People v. Bollman

144 N.W. 537, 178 Mich. 159, 1913 Mich. LEXIS 533
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 20, 1913
DocketDocket No. 164
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 144 N.W. 537 (People v. Bollman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Bollman, 144 N.W. 537, 178 Mich. 159, 1913 Mich. LEXIS 533 (Mich. 1913).

Opinion

Bird, J.

The respondent was informed against and convicted of the crime of seduction in the Sanilac circuit court, and the case has been removed to this court for review. Among the errors complained of is the action of the trial court in permitting the name of a witness to be indorsed on the information after the jury had been sworn and the complaining witness had given her testimony in' part. At that point in the trial, the prosecutor applied to the court for permission to indorse on the information the name of Olive Nichol. He informed the court that, while he knew that Olive Nichol was a sister of the complaining witness, he was not aware until that morning that she knew anything material to the issue of the case. Whereupon respondent’s counsel made the following objection:

“We shall object to it. There is no reason why that name could not have been on before.”

Upon this statement the court granted permission to indorse the name over defendant’s objection.

The objection now made is that the showing of the prosecutor was insufficient and not under oath. The statute regulating the indorsement of names of witnesses upon the information provides that:

“All informations shall be filed during term, in the court having jurisdiction of the offense specified therein, by the prosecuting attorney of the proper county as informant; he shall subscribe his name thereto, and indorse thereon the names of the witnesses known to him at the time of filing the same; and at such time before the trial of any case as the court may, by rule or otherwise, prescribe, he shall also indorse thereon the names of such other wit[161]*161nesses as shall then be known to him.” 3 Comp. Laws, § 11934 (5 How. Stat. [2d Ed.] § 15105).

Under this statute it is clear that it would be necessary for the prosecutor to make some showing to the court in order to authorize him to indorse names on the information after it was once filed. In the case under consideration, the prosecutor stated to the court, in the presence of respondent’s counsel, that he had just been advised that morning that Olive Nichol was a material witness, and that he desired to indorse her name upon the information. As against the objection made, this showing was sufficient under the statute to authorize the court to make the order.

Had counsel at the time made the specific objection that he now makes, that the showing was not under oath, the trial court would have doubtless required the prosecutor to be sworn and granted permission to respondent to examine him touching his diligence in discovering the witness and the materiality of her testimony. There was no claim made by respondent to the trial court that he was surprised in any way, nor that he wanted time to investigate the antecedents of the witness; nor was any complaint made, after she gave her testimony, that respondent’s case was prejudiced in any way by it. In fact, the record shows that she testified to nothing which was contradicted by the respondent. Under these circumstances, we think the respondent is in no position to complain of the action of the trial court in permitting the name to be added to the information.

On the part of the defense, Lillie Gravenstein, a character witness, was sworn, and, after testifying that she was more or less in the respondent’s company prior to her marriage, she was asked the following question:

“Q. What would you say as to the character of his conduct toward you while in his company?”

[162]*162This question was objected to and excluded. It is argued by the respondent that the exclusion of this testimony was error. It is competent in a criminal case for a respondent to show what his general reputation is with reference to the particular offense charged (People v. Evans, 72 Mich. 367 [40 N. W. 473]) ; but we know of no rule which permits a respondent to show particular instances of good conduct in order to establish his reputation. The question asked was not directed to his general reputation, but simply to his conduct while in the company of the witness. The proffered testimony was rightly excluded. 16 Cyc. p. 1278.

Error is assigned upon the cross-examination of Max Bollman, the brother of respondent, and also upon the use that was afterwards made of the cross-examination by the prosecuting attorney in his address to the jury. For the purpose of showing the unchastity of the complaining witness, Max Bollman testified that he had had connection with the complaining witness before the respondent courted her. The prosecutor then examined him as follows :

“Q. How many acts of intercourse had you had with other girls?
“A. I don’t know.
“Q. You can’t tell?
“A. No, sir.
“Q. Various girls?
“A. Very few.
“Q. You had had with a few others?
“A. Yes.
“Q. What is your age?
“A. 19.
“Q. What other girls have you had intercourse with?
“Mr. McKenzie: Object to that as incompetent and immaterial.
“The Court: I hardly think I will permit the question to be answered.
“A. Is it necessary for me to answer that question?
[163]*163“Q. Yes.
“A. The only one that I can remember of is a Randall girl, a girl by the name of Randall.
“Q. That is the only one that you can remember?
“A. Yes.
“Mr. McKenzie: This is a trying position to put a witness in.
“Mr. Babcock: We didn’t put the witness in that position.
“Q. There are others?
“A. There might be one or two.
“Q. That you can’t remember of?
“A. No, sir.
“Mr. McKenzie: A gentleman will lie under such circumstances. I call the attention of the court that this is a trying position to put the witness in.
“The Court: I intimated that he need not give the names, and that I would not permit him to disclose the names of the other parties.
“Mr. Babcock: I misunderstood the ruling.
“The Court: It was' probably a misapprehension.
.“Mr. Babcock: That may be stricken out, the name the witness gave?
“The Court: Yes.”

Afterwards, in addressing the jury, the prosecutor referred to this testimony, as follows:

“Gentlemen, he tells you that he can’t remember the names of the two girls he had sexual intercourse with.

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Related

People v. Cormandy
168 N.W.2d 430 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1969)
People v. Bartlett
20 N.W.2d 758 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1945)
People v. Hawks
172 N.W. 405 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1919)
People v. Powers
168 N.W. 938 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1918)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
144 N.W. 537, 178 Mich. 159, 1913 Mich. LEXIS 533, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-bollman-mich-1913.