State v. Browning

153 Iowa 37
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedNovember 15, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 153 Iowa 37 (State v. Browning) 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. Browning, 153 Iowa 37 (iowa 1911).

Opinion

Deemer, J.

Defendant was indicted for the crime defined in section 4767 of the Code, which reads as follows: “If any person, either verbally or by any written or printed communication, maliciously threaten to accuse another of a crime or offense, or to do any injury to the person or property of another, with intent to extort any money or pecuniary advantage whatever, or to compel the person so [40]*40threatened to do any act against his will, he shall be imprisoned in the penitentiary not more than two years or be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars.

The charging part of the indictment is as follows: “The said O. P. Browning, K. B. McKee, A. W. Bice, on or about the 14th day of August, A. D. 1910, in the county of Polk, in the state of Iowa, did willfully, unlawfully, maliciously, and feloniously threaten to do injury to the person of Predia Oassman and Jacob Oassman, by threatening to forcefully arrest and place in jail the said Predia Oassman and Jacob Oassman, with the intent then and there on the part of O. P. Browning, B. B. McKee, and A. W. Bice, to extort money from the said Fredia Oassman and Jacob Oassman aforesaid.”

It seems to cover all the elements of the offense as described in the statute. It alleges that the said defendant maliciously and unlawfully threatened to do injury to the persons of others, naming them, by threatening to forcefully arrest them and to put them in jail, with the intent on the part of the defendants to extort money from them against their wills. It does not allege that the threats were verbal; but this is the fair inference from the indictment and sufficiently appears from the language used.

i. Malicious threats -to EXTORT: indictment: duplicity. I. The statute, as it reads, covers several methods whereby the crime may be committed; but these acts constitute but the one offense, although stated disjunctively. In framing an indictment under such a ,. ., (1 section, it is proper to charge the crime m -ir»i anv or all of the methods defined by the J d statute or to state its commission in one or all of the prohibited methods. The offense aimed at is malicious threats to extort. These threats may be to accuse another of a crime or to do an injury to the person or property of another, one or both, with intent to extort money or gain some pecuniary advantage, or to compel the person threatened to do an act against his will, and one [41]*41committing such acts or any of them is guilty of the offense charged.

2. Same: suffidency of indictment. The chief complaint made of the indictment is that it does not charge that the threat was of an unlawful arrest, that the threat might have been lawful or of a lawful arrest, and that this is not negatived in the indict-TTT . 1 . ment. We can not agree with this construe- . tion. The indictment does charge that defendant unlawfully, maliciously, and feloniously threatened to do injury by threatening to forcibly arrest and place in jail the parties named with intent to extort money. If the words used had been to accuse another of a crime, instead of to forcibly arrest, the indictment would have been in the language of the statute. This statute makes no express exceptions. That is to say, neither officers nor private persons are excepted from its terms, and it is apparent that one may be guilty under this section although he had the lawful right to arrest, or the duty perhaps of accusing another of a crime. It is misuse of these powers for malicious purposes and with intent to extort money which is aimed at, and one could not under any circumstances lawfully do the thing which defendant is charged with doing. That the indictment is sufficient, see State v. Young, 26 Iowa, 122; State v. Lewis, 96 Iowa, 286; State v. Waite, 101 Iowa, 377; State v. Debolt, 104 Iowa, 105; Kennedy v. Roberts 105 Iowa, 521.

3. Witnesses: oaths. II. Two of the witnesses for the state were Jews, and after taking the orthodox oath, which he stated he regarded as binding on his conscience, was asked by defendant’s counsel as to whether or not there was any form 0f oath which he regarded as of higher or greater sanctity or of greater solemnity or more binding upon him than the oath taken. Objections to the questions were sustained and of this complaint is made.' At common law no particular form of oath was required. Any form was sufficient which was [42]*42considered by tbe witness as binding on his conscience. Gill v. Caldwell, 1 Ill. 53; Reg. v. Serva, 2 Car. & K. Eng. 53, 1 Cox, Crim. Cases, 292.

The witnesses in this case did not object to the form of oath, and each stated that it was binding on his conscience. This was. sufficient, although he might- perhaps have regarded another form as more solemn, or more binding upon him, than the oath taken. In such cases the law does not deal with comparisons, but is satisfied if the witness regards the oath as binding upon his conscience. Doss v. Bicks, 11 Humph. (Tenn.) 431.

4' ofAoath:°ot> jection. 5' it¡ng'evi-scre dence. Even were this not so, no objection was made to the foym of oath administered, and the questions propounded were evidently framed for the purpose of discrediting the witness. It is the universal rule that objection to the form of oath must be made . . . . . ..... previous to its administration, or it will be deemed waived. State v. Davis, 186 Mo. 533, (85 S. W. 354); Gonsales v. State, 31 Tex. 495. Eor the purpose of discrediting the witness the- inquiries were inadmissible. Searcy v. Miller, 57 Iowa, 613; Dedric v. Hopson, 62 Iowa, 563; also, Const, article A , 1, section 4. If one understands the nature of an oath and assumes to take it as binding upon him, he is a competent witness. Code, section 4601; State v. Rainsberger, 71 Iowa, 746. See, also, Pullen v. Pullen, (N. J.), 4 Atl. 82.

6 Maliciousthreats: evidence. III. The state was permitted to show, over defendant’s objection, that Mrs. Cassman was sick at the time it is claimed the threats were made, and also to show the number and ages of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Cassman. In view of the developments x upon the trial, we are constrained to hold these matters material and competent. It is claimed, at least inferentially, that the Cassmans were running a house of ill fame, that Mrs. Cassman had offered herself for [43]*43unlawful sexual commerce just prior to the acts complained of, and that she was in fact a prostitute. Upon these questions the testimony complained of had some relevancy and materiality.

But, even if this were not so, no such prejudice resulted to defendant as would justify a reversal. Some other rulings on the admission and rejection of testimony are com-plained of which we do not regard as of sufficient moment to justify separate consideration. It is enough to say that no prejudicial error appears.

IY. Many complaints are made of the charge as given by the trial court, and it is most strenuously argued that the testimony is insufficient to justify the verdict. In this connection it is argued that defendant’s offense, if any, was bribery. As to this latter claim more hereafter.

The instructions most vigorously complained of read as follows:

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

Related

State v. Doughty
397 N.W.2d 503 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1986)
Cassorla v. State
237 N.E.2d 89 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1968)
State v. Carbone
91 A.2d 571 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1952)
Vedepo v. Vedepo
37 N.W.2d 916 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1949)
State v. Wilbourn
257 N.W. 571 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1934)
State v. Essex
250 N.W. 895 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1933)
State v. Huckins
234 N.W. 554 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1931)
State v. Gardiner
215 N.W. 758 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1927)
State v. Dingman
219 P. 760 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1923)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
153 Iowa 37, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-browning-iowa-1911.