State v. Dlugozima

74 A. 1086, 23 Del. 151, 7 Penne. 151, 1909 Del. LEXIS 5
CourtNew York Court of General Session of the Peace
DecidedJanuary 7, 1909
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 74 A. 1086 (State v. Dlugozima) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of General Session of the Peace primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Dlugozima, 74 A. 1086, 23 Del. 151, 7 Penne. 151, 1909 Del. LEXIS 5 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1909).

Opinion

Grubb, J.:

We overrule the question.

(The witness was here sworn regularly through the above mentioned interpreter, and her examination on behalf of the State proceeded as follows):

By Mr. Gray:

Q. How old are you?

A. I am fifteen years old the first of last May.

Q. Do you know the defendant?
A. I do.
Q. Is he any relation of yours?
A. He is; he is my father’s brother’s son.
Q. Did he live at your house last spring?
A. He did.
Q. During what time?
F. He lived there for five years, and left there in May.
Q. Of last year?
A. Last May.

Q. Did he, last spring, while living at your house, have sexual intercourse with you?

Q. Where?
A. At my home in my room in the morning.
Q. Where was your mother at those times?
A. Mother was downstairs preparing a meal.

Q. How often did the defendant have sexual intercourse with you last spring at your home while he was living there?

(Objected to by Mr. Saulsbury, counsel for defendant, as irrelevant, only one offense being alleged in the indictment).

Mr. Gray:—The offense is laid on a certain date, then various other dates during said year, to the jurors unknown.

Grubb, J.:—-The Court consider that you must confine your testimony to the instance which you intend to rely upon in this [154]*154case to prove the defendant’s guilt,—the particular instance of using this girl as alleged. We rule the question out. It is too general.

Q. Did he or not have sexual intercourse with you during the latter part of April, or the first part of May, of last year, while living at your home?

(In cross examination, Mr. Saulsbury questioned the witness as follows:)

X. Did you or did you not, on the 22d day of September of last year, in the Municipal Court of the City of Wilmington, in the presence of the Judge, Chief of Police, Mr. Jacobowski and others present, testify that you never had any trouble before with Wladislaw Dlugozima?

(Objected to by Mr. Gray, as irrelevant. Mr. Saulsbury states that he is laying the ground for contradiction).

Grubb, J.:—You must do that upon a subject that is rele - vant'to this case, otherwise you cannot call anybody in contradiction. We think the question is not sufficiently relevant to this case, and sustain the objection.

X. Did you or did you not, at the magistrate’s office, when you had the defendant arrested on this charge, make the state-men that the last time he did anything to you was in March?

A. I said that was the first time.
X. Did not you say that was the last time ?
A. No, sir.

X. Did you or did you not, on Monday, November 30th of last year, at your home in the City of Wilmington, say to Paul Dlugozima that an oath did not amount to anything, or words to that effect ?

(Objected to by Mr. Gray, who states that a single declaration of the -kind indicated cannot go to affect the credibility of the witness. The witness has sworn In this Court that she believes in the sanctity of an oath. To affect her credibility; there must be open, notorious and frequent declarations known to the people among whom she associated, or to several of them.)

[155]*155Grubb, J.:—The Court think that this question is admissible; not as affecting her competency or going to her admissibility as a witness, but as to her credibility, in the opinion of the jury, after a consideration of all the facts in the case, -so far as the jury may think that it has or has not affected her credibility.

A. I did not say anything in reference to the oath, because they know what an oath is and I would not talk about it.

Q. Are you at the present time pregnant ?

(Objected to by Mr. Saulsbury, counsel for defendant, as immaterial. Mr. Gray states that this was a matter which was in corroboration of the charge made by the prosecuting witness).

Grubb, J.:—That is a circumstance to go before the jury. We think it is admissible.

A. Yes, sir.
Q. As the result of your sexual intercourse with the defendant here?
A. Yes, sir; because I did not have intercourse with anyone else.

(The State rested, and Mr. Saulsbury produced the defendant, who testified, among other things, as follows:)

Q. It has been testified by Eva Dlugozima, that in the latter part of April or the first part of May, you had sexual intercourse with her. I will ask you if that is true?

A. That is not true.
Q. Did you ever have sexual intercourse with Eva Dlugozima?

X. Were you not at her home in the month of August of last year, with this girl, Eva, in the parlor or sitting room, and discovered with your hand on her person, and her clothes up ?

(Objected to by Mr. Saulsbury, counsel for defendant, as immaterial—the State being confined to the original date laid in the indictment—and not in cross examination.)

[156]*156Grubb, J.:—Was this after the arrest?

Mr. Gray:—Before the arrest.

Grubb, J.:—You only have one count in the indictment— using her for the purpose of sexual intercourse.

Mr. Gray:—Yes, sir. While the charge is sexual intercourse, yet what I am attempting to prove is a circumstance that corroborates the testimony of the prosecuting witness that the defendant had sexual intercourse with her, and is to be taken into consideration by the jury, to affect his credibility.

Grubb, J.:—We think it is probably a little too remote,and the Court rule against your question.

August Ferschke, a witness being produced, sworn and examined, on the part and behalf of the State, in rebuttal, testified as follows:

By Mr. Gray: ■

Q. Were you present at Squire Robertson’s office when Eva Dlugozima had the defendant here arrested?

Q. Did you act as interpreter at that hearing?

Q. I will ask you whether or not, at that hearing, Eva Dlugozima said that in March, 1908, was the last time that this prisoner had had sexual intercourse with her?

A. My recollection is that she said it was -the first time, sometime in March.
Q. Did she say that the last time was in March?

(The State closed its testimony, and Mr.

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State v. Clough
132 A. 219 (New York Court of General Session of the Peace, 1925)

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Bluebook (online)
74 A. 1086, 23 Del. 151, 7 Penne. 151, 1909 Del. LEXIS 5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-dlugozima-nygensess-1909.