State v. Sangster

223 N.W. 325, 54 S.D. 391, 1929 S.D. LEXIS 338
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 26, 1929
DocketFile No. 6549
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 223 N.W. 325 (State v. Sangster) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota 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. Sangster, 223 N.W. 325, 54 S.D. 391, 1929 S.D. LEXIS 338 (S.D. 1929).

Opinion

CAMPBELL, J.

Defendant was indicted by a grand jury, charged with having committed the crime of adultery on April 12, [393]*3931925. He was tried upon his plea of not guilty, found guilty by the verdict of a jury, and judgment entered thereon. From that judgment and from the denial of his motion for a new trial, he appeals.

Appellant predicates error upon the refusal of the court to allow a challenge for cause to a juror; upon certain rulings with reference to admission of testimony; and upon the giving of a certain instruction over his objection.

With reference to the matter of challenge to the juror the record shows the following examination of the juror by appellant’s counsel:

“Q. You told me that the fact that the state had filed an indictment charging Mr. Sangster with this crime, that you would consider that that was evidence against him now. A. Yes, sir.
“Q. And you would require the defendant to produce some evidence to show why he is here, and why this indictment was filed against him — would you require him to put in evidence? A. I would.”

Thereupon appellant’s counsel interposed a challenge for cause. The record then shows the following examination of the juror by the state’s attorney:

“Q. Mr. Rohrer, if the Court should instruct you that this indictment was not to be taken as evidence, but that the defendant was presumed innocent until proven guilty, would you follow that instruction of the Court? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. And if the Court told you that you should start with the idea that the defendant was not guilty, and that he didn’t have .anything to explain, and should keep the idea in your mind that he was innocent, and that he was not guilty until such time as the State had proved to your mind beyond any reasonable doubt that he was guilty, would you follow that instruction? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Have you any opinion now as to the merits of the case, that is, have you some idea as to whether or not this man is guilty or not guilty? A. No.
“Q. And if the Court tells you, that you are -not to consider this indictment as evidence, you can pitt it out of your mind, can you? A. Yes, sir.”

Thereupon the state resisted the challenge and the trial judge himself made some inquiries of the juror, in response to which the [394]*394juror stated in substance that, if the court instructed that it was the law in all criminal cases that a man is presumed innocent until the state proves his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, he would understand that instruction and would follow it; that he now understood it to be the law that an indictment is not evidence against any one, but is only a charge, and that the state must prove by evidence in the case that a man is guilty before a jury can find him guilty; and that he now understood it to be the law that from the very start of the trial to the finish of it a defendant is presumed to be innocent until the contrary is proved beyond a reasonable doubt, and that such presumption of innocence carries all through the trial until it is overcome by the state by evidence; that he would follow that rule in this case. Whereupon the court denied the challenge. That this ruling of the learned trial judge was correct is too clear to admit of argument. See State v. Church, 6 S. D. 89, 60 N. W. 143; State v. Mitchell, 46 S. D. 272, 192 N. W. 487.

Upon cross-examination of the complaining witness appellant’s counsel asked this question: “Who took you to those dances here in Huron along in the winter of 1925?” Objection was made upon the ground- that the question was “immaterial, not proper cross-examination unless confined to- a period within the time brought out in the direct examination.” Thereupon the- following offer was made by appellant’s counsel: “Let the record show that we offer at this time to prove that this girl kept company and was engaged to a man during the winter of 1925; that on or about the middle of March, 1925, he left and went to- Water-town; that the prosecuting- witness followed him to Watertown, and there requested him to marry her and stated to- him that she would go -home and see an attorney and sue him for breach, of promise; that she attended dances all during- the winter of 1925, and was accompanied by this man at different dances; that she would go out riding during the winter of 1925 and summer of 1924 with this man alone, and remain out until late at night. Defendant offers to prove by this witness that she made statements about the time that she claims she met Clarence Sangster, that if she couldn’t get her other sweetheart she would take him” — upon which the court ruled in the following language: “So far as the paternity of the child having any bearing on this case, I would rule [395]*395that you couldn’t ask those questions unless it was within a limit of time.”

Appellant’s brief does not state a syllable of the evidence that was offered by the state, either before or after the asking of the above question on cross-examination, nor the substance or nature thereof. The brief does not, in any manner, show or indicate the fact situation as developed by the testimony at the time of the asking of this question and the making of this offer, and there is nothing in the brief from which we can form the remotest idea as to the correctness of the court’s ruling, and nothing whatever is presented from which we could say that the ruling, if erroneous, was prejudicial.

Appellant propounded to a witness, called by him in the course of putting in his defense, a question substantially as follows: “In a conversation with complaining witness, at your place the time you have stated here, in the latter part of July, 1925, did complaining witness say to you, in talking of defendant, that she had been jilted twice and couldn’t stand it again, o-r words to that effect?” To which question the state interposed the following objection: “Objected to as entirely irrelevant and immaterial to the issues in this case, at a time remote from the issues, and relating to some other persons than the defendant, therefore entirely immaterial and if offered for the purpose of impeachment would be an attempt to impeach upon a collateral issue” — which objection was sustained, and on this ruling appellant seeks to predicate error.

Here, again, the record, as presented by appellant, fails to-show anything from: which we -can determine that the ruling" was erroneous. We are not furnished with enough of the evidence to determine what the fact situation was, nor is there evidence of the complaining witness shown in the brief whereby we might determine whether the -question was impeaching, and, if so, whether proper foundation for it, as such, was laid, or whether it went to a material matter. Here, again, we must say that the record presented by appellant is insufficient for us to determine whether or not the ruling was erroneous, and still more insufficient to -determine whether or not the ruling, if erroneous, was prejudicial.

Appellant further complains of the ruling of the trial court in refusing to permit secondary evidence of the. contents of a certain letter. The brief of appellant fails to show that any [396]*396sufficient foundation was laid for such secondary evidence, and further fails to make any showing whatever as to what is claimed to have been the content of the letter in question. Manifestly, no prejudicial error appears here.

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Related

Jones v. State
576 S.W.2d 198 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1979)
State v. Audiss
20 N.W.2d 400 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1945)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
223 N.W. 325, 54 S.D. 391, 1929 S.D. LEXIS 338, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-sangster-sd-1929.