State v. Holland

112 Iowa 256
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedOctober 19, 1900
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 112 Iowa 256 (State v. Holland) 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. Holland, 112 Iowa 256 (iowa 1900).

Opinion

Given, J.

[259]*2592 [258]*258I. .V bi-ief outline of the facts will aid in understanding the questions .to be considered. James F. [259]*259Howard, then a young man, was admitted to the bar in 1896, and commenced the practice of law in Webster City in and near which place he had lived for many years, and where he was held in high esteem as an honorable man. Nor some time he occupied the same office with George O. Olmstead, then county attorney, and, although not in partnership, he occasionally assisted Olmstead in his professional work. One George Barber retained Olmstead as his attorney to defend an action by Mrs. Barber for divorce and alimony. Barber converted some notes he had into cash, realizing $3,997.50 therefor, which he placed in the hands of Olmstead, to put it beyond the reach of Mrs. Barber on any judgment she might recover for the alimony. Olmstead paid Barber small amounts from time to time, which, with his charges for services, about covered the excess over $3,000 of the money which Barber gave him. When Olmstead received the money he took a time certificate of deposit, due in one year, in his own name, for $3,000, and the balance he had credited on his own account. Howard, at the instance of Olmstead, aided in the preparation and trial of the divorce case; and, although he may not have known- what disposition Olmstead made of the money, he undoubtedly knew of its receipt by Olmstead, and the purpose thereof. On the trial of the divorce case, Barber testified that he had been robbed of his money while in Chicago — a statement that both Olmstead and this defendant knew to be false. There is no evidence that the defendant advised or consented to Barber’s giving this false testimony, and, being only an assistant in the case, it may be that he was powerless to prevent it; but not so with Olmstead, who, no doubt, advised it. At the time the $3,000 certificate became due, Barber came to Webster City, and demanded his money of Olmstead, who denied that ho was owing him anything, intimated that he mighjg be prosecuted for perjury, and paid him $40 to enable him to leave the town. Olmstead solicited the defendant to assist him in scaring. [260]*260Barber away, and offered to pay him $50 to do so, but defendant testifies that he refused to do so, and went to the depot, where Barber was about to leave, and induced him to return, promising that he would assist him in getting more money out of Olmstead. Barber and the defendant then agreed that defendant should act for Barber, and that he should have one-haJf of whatever they got from Olmstead. They returned and pressed Olmstead for further payment, and the result was that Olmstead paid Barber $250, of which defendant got $50. Barber wrote and signed a receipt to Olmstead for $3,180, to which Olmstead required the words “in full of all demands up to date” to be added, which was done, and Barber then left the city. After-wards, on the same day, Olmstead gave his check to the defendant for $250, which defendant testifies was on a settlement between them for office rent and services rendered by defendant to Olmstead in typewriting, etc., and that Olmstead refused to settle with him until after Barber had gone. On the same day (May 11, 1898) the defendant signed and delivered to Olmstead his affidavit, executed before E. W. Biggs, notary public, as follows:

“Affidavit. I, James F. Howard, being first duly sworn, do depose and say that I was attorney for George Barber on the eleventh day of May, A. D. 1889, in a settlement of all accounts and demands of whatever kind or nature between G. C. Olmstead and George Barber, and especially including $3,000 borrowed money; that, up to and on the above date, George Barber received the sum of $3,180 in money and services from said George O. Olmstead, and receipted to him for the same on said day, in full of all demands, of whatever kind and nature, existing between said George Barber and G. O. Olmstead on said date; that said settlement was made at the office of G. C. Olmstead, and there having been a dispute and other items of account between G. O. Olmstead and George Barber, and the amount due George Barber being in dispute, the said amount of [261]*261$3,180 was voluntarily and freely agreed upon as the amount due, amount paid in money, and services up to this time, to said George Barber; that said settlement was freely and voluntarily made on both sides. [Signed] James E. Howard.
“Subscribed and sworn to before me this eleventh day of Hay, 1898, by James E. Howard. E. W. Biggs, Notary Public in and for Hamilton County, Iowa.”

Concerning this affidavit the defendant testifies as follows: “He said ho was going to Oklahoma, to run for county attorney down there, and.that Barber had gone away, and neither of us would ever see' him again, and, if he was going to support me and get support for me here as county attorney, I ought to help him out down there, and he panted a statement showing that he had done the square thing with Barber. He wanted it in the form of an affidavit, and said that Biggs would put his seal on it without swearing me to it, or without knowing what was in it, or anything of the kind, and it would be just a confidential matter between him and me, and he would never show it to any one in the state. I asked what he wanted in the statement, and he said he just wanted it to show that he had paid Barber up, and that, if they sprung anything in politics down in Oklahoma, he wanted it to show that he had done the square thing up here. I told him I didn’t want to give anything of the kind, and that I wouldn’t swear to anything of the kind at all, and he said I wouldn’t have to. I finally consented to give it to him, and he went up to my office, and he dictated what he wanted, and I wrote it down in pencil, and then on the typewriter. I started to write it on the typewriter, and got down to the place where I saw very plainly that the affidavit would conflict with itself, and I said: ‘What is the use of making this for $3,180, all you owed him, and then stating that the settlement was free, fair, and voluntary ?’ I said: ‘It is inconsistent. Nobody could read it without, knowing it was a lie here, any[262]*262way? ‘Now? I said, ‘if you say $250, and then say the settlement was free, fair, and voluntary, it would be consistent with itself, anyway? He said he wanted it just as he had dictated it to me. I told him that I wouldn’t give it to him; that anybody that would read it would know that it wasn’t so. He renewed his promise not to show it to anybody in this state, and said that Biggs wouldn’t know what it was, and that, under any consideration, ho wouldn’t show it to anybody here. ‘Well? I said, ‘Biggs will know what is in it, anyway? Biggs was the notary public that I was going before to have him put his seal on it. ‘No? he said, ‘ho won’t’ — not to let Biggs read it at all. So I finished up the affidavit part of it, and took it out of the typewriter, and rolled it around on the back side to put the jurat on, so Biggs couldn’t see it,- — so- he couldn’t read the affidavit. Olmstead said, ‘What are you. doing that for?’ I said, ‘So Biggs won’t see it? lie said it was no good that way. lie says, ‘You won’t have- to swear to it, and you won’t have to show it to anybody, and it is just a confidential matter, and I will see that nobody sees it? I told him if Biggs put his seal on it without swearing me, I would give it to him, and if bo didn’t I wouldn’t. I went down to Biggs’ office, and O.lmstead! was up to ;iis office, — Hr.

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Related

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In Re Biaggi
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
112 Iowa 256, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-holland-iowa-1900.