People v. Lain

134 P.2d 284, 57 Cal. App. 2d 123, 1943 Cal. App. LEXIS 156
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 13, 1943
DocketCrim. 1807
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 134 P.2d 284 (People v. Lain) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Lain, 134 P.2d 284, 57 Cal. App. 2d 123, 1943 Cal. App. LEXIS 156 (Cal. Ct. App. 1943).

Opinion

SCHOTTKY, J. pro tem.

Appellant was convicted on two counts, count one being assault with a deadly weapon, and count two being robbery in the first degree. This appeal is from the judgment and also from the order denying appellant’s motion for a new trial.

Appellant urges numerous grounds for a reversal of the judgment. In order that our discussion of the various points raised may be better understood, we will give a fairly complete summary of the facts, as shown by the record.

The appellant was a tavern owner in the city of Woodland. On April 2, 1941, one James Bailey, the complaining witness on the robbery count, met appellant at a poolroom *125 in Woodland. The meeting occurred about 6:30 p. m., and appellant suggested to Bailey that they should have a drink, and that they should then go to appellant’s tavern, where appellant would call up some people for the purpose of having a poker game. Bailey agreed to the suggestion. Bailey’s wife then came along, and Bailey asked her for a $100 bill, stating that they were going to have a good game, and that he would not be home' until late. Before they left the poolroom, one Dorsey Childers was asked by appellant to have a drink, and several drinks were purchased there, Bailey himself buying one. Appellant informed Bailey that Childers would take care of the poker game. Appellant, Bailey and Childers then got into appellant’s car and went to appellant’s place of business known as the Del Mar Bar. Upon arrival there appellant called up one Mr. Whitehead on the telephone and invited him over, and appellant sent Childers out to buy some cards and get some change. When Whitehead came in, he and appellant and Bailey had some drinks, and appellant told Whitehead they were to have a card game, and appellant, Childers, Whitehead and Bailey went into the kitchen, which was in a room behind the west end of the bar, but separated entirely from the main barroom, and they immediately began to play stud poker.

In order that the physical situation may be better understood, we will give a brief description of the premises where the difficulty took place.

The barroom is approximately 40 feet long from east to west, and is approximately 19 feet wide. The main entrance to the barroom is from Third Street on the east. ■ Along the south wall of the barroom are located the dressing-rooms for ladies and men, and some booths, the booths being opposite the bar which is 21 feet and 8 inches long, and which is located near the west end of the barroom. Between the west end of the bar and the west wall is a lift, which is raised in order to get behind the bar, the distance from the west end of the bar and the west wall being approximately 2y2 feet. The distance from the north side of the booths to the bar is approximately 7% feet. According to the evidence there were a row of stools in front of the bar. Leading back from the lift to the north wall of the barroom in the northwest corner thereof, is a door which leads into a small pass-hallway which leads into the kitchen where the gambling game took place. From the lift to the door leading into *126 this hallway is a distance of approximately 7 feet from the lift at the west end of the bar. In the west wall of the barroom proper is a door leading into the lobby of the Del Mar Hotel.

About an hour after the game started, one Jesse D. Dutcher joined the game, entering the kitchen through the same door in the barroom through which the others had entered. Before Dutcher entered the game, Childers left, because Childers got into an argument with the defendant, and the defendant ran him out. These parties continued to play stud poker until about 1:45 a.m. the following morning. Drinks were occasionally served during the game. Bailey won about $65. There was no dispute or argument between Bailey and appellant during the game. Appellant quit the game about 1:15 a.m. Another party named Joseph Jungbluth played in the game for a short while. One John Hendrix, a nephew of appellant and a bartender in the main bar premises, was occasionally in and around the kitchen during the course of the game.

Shortly before the game broke up, Bailey informed the others that he was going home, and thereupon stood up. Hendrix invited Bailey to have a drink and Bailey went into the bar premises proper. Appellant had already been in the barroom prior to this entrance of Bailey. Jungbluth also came into the barroom. Bailey walked over to a stool near the bar. Appellant accused Bailey of cheating and told him to put “that money on the bar.” Bailey denied that he had been cheating, and stated that he had won the money fairly. About that time Jungbluth struck Bailey in the mouth with his fist, knocking Bailey over against a booth in the barroom. Bailey got up and walked back toward the bar, and was all bloody, and some of his teeth were gone, and told them they “did a Hell of a thing in knocking out his teeth.” The appellant spoke up, saying something about they “should have done more than that,” so the complaining witness became scared and tried to get out. He could not get through the door- to get out, and in the meantime defendant kept telling him to put the money up on the bar or he would take it away from him. Bailey then put $115 on the bar, testifying that he did so because he was scared. Later on in the evening and upon his return to said premises in company with a police officer, he put an additional $10 on the bar. Bailey testified that John Hendrix, the bartender, *127 counted the money. Bailey also stated that he retained the $100 bill that he had previously received from his wife, keeping this bill in his shoe. He claimed to have $57.50 besides this $100 when he entered the poker game.

When Bailey put the money on the bar, Jungbluth, Hendrix and Bailey were in the bar premises. Jungbluth then left. Bailey testified that appellant then asked him where the $100 bill was, and then urged him to put that bill on the bar also. Bailey then ran for the door, and appellant grabbed him, and according to Bailey, started choking him. Bailey then “hollered” for help. While defendant was choking Bailey, someone in the hallway separating the kitchen, where the card game had taken place, from the main bar premises, rapped at the door leading from said hallway to the barroom. Hendrix came over and told appellant to quit choking Bailey, and pulled him off. Appellant then went from the front of the bar where Bailey was, through a lift at the west end of the bar to the door behind the bar leading into the hallway, and said to whoever was on the other side of the door, “Get the Hell away from there or I will start shooting through it.” And Bailey testified that he then for the first time saw a gun in appellant’s hand, and appellant was then standing close to the door and started shooting through it. When the shooting started, Bailey took advantage of his chance to get out, and got out through the door from the west end of the barroom, and ran through the lobby, and as he passed the bar he grabbed the sum of $6.25 in silver off the bar. Bailey ran down the street, meeting police officers, and then returning with them to the bar premises. Bn route they met Hendrix, who accompanied them to the barroom. Appellant was in the barroom when they entered, and appellant again accused Bailey of cheating. Bailey said he wanted his money back. Hendrix had the money in the pocket of his jacket.

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Bluebook (online)
134 P.2d 284, 57 Cal. App. 2d 123, 1943 Cal. App. LEXIS 156, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-lain-calctapp-1943.