State v. Mallory

180 P. 99, 92 Or. 133, 1919 Ore. LEXIS 99
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedApril 22, 1919
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 180 P. 99 (State v. Mallory) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Mallory, 180 P. 99, 92 Or. 133, 1919 Ore. LEXIS 99 (Or. 1919).

Opinion

JOHNS, J.

To commit the crime with which the defendant is charged under Section 2077, L. O. L.: First, the offender must be a male person over the age of eighteen years, and it must be committed so as not to make the act rape; second, the offender must [138]*138“carnally know any female person of previous chaste and moral character”; third, who is over the age of sixteen years and under the age of eighteen years, and is not his lawful wife; and when so committed, such male person shall be deemed guilty of fornication and upon conviction thereof shall be punished, etc. By the specific provisions of the statute, the commission of fornication is limited and confined to male persons only, and could not be committed by a female. It can be committed only by a male person over the age of eighteen years, upon a “female person of previous chaste and moral character,” who is over the age of sixteen years and under the age of eighteen years. The above section specifically provides that “such male person shall be deemed guilty of fornication” and punished accordingly. It should also be noted that there is no provision in this section requiring the testimony of the female to be “corroborated by some other evidence tending to connect the defendant with the commission of the crime.” This section was enacted in 1905.

1. The defendant cites and relies upon Section 1542, L. O. L., which is as follows:

“Úpon a trial for inveigling, enticing, or taking away an unmarried female for the purposes of prostitution, or for having seduced and had illicit connection with an unmarried female, the defendant cannot be convicted upon the testimony of the female injured, unless she is corroborated by some other evidence tending to connect the defendant with the commission of the crime.”

But Section 1542 was enacted in 1864 and specifically provides that the evidence of the female abducted or seduced must be corroborated. There is no age limitation placed upon either the male or the female, and the statute defines and is intended to apply to abduc[139]*139tion or seduction only, without embracing or including the crime of fornication, which is defined by Section 2077, L. O. L., under which the defendant was indicted.

The court instructed the jury:

That “the burden of proof is upon the state to satisfy you beyond a reasonable doubt of the truth of each material allegation of the indictment”; that “the essential elements of this crime are that it was committed in the county of Multnomah, State of Oregon; that the defendant was a male person over the age of eighteen years; that-[the prosecuting witness] was a female person over the age of sixteen years and under the age of eighteen years, and that she was a female person of previous chaste and moral character; that she was not the lawful wife of W- E. Mallory, and that W. E. Mallory carnally knew the said-[prosecuting witness] in manner and form as alleged in the indictment. And in addition, that such carnal knowledge was not a forcible ravishing of the said - [prosecuting witness], because that would constitute the crime of rape, which is excluded by this indictment. ’ *

2. While the proof is conclusive that the girl was chaste, the defendant contends that there was no testimony that she had a “moral character” and it is true that there is no specific evidence on that subject. Where, as in this case, there is an age limitation, there is a conflict in the authorities as to the burden of proof on the question of the moral character of the complaining witness. Many of the states, including Iowa and Michigan, hold that “it is presumed that the female was of previous chaste character, or virtuous,, at the time of the seduction, and that the burden of proving unchaste character or want of virtue, is on the accused”: 35 Cyc. 1344, and authorities there cited. It also appears from the record that [140]*140the question as to the want of such proof by the state ‘was not called to the attention of the trial court and that it was not pointed out in either of the motions for a directed verdict, and it is contended by counsel for the state that the question cannot be raised for the first time in this court, and should not be considered. Under our view, the decision of each of such questions is unnecessary to this opinion.

The testimony is undisputed that the girl in question was bom and reared in the country, on a farm; that she had always lived at home with her parents, had attended high school at Milwaukie for two and one-half years, and was dutiful and obedient, and it is conclusive that she was of chaste character. On the question of the previous chaste character of the female, 1 C. J. 297, lays down this rule:

“It is apprehended that from the nature of the subject the more accurate statement of the rule is that, although it may be necessary to prove the fact’, evidence directly upon the point is not necessary, but the fact may be shown prima facie by presumption from other facts and circumstances, as that the unmarried female was at the time residing with her parents or guardian or in some respectable household, or by proof of other like circumstances consistent with and the usual concomitants of chaste female character.”

The girl appeared and testified before the trial court, which fully submitted the question of her “moral character,” and the jury found the defendant guilty. After verdict under such a state of facts, we hol'd as a matter of law, that there was evidence from which the jury could find that the girl was of moral character.

3. It is next contended that it appears from the evi-, dence that the crime, if it was committed, was rape and not fornication. Section 1912, L. O. L., provides that

[141]*141“if any person over the age of sixteen years shall carnally know any female child under the age of sixteen years, or any person shall forcibly ravish any female, such person shall be deemed guilty of rape, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished,” etc.

The original statute was enacted in 1864. The age of consent was raised and the present statute enacted in 1895. It will be observed that under this statute the age of consent is sixteen years and that in the instant case the testimony is undisputed that the girl was seventeen years old at the time of the commission of the crime charged in the indictment. The act further provides for the punishment of “any person” who ‘ shall forcibly ravish any female. ’ ’

Under the above instructions the jury was advised that it was one of the essential elements of fornication that — 1

“such carnal knowledge was not a forcible ravishing of the girl in question, because that would constitute the crime of rape, which is excluded by this indictment.”

In legal effect the jury was instructed that if the acts of the defendant constituted rape he should be acquitted of the crime charged. No other instructions were requested on this point, and we must assume as a fact that the jury found the acts of the defendant did not constitute rape. There is abundant evidence to support that finding.

4. Section 1540, L. O. L., is as follows:

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Related

State v. Winslow
472 P.2d 852 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1970)
State v. Coffey
72 P.2d 35 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1937)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
180 P. 99, 92 Or. 133, 1919 Ore. LEXIS 99, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mallory-or-1919.