Spires v. Bottorff

223 F. Supp. 441, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6508
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Indiana
DecidedNovember 5, 1963
DocketNo. NA 62-C-4
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 223 F. Supp. 441 (Spires v. Bottorff) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spires v. Bottorff, 223 F. Supp. 441, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6508 (S.D. Ind. 1963).

Opinion

HOLDER, District Judge.

The plaintiff, Marvin Spires, on January 22, 1962, filed his Motion to Proceed in Forma Pauperis with a civil action for the recovery of damages against James L. Bottorff, Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit of the State of Indiana (Clark Circuit Court). From an adverse ruling on such motion, an appeal was taken in forma pauperis and it was reversed on May 3, 1963. Spires v. Bottorff, 7 Cir., 317 F.2d 273. The complaint was filed on June 13, 19631 and [443]*443issues were joined by the answer in two defenses filed June 19, 1963. The action was placed on the trial calendar published August 16, 1963, with the trial date of September 16, 1963, and a pre-trial conference date of September 3, 1963.

The pre-trial conference hearing disclosed that the plaintiff was serving a life sentence in the Indiana State Penitentiary under a commitment from the Clark Circuit Court in the State of Indiana and that the defendant was seventy-seven (77) years of age whereupon the plaintiff’s Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus Ad Prosequendum was granted. - The State of Indiana honored this court’s order and produced the plaintiff for trial. The plaintiff’s request for the issuance of a subpoena was granted. The trial was [444]*444commenced on September 16, 1963 and concluded at 11:30 P.M.

PRE-BANK ROBBERY HISTORY 1911-1946

The plaintiff was born on June 14, 1911 in the State of Missouri. He lived with his family in the States of Louisiana, Alabama and Illinois. Plaintiff left his parents in Chicago, Illinois, when he was nineteen (19) years of age getting tired of Chicago. After leaving Chicago, about 1930, until 1946 the plaintiff either resided in or spent some time in the States of California, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Plaintiff was married to Bessie Furtak in December, 1942. Plaintiff registered for the draft in 1941 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while visiting his brother now a resident of Iowa and never received a classification nor did he serve in the armed services for the reason as plaintiff expressed that he moved around so much the draft board never caught up with him. During this time, his known employment consisted of being a factory boy, bookbinder and automobile salesman. In 1936, the plaintiff was convicted of the offense of grand theft in the State of California, and sentenced for the period of one (1) to ten (10) years and served eighteen (18) months of such sentence; and on November 30, 1939, the plaintiff was convicted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia at Gainesville, Georgia, in Cause Number 3191, of the Federal Offense of transporting a stolen motor vehicle in interstate commerce knowing it was stolen, was sentenced for the period of fifteen (15) months and served the full fifteen (15) months.

BANK ROBBERY HISTORY

In May of 1946, the plaintiff with his; family left Florida and went to Chicago,. Illinois, where they remained until mid-September, 1946, visiting his wife’s friends and her family in Decatur, Michigan. In mid-September, they left Chicago for Florida and stopped in Louisville, Kentucky. Plaintiff was not employed during this period. An interview on October 23, 1946 at the Indiana State Penitentiary, which was reduced to writing and signed by Mr. Spires, is quoted as follows:

“INDIANA STATE PRISON IDENTIFICATION DEPARTMENT REPORT
Date Interviewed 10-23-46 By: Mr. A. J. Funk. (w) Institution Name SPIRES, Marvin H. Detainers Reg. No. Escapes 23699 True Name Marvin H. Spires Offense Bank Robbery Sentenced 10-16-46 Race White Sentence LIFE Fine $-0-Costs $17.00 Age 35 Max: F & C pd LIFE Not paid LIFE Birthdate 6-14-11 Min: F & C pd LIFE Not paid LIFE Birthplace Missouri Commutation Judge James ! L. Bottorff Residence Georgia Par. Viol. Marital Married Released County Clark Citizenship U. S. Returned Court Circuit Yrs. in U. S. 35 State 1 month Eligible Cause No. 7641 Received 10-17-46
[445]*445“CRIMINAL HISTORY:
“1936: California State Prison: (San Quinten) #-. Grand
“Theft: 1-10
“1939: Federal Prison: (Atlanta) #-Auto Theft: 15 months.
“INMATE’S STATEMENT:
“I was born in the State of Missouri 35 years ago; am married and have two sons who are 2 and 9 years old. I went to the 7th grade in school; am a laborer by occupation, but was not working at the time of my arrest.
“On or about September 20, 1946, I was arrested by the City Police in the City of New Albany, Indiana, and lodged in the City Jail where I was held for Jeffersonville, Indiana, Authorities. Later in the same day of my arrest, I was turned over to Jeffersonville Police and was taken to Jeffersonville where I was placed in the Clark County Jail. I was charged with robbing the First Federal Savings and Loan Association, of Jeffersonville, Indiana, on or about September 20, 1946. It was charged that I stole $248.-25 in the robbery. I was guilty as charged. I was charged with being a Habitual Criminal and held for trial.
“On October 16, 1946, I appeared before Judge James L. Bottorff, of the Clark County Circuit Court, and there I entered a plea of guilty to the charge of Being A Habitual Criminal and was sentenced to serve a term of LIFE imprisonment in the Indiana State Prison.
“I have read the above statement and it is true. I sign this statement of my own free will.
“SIGNED: s/ Marvin Spires.
“WITNESSED: s/ A. J. Funk_.
“ACCOMPLICE: None.
“ALIASES: George Collins.
"REFERENCES: None.”

When Mr. Spires was arrested he had on his person the approximate sum of the bank robbery funds. The Prosecuting Attorney of the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Indiana, on September 21, 1946, filed an affidavit in the Clark Circuit Court of Indiana at Jeffersonville, Indiana, charging the defendant in two counts with the offense of robbery, and robbery while armed which was docketed as Cause Number 7623. Mr. Spires appeared in person and by his employed attorneys, Thomas Pointer and Howard J. Snyder, at the arraignment in Cause Number 7623, when Mr. Spires entered a plea of not guilty, bond was fixed at Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) and he was remanded to the Clark County Jail in default of bond. The Clark County Prosecutor on September 27, 1946 filed a motion dismissing the affidavit in two counts in Cause Number 7623 for the reason of filing another affidavit on the same date against Mr. Spires in Cause Number 7632 filed September 27, 1946 charging Mr. Spires in two counts with the offenses of robbery and robbery while armed. Upon arraignment in Cause Number 7632 on September 27, 1946, the defendant, Judge of the Clark Circuit Court, appointed Grover C. Todd as Mr. Spires’ attorney when Mr. Spires entered a plea [446]*446of not guilty, bond was fixed at Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) and he was remanded to the Clark County Jail in default of bond. Cause Number 7632 was set for trial for October 10, 1946 by the court’s order of October 3, 1946. Mr. Spires through his attorney, Mr.

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223 F. Supp. 441, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6508, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spires-v-bottorff-insd-1963.