State v. Bird

196 Iowa 474
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJune 22, 1923
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 196 Iowa 474 (State v. Bird) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Bird, 196 Iowa 474 (iowa 1923).

Opinion

Preston, C. J.

1. The robbery is alleged to have taken place at about 6 o’clock in the evening of .October 10, 1921, at or near a farmhouse some distance from Sioux City. The prosecuting witness and one J alie Kriv started from Sioux City in an automobile, to go to Chicago. They contemplated purchasing property in Chicago. It is claimed that Stashevsky had $2,000 in money on his person for that purpose. The two so testify, and an uncle of Stashevsky’s testifies that he had paid Mike that amount shortly before or at about the date stated. Before they left Sioux City, this defendant ivas informed that they, or Kriv, had not yet gone to Chicago, but expected to go that afternoon. After they proceeded east some distance, they stopped their car, to fix the tire carrier, when they observed a Studebaker car passing them. The Studebaker car had'the top back, and in it they • recognized the defendant, Bird, and the other three. After repairing their ear, Kriv and Stashevsky started down the road, and saw the car which had passed them standing in front of them. They say they feared that the occupants of the Studebaker car were intent upon robbing them, and instead of proceeding down the main road, they turned to a side road, [476]*476and at some distance turned into the driveway near a farmhouse. The Studebaker car followed, and when the Buick cari stopped in the driveway, the occupants of the other car, including this defendant, jumped from their car, and at the point of revolvers demanded that Kriv and Stashevsky should halt. One of the defendants struck Stashevsky on the head with a gun, and they took from him the $2,000 in money which he had in his pocket. Stashevsky testifies, in part:

“That boy and Mikey Brienzo stick gun in here, and this first man he hit me, and Mikey says ‘You have money;’ and I said, ‘No.’ John Bird tallied Russian, sáys, ‘I kill you if you talk to him of talk in Russian he kill me.’ I didn’t say a word, and he hit me in the head, and Mikey stick gun, and then he took my money. He slit my pants from here to here. He'hit me with revolver, — mark and blood on my head. Mikey Brienzo and John Bird ask me ‘ Have you got it ? ” and Mikey says, ‘ Get off from the car. ’ They took $2,000 cash and car. He leave me in that place without car, and I go- to farmhouse, and I hollered to the farmer, ‘He took my $2,000 and car.’ I. called up Sioux City at that time. I find my car in Salix. They started backing car, and started to shoot. They shot about nine or' ten times. When they hit me on the head, it hurt me. ' I have blood all around, and I have excited after that.”

Defendants then drove the two cars down the road, and left the Buick abandoned some distance from the scene. Kriv and Stashevsky went immediately to the farmhouse occupied by one Johnson and wife, and told them of what had just occurred, and named the parties who had committed the robbery, including the name of defendant, Bird. Mrs. Johnson dressed Stashevsky’s head. Later in the night, about 1 or 2 A. M., they caused Johnson to call the police at Sioux City and Onawa and other towns, to tell them of the robbery, and gave to the police the names of the persons implicated, including defendant, Bird. Kriv gave similar testimony. Stashevsky had known Bird for a long time. Bird was identified by him and Kriv as one of the robbers. The robbers were not masked.

This, in a general way,, is the evidence for the State. Other witnesses testified as to other matters. The defendant sought to establish an. alibi. There was a conflict in the evidence, but it [477]*477was sufficient to take the case to the jury and to sustain the conviction. This disposes of the first and second assignments of error, as to the sufficiency of the evidence.

2. It is next assigned as error that the court erred in admitting improper prejudicial testimony on the part of the State, over objections by defendant, and in failing to strike testimony from the record. The page of the abstract is not given either in the assignment of error or in the brief point, showing where this matter may be.fonnd. Since this is a criminal case, we have gone further than required by the rules, and find the page of the abstract referred to in the statement of facts in appellant’s brief. As we understand the record, this assignment has reference to the admission in evidence of statements by witnesses for the State, that Kriv and the prosecuting witness first stated the names of the persons who had committed the robbery immediately thereafter, and that, later in the night, they gave the names to the police. The first statement was immediately after the robbery, and at the scene of the robbery, when, as the evidence shows, the parties were excited. So far, we think, the evidence was clearly admissible, under the doctrine of res gestae. State v. Guidice, 170 Iowa 731, 749; Hinnah v. Seaba, 193 Iowa 1206, 1218.

As to the conversation over the phone, later in the night, a part of the evidence, and that the parties were named, went in without objection. Kriv testifies:

“I then went into the farmhouse. I told the farmer to call up as quick as possible all around this territory, and to call Sioux City, because the people was from Sioux City. I talked to the sergeant of the Sioux City police that night, about 1:30 or 2 o’clock in the morning. I talked with the Sioux City police over the phone just as quick as I could get it. I told them who held us up. ’ ’
“Q. Who did you tell them?”

Over proper objection, the court stated that he thought it was a part of the res gestae, and permitted witness to answer that he told Mrs. Johnson who the parties were, as soon as they got in the hous'e, and told her to call the Sioux City police, and told the police that John Bird and the other three defendants were [478]*478the persons. Later during the trial, the trial court concluded that as to the statements to the police the evidence was not res gestee, sustained the objection, withdrew the evidence, and directed the jury not to consider it. Both Kriv and Stashevsky testified as witnesses on the stand to the same thing, — that is, as to who the parties were; so that, at the most, such a statement the same night was merely cumulative. The purpose of telephoning the police was that the offenders might be apprehended, rather than to establish the identity which had been testified to by the same witnesses. State v. Hickman, 195 Iowa 765. Under all the circumstances just enumerated, we are clear that there was no prejudicial error in this respect. We have held that, where evidence was first admitted and thereafter excluded and withdrawn from the consideration of the jury, it was without prejudice. State v. Lounsbury, 178 Iowa 555, 557.

3. It is thought by appellant that there was misconduct of attorneys for the State in their method of examining witnesses, in the opening argument to the jury, and in the closing argument. Some of the statements of counsel appear to have been in response to argument for the defendant. Counsel for tile State so claimed. aObjections to other statements, when objection was made, were sustained, and the court admonished counsel, and directed the jury not to consider the same. It often happens, in the trial of criminal cases, that counsel for the defense abuse the State’s witnesses and attorneys, refer to defendant’s wife and small children, the horrors of prison bars, and the like, in the attempt to secure an acquittal, in which case no new trial may be granted therefor.

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Bluebook (online)
196 Iowa 474, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-bird-iowa-1923.