La Valley v. State

205 N.W. 412, 188 Wis. 68, 1925 Wisc. LEXIS 137
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 20, 1925
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 205 N.W. 412 (La Valley v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
La Valley v. State, 205 N.W. 412, 188 Wis. 68, 1925 Wisc. LEXIS 137 (Wis. 1925).

Opinion

Owen, J.

Plaintiff in error (hereinafter called the defendant) was convicted of the crime of rape upon a female twelve years of age, who will hereinafter be referred to as the prosecuting witness. The principal contention urged for a reversal of the judgment is that the verdict of guilty is not supported by the evidence. It seems that no good purpose will be subserved by setting forth the evidence in detail. It has received the most careful attention of this court, and the conclusion is reached, perhaps rather reluctantly, that the evidence presents a jury question, under the rules established by this court in such cases. It may be said that if the members of this court were sitting as a jury, a verdict of guilty would not be unanimously reached upon the evidence.

The defendant attempted to establish an alibi, to support which he produced witnesses who testified to his presence at times and places wholly inconsistent with his guilt. There were two trials of this case. Upon the second trial, re-[70]*70suiting in the judgment here under review, one witness., who testified on the first trial that he saw the prosecuting witness at a time and place inconsistent with defendant’s guilt, testified that he did not see her at such, time and place, admitted that he so testified on the first trial, but had come to the conclusion that he was in error. Pie did not advise the defendant that he so concluded, or that he proposed to change his testimony, but, on the contrary, advised the defendant and his attorney that his testimony would be the same as tliat given on the first trial, down to the evening of the day before he was placed upon the stand. His change of testimony came as a complete surprise to the defendant, and it is apparent that he testified falsely either upon the first or upon the second trial. This is another circumstance that is not reassuring upon the question of defendant’s guilt. However, it is not only the right but the duty of a witness to correct his testimony when convinced that he was in error, and the weight to be accorded his evidence under such circumstances is for the jury, under well established principles. This is also trae of the evidence relating to the alibi; and while a consideration of the evidence may not be convincing to the minds of all the members of this court concerning the defendant’s guilt, it must be held that it was within the province of the jury to render a verdict of guilty, and the judgment cannot be disturbed on the ground that it is unsupported by the evidence in the case.

Error is also assigned because the State was permitted to prove that the defendant was intoxicated at 2 o’clock in the morning of the day upon which the alleged crime was committed, the time of the commission of the crime being between 6 and 9 o’clock on the evening of that day. The State introduced evidence showing the movements and whereabouts of the defendant for a day or two before the commission of the crime. This was proper, especially in view of defendant’s alibi defense. As a part of this testimony, one witness testified that the defendant came to his house at 2 o’clock in the morning in an intoxicated condition, We [71]*71think it was error to permit the witness to testify to his intoxicated condition at 2 o’clock in the morning. That could have no possible relation to the commission of the crime between 6 and 9 o’clock in the evening. But we are not impressed with the view that the admission of such evidence constituted prejudicial error, under all the circumstances of this case. Besides, it is doubtful whether the proper objection to the introduction of such testimony was made to preserve the question for review.

Certain alleged misconduct of the sheriff and one of the jurors is also relied upon as a ground for reversal. It appears that the court adjourned in the evening after the attorney for the defendant had concluded his argument to the jury but before the prosecuting attorney had closed his argument. There was a dance that night some ten or twelve miles from Waupaca. A juror with two of his friends were seeking means to g'o to the dance. His friends told the juror that they were going to ride with the sheriff and thought there was room for him also. He requested his friends to ask the sheriff if he might ride to the dance in the sheriff’s automobile. They said they would do so, but, upon meeting the juror a little later, said they had concluded to go in another automobile, and they were sure he could ride with the sheriff. He saw the sheriff and asked if he could ride to the dance with him, and was advised that he could. He did ride to the dance in the sheriff’s automobile. He sat in the back seat, the sheriff and his wife sitting in the front seat. His two friends immediately followed behind the sheriff’s automobile in their car. The sheriff was going to this dance for the purpose of preserving order, and, upon arriving thereat, the sheriff went about his official duties. The juror danced once with the sheriff’s wife, and, rather early in the evening, returned to Waupaca with his two friends in their automobile.

The matter was brought to the attention of the trial court by a motion of the defendant to set aside the verdict because of the misconduct of the sheriff and of this juror. Af[72]*72fidavits were presented to- the trial court setting forth fully the circumstances, declaring that nothing was said about the case, and that no attempt was made in any way, shape, or manner to influence the juror’s judgment, resulting in a denial of the motion by the lower court.

The defendant’s attorney vigorously urges this misconduct as a ground for setting aside the verdict. We regard the question thus raised as a serious one, and have given it much consideration.

That the conduct of both the juror and the sheriff was indiscreet and improper is plain, and this even though full credit be given to the affidavits of the sheriff and the juror to the effect' that the case was not mentioned between them, and that there was no effort made at any time to improperly influence the conduct of the juror. This will more clearly appear as we proceed.

From the very origin of the institution of the jury courts have most jealously guarded their deliberations from influences extraneous the evidence, upon which only verdicts should be based. In an early day the jury was kept together and denied both food and drink from the time they were impaneled until the verdict Was rendered. As late as 1796 Lord Kenyon established precedent by adjourning court until the next morning, the court having sat thirteen hours, observing that necessity*justified what it compelled, and that though it was left to modern times to bring forth cases of such extraordinary length, no rule could compel them to continue sitting longer than their natural powers would endure. This practice was indulged to protect the jury from any and every kind of outside influence, and was departed from only as necessity compelled. Of course such practice could not obtain in this day, but the practice is still preserved, probably in every state of this Union, of keeping the jury together, and isolated from every outside influence, in capital cases. Speaking of this usage of the common law, the Nevada court expresses the opinion “that whenever that [73]*73is properly adjudged lawful which, according to the rigor of the ancient law, was unlawful, there have concurred a real or supposed necessity, a consequent power in the court to license the act, and the express or implied consent of the court to the doing of it.” Sacramento & M. M. Co. v. Showers,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
205 N.W. 412, 188 Wis. 68, 1925 Wisc. LEXIS 137, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/la-valley-v-state-wis-1925.