Lefevre v. State

8 N.W.2d 288, 242 Wis. 416, 1943 Wisc. LEXIS 223
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 15, 1943
StatusPublished
Cited by48 cases

This text of 8 N.W.2d 288 (Lefevre 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
Lefevre v. State, 8 N.W.2d 288, 242 Wis. 416, 1943 Wisc. LEXIS 223 (Wis. 1943).

Opinion

Maetin, J.

For a period of about five years continuously prior to Januafy 31, 1941, Joe Rookes was the proprietor of a small restaurant located on the east side of South Main street in the city of Fond du Lac. He had several employees who worked in the restaurant. At 7:50 o’clock on the night of ■ January 31, 1941, Rookes left his place of business and did not thereafter return. His body was found in Lake Winnebago near Black Wolf Point on November 1, 1941. On February 1, 1941, Anton Raasch went to what is known as “Hobbs Woods” to get wood. There he noticed in the snow a set of tire tracks which led from the traveled portion of the road toward a fence which inclosed the woods. About two feet north of the north tire track he found a large pool of blood and in this blood a bow, lens, and part of the nose bridge of a pair of eyeglasses. These were identified as having been made for Joe Rookes. Raasch found no footprints or other marks of any kind in the snow except the tire tracks.

On February 2, 1941, Bernard Barr found at the place where Raasch had shoveled the bloodstained snow additional parts of eyeglasses which were also identified as belonging to Rookes. On February 2d a group of boys, who had learned of Rookes’ disappearance on the night of January 31st and-of the finding of parts of his eyeglasses on February 1st, went *418 to Hobbs Woods to search for Rookes’ body. In their search they found under a bridge in the vicinity of Hobbs Woods several spots of blood. Peter Frank, one of the boys, gathered up some of the bloodstained snow which was then frozen. He also took some of the bloodstained snow from the spot of the pool of blood found by Raasch. Both samples were later turned over to the police who sent them to the FBI at Washington, D. C., for analysis. The FBI bureau reported that the samples contained human blood. There were footprints in the snow leading down to where the blood spots were found under the bridge.

Dr. E. L. Tharinger, a pathological specialist, who made a complete post-mortem, testified that death was caused by fracture of the skull, caused by a severe local, external violence to that particular portion of the skull; that the area fractured was from the ear almost to the middle line of the back of the skull; also'a skull fracture on the left side; that the bones of the forearms and hands were absent; that the right foot, including the bones of the ankle, and bones of the right leg were absent ; that both bones of the left leg were fractured above the ankle; that nine or ten ribs on each side were fractured. Dr. Thar-inger said he did not think that the fractures of the leg bones were caused by pounding on the rocks of the shore of Lake Winnebago, but that the ribs might have been fractured in that manner. He was not asked by either state or defense counsel whether the fractures of the skull could have been caused in that manner.

Dr. Florin testified that a blow of sufficient force to cause a fracture of the skull would cause both internal and external bleeding. There is no evidence of any bloodstains having been found on any part of the defendant’s car, although the police officers, sometime between March 6 and March 20, 1941, had the car in their possession a couple of days, for the purpose of examining it to ascertain if there were any blood spots or stains on the car.

*419 Mrs. Hazel Burke, an employee in Rookes’ restaurant, testified that in the late afternoon of January 31st she asked Rookes whether he was going to listen to the Joe Louis-Red Burma fight that evening. She said Rookes replied that he did not know if the fellow had a radio in his car; that she asked him who he meant and Rookes replied, “Frank who used to work for Candlish” (defendant had worked for Candlish sometime prior to 1933) ; that Rookes said Frank had told him he had two sons old enough to join the army and he wanted them to go into the restaurant business at Beaver Dam so they would not enlist in the army (defendant had three sons who, at the time of the trial in May, 1942, were sixteen, eighteen, and twenty years of age, respectively; not subject to draft at the time in question), that Frank was going to look at some used restaurant equipment that evening and that he was going along because he knew the value of such equipment and would see that Frank did.not get gypped.

Mrs. Anna Mae Chase, an employee in the restaurant, testified that just before Rookes left the restaurant at about ten minutes to 8 she heard him say, “There comes Frank now;” that he took his coat and hat and went out; that she watched Rookes go past the restaurant, saw him stop in the alleyway between the restaurant and the Legion Tavern next door; that Rookes then continued walking in a northerly direction on Main street; that she did not see him meet or talk to anyone after he left the restaurant. She further testified that at about 7:30 p. m. Rookes checked the cash in the register; that he left about $10 in the register to make change; that he then went into the back room where the safe was located; that she did not know whether he put any money in the safe or not; that when Rookes left the restaurant evenings he would usually return at about 9 or 9 :30 o’clock; that on the night of January 31st he did not return; that she remained in the restaurant until about 3 o’clock the following morning, at which time her husband called for her; that she then called Harry Burke, *420 who was also an employee in the restaurant, and told him that Rookes had not returned. Burke came to the restaurant to lock up. He found the safe open. He locked the safe, closed the restaurant, and returned home. Burke opened the restaurant at about 6 a. m. on February 1st. Fie then unlocked the safe, found $69 in one-dollar bills. About a week later the private box in the safe was opened and it contained $500 in currency, also Rookes’ bankbook.

Mr. Burke testified that on the evening of January 31st, between 5 and 5 :30, Rookes cashed two checks for Alvin Danner, a section foreman on the Soo line; that they were both Soo Railway Company checks, payable to the order of Mr. Danner, one for the sum of $49.16, and the other for $5.76; that when Rookes cashed the checks he put them with a roll of money in his pocket; that he had a large roll of money on his person; that Rookes, during the afternoon, had cashed two other checks, one for Earl McCumber, the other for a man named Sharpies. The two checks which Rookes cashed for Danner were both dated December 31, 1940. They were both indorsed, “Alvin Danner” and “F. B. LeFevre.” “F. B.” are defendant’s initials. The checks were not indorsed by Joe Rookes. They, were both cashed by LeFevre on February 1st at the First Fond du Lac National Bank.

In explanation of his possession of and cashing said checks, defendant testified that in the forenoon of February 1st as he was walking toward the Ahern clothing store to buy a pair of work gloves, which store is right next to the First Fond du Lac National Bank, a party known to him by the name of “Al,” who was in an automobile and appeared to be crippled, called to defendant and asked him if he would take the checks into the bank and bring him the cash; that he took the checks, went into the bank, indorsed them, returned to the automobile, and gave “Al” the proceeds of the two checks ;■ that the bank clerk who waited on him had known him for a number of years.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Turnpaugh v. State Claims Board
2012 WI App 72 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 2012)
State v. Disch
351 N.W.2d 492 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1984)
State v. Humphrey
318 N.W.2d 386 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1982)
State v. Renfro
639 P.2d 737 (Washington Supreme Court, 1982)
State v. Dean
307 N.W.2d 628 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1981)
People v. Monigan
390 N.E.2d 562 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1979)
State v. Hanson
270 N.W.2d 212 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1978)
In Matter of Suspension of Operating Privilege of Bardwell
266 N.W.2d 618 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1978)
State v. Chambers
239 S.E.2d 324 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1977)
People v. Barbara
255 N.W.2d 171 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1977)
Pereira v. Pereira
319 N.E.2d 413 (New York Court of Appeals, 1974)
Hemauer v. State
218 N.W.2d 342 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1974)
Gaddis v. State
216 N.W.2d 527 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1974)
State v. Stanislawski
216 N.W.2d 8 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1974)
State v. Nemoir
214 N.W.2d 297 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1974)
State v. Trailer Service, Inc.
212 N.W.2d 683 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1973)
State v. Corbin
285 So. 2d 234 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1973)
Romero v. State
493 S.W.2d 206 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1973)
Pulakis v. State
476 P.2d 474 (Alaska Supreme Court, 1970)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
8 N.W.2d 288, 242 Wis. 416, 1943 Wisc. LEXIS 223, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lefevre-v-state-wis-1943.