u j ? * a saloon known as “The Elkhorn,” in the premises described, under a lease from defendant O’Conner. On Sunday, January 2, 1887, a fire broke out in a building near the saloon belonging to Mr. Cage. During the fire, the saloon was kept open and warm, and resorted to by many persons to warm themselves, the day being exceedingly cold ; and some property taken from the burning building was deposited in the saloon. Mr. Gage said to defendant Jordan: “ Give the fire department a round on me. I will pay for it.” Jordan and his bartender dealt out intoxicating liquors, for which Mr. Gage afterwards paid. Plaintiff’s husband was at his home when the alarm of fire was given, and proceeded at once to the burning building, where, in common with many other citizens, he assisted in removing property from the burning building. While so engaged, he took a drink from a bottle of whiskey that was passed among the men at a ladder at the building. In the evening, plaintiff’s husband was found lying in an alley so intoxicated as to be unable to help himself. He was carried by the police to the city lock-up, put in a bunk, and a fire built in the stove. An officer visited the lock-up about nine and half past two in the night, and on the last visit a [522]*522physician was called, who, finding the patient unconscious, and the prison very cold, ordered him removed to a boarding-house near by. Plaintiff’s husband was so badly frozen as to totally disable him, and to require treatment for many months, and to necessitate the amputation of one of his legs. He was then aged twenty-eight years, and, prior to these injuries, was an able-bodied man, and able to earn from one dollar and fifty cents to one dollar and seventy-five cents per day in his business as a laborer. There is a conflict in the testimony as to whether plaintiff ’ s husband got any intoxicating liquors from defendant Jordan, or at his saloon, and whether the defendant O’ Conner knew that Jordan was selling intoxicating liquors, contrary to law, on the leased premises.

Following the order of the arguments, we first notice appellants’ complaint that the court erred in overruling the motion to set aside the verdict, and in rendering judgment thereon, because the verdict was not sustained by the evidence. Augustus Hurlburt testified that during the fire he and Mr. Judge went into Jordan’s saloon with others, and that he and Judge drank whiskey there out of the same bottle; that neither of them paid for it; and that Jordan and his bartender were there at the time. Hurlburt’s testimony, as given on a former trial of this plaintiff against one Boock, to recover for inj uries caused by the same intoxication, is in evidence, and is claimed to be in direct contradiction of that given on this trial, and that Hurlburt is not, therefore, entitled to credit. On the former examination, he testified to Judge’s drinking out of the bottle at the ladder, and to his drinking in Boock’s saloon. He was not asked as to his drinking in Jordan’s, and the only statement made in conflict with his testimony in this case is, that he did not see Judge take more than those two drinks. It was for the jury to say what credit, if any, should be given to Hurlburt’s testimony, and we. think, in view of the corroborating circumstances, that they were warranted in accepting it as true. Under the order from Gage, liquors were dealt out freely by Jordan on that [523]*523occasion. True, be says only to tbe firemen, but tbe jury might well bave found that both Cage and Jordan meant by “firemen” those who wére engaged in trying to save Mr. Gage’s property. Tbe circumstances were certainly corroborative of tbe testimony, which, thus corroborated, so far sustains tbe verdict as that it should not be interfered with.

_ _ ‘ admissions:. instructions to jury. II. Tbe court says in its instructions: “It is admitted by defendant Jordan that at tbe time of tbe fire one James P. Gage said' to him to give tbe firemen a round, and be would pay for . . . v, T it: and it is further admitted by said Jor- ? * dan that, upon said direction of said Gage, be did, in bis saloon, furnish tbe firemen intoxicating liquors, for which said Gage subsequently paid him.” Appellants concede that Jordan so testified, but contend that it was not an admission, because not stated in tbe pleadings. These statements of Jordan’s in his testimony are not questioned, and it was not error to say to tbe jury that they were admitted by Jordan.

-instructions. III. Based upon these admissions, tbe court charged tbe jury that, if Jordan or bis bartender, acting upon tbe direction of Gage, furnished Judge intoxicating liquors, “or furnished it to others in his saloon, from whom tbe plaintiff’s husband obtained it, then it was a selling to said Gage and tbe plaintiff’s husband, substantially as alleged in plaintiff’s petition.” Appellants suppose a case where A sold to B, and B subsequently, upon bis own account, sold to 0, and contend that A is not liable for tbe sale to C. Such is not this case. It was submitted to the jury upon tbe theory that defendant was liable, if, upon tbe order of Gage, be furnished intoxicating liquors to plaintiff’s husband. Tbe instruction states tbe law correctly, as applied to tbe issues in this case.

4. The same. IV. Appellants asked an instruction to tbe effect that there was reo testimony tending to show that tbe liquors which Judge drank from the bottle at the ladder or elsewhere out of Jordan’s saloon were furnished by Jordan, and complains of tbe [524]*524refusal to give this instruction. The court so instructed the jury as to the liquors drank from a bottle at the ladder. The only other drink that Judge was shown to have taken outside of Jordan’s saloon was at Boock’s, and there was no pretense that it was furnished by Jordan. If there was any error, it was in instructing that there was no evidence tending to show that the bottle of liquor was furnished by Jordan. The order of Gage, and Jordan’s acting upon it, and the fact that the bottle of liquor was taken to the place of the fire, and drank by men engaged in removing property and extinguishing the fire, surely had such a tendency; but, if the giving of this instruction was error, it was without prejudice to appellants. Other instructions refused were to the effect that, if Judge helped himself to "Jordan’s liquors with'out Jordan’s knowledge, or if he got the liquor by appearing in the guise of a fireman, that would not constitute a sale as charged. There was no testimony calling for such instructions, and, therefore, no error in refusing them.

Y. In instructing the jury as to the rules for determining the credibility of witnesses, they were told that if they found that a witness had testified falsely as to material matters, knowingly and intentionally, they might disregard his testimony altogether. Appellants contend that they should have been instructed that in such case the testimony must be disregarded in all matters, unless corroborated. The testimony is left with the jury, and it is for the jury to say what credit and weight, if any, shall be given to it.

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Bluebook (online)
46 N.W. 1077, 81 Iowa 519, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/judge-v-jordan-iowa-1890.