State v. Taylor

196 Iowa 1015
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMarch 13, 1923
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 196 Iowa 1015 (State v. Taylor) 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. Taylor, 196 Iowa 1015 (iowa 1923).

Opinion

Preston, C. J.

Three main points are relied upon by appellant for a reversal. First, he challenges the sufficiency of the evidence; second, he alleges that the corroboration is not sufficient; and third, he claims that the court erred in admitting, over objection, the revolver and handkerchiefs, because, as is argued, they were not sufficiently identified.

1. RAPE: evidence: sufficiency. 1. The defendant is 33 years of age. Prosecutrix is a young, married woman, 18 years old, who, at the time of the transaction, had a child 14 months old, who was with her. She was 7 or 8 months gone in pregnancy at the time. Her husband works for the railroad, as does the defendant. Defendant lives in the third house from that of prosecutrix and her husband, in Valley Junction. The houses are not far apart. The families were friendly, and had visited a few times, and had been acquainted for some months prior to the transaction, which occurred about 3 o’clock in the morning, March 2, 1921. No point is made by appellant that the jury could not have found that there was penetration and intercourse to some extent. The prosecutrix, Mrs. Kalberg, resisted as much as she dared. This being so, we shall not go into the details of this particular matter any more than seems to be necessary to cover other points. In addition to the matter just referred to, her testimony, briefly, is this:

“My husband goes to work about midnight. I undressed and went to bed about midnight. Was alone with the baby. Left the electric light in the room burning, because the fire was low, and wanted it to get started before turning out the light. I was awakened by the snapping out of the light. The door was not locked, but I thought I had locked it; turned the key halfway, and left the key in the door. Defendant came and put a flash light and gun in my face. Thought at first it was a burglar. Was frightened. He was standing beside the bed. He looked at me a long time; just stood and looked; got down close. The flash light was dim. After he bent down close, saw he had [1017]*1017a red and white bandana handkerchief over the lower part of his face. Could see his eyes. Recognized him as defendant by his eyes, and I knew his voice. He has a Southern brogue, and talks different. He told me to get up. I didn’t get up right away, and he told me again to get up, and keep my mouth shut. I went to get up, and then began to cry, and he told me to turn my back, and pointed a gun at me while I was lying in bed. I finally got up, and he told me.to turn my back and bend over. I put my hands on the bed. Turned around and saw what he was going to do, and pushed him away from me. He said he would blow my brains out if I didn’t do as he told me. I was in fear of my life. Thought he would kill me. I went and done as he told me, after he threatened my life. I was so frightened I could hardly stand. Had never lived alone before. After defendant left, I tried to quiet the baby. Dressed myself and the baby without buttoning clothes or shoes, and, a few minutes after the transaction, went to the neighbors’, Robbins, the nexthouse east of us. Told Robbins someone had been in the house, and asked him to go for my husband. After Robbins had left, told Mrs. Robbins it was defendant. When my husband came, about 4 o’clock, I-told him it was defendant. Defendant had on overalls. I have seen the gun, a small nickel-plated gun like the gun I had seen at Taylor’s house. Do not know that this Exhibit A is the gun, but I know it was small like this, and had a shiny barrel, — nickel-plated. (Shown two handkerchiefs, B and C, bandana handkerchiefs. Says the man that was in her house that night had a handkerchief that color; it was folded that way.) I know defendant had a small flash light; it was nickel-plated; it threw a dim light. Defendant had intercourse with me for a while; penetrated my body. I begged him to leave me alone. Every time I would talk, he told me to shut my mouth; that he would blow my brains out if I moved, or didn’t do what he told me, — and I believed he would. At first, he held the flash light in his left hand and the gun in his right. When I put my hands on the bed and bent over, I saw what he was going to do, and turned around and pushed him away. Don’t know where the search light was then; it was dark. Don’t know what he did with the gun. I know I pushed him away, then I turned around at the same place, and he tried to have inter-' [1018]*1018course with, me again. He abandoned that method. Then he turned me around. I was crying. I was afraid to scream. I first knew what he was going to do when he started to lift my nightgown; then I turned around and pushed him away. I was trying to get away from him all the time; didn’t let him do just what he pleased with me.”

The Robbins testify as to what she said when she came to their house, and as to her condition, and that she was very nervous or excited.

The husband testified that, after defendant was arrested, and at the mayor’s office about 11 o’clock the next forenoon, the officers told his wife, in the presence of defendant, that she ought to be certain before she accused this man, “and I myself asked her many questions as to the possibility of mistaken identity, and she said she couldmot be mistaken. ’ ’ She accused defendant in his presence, and defendant denied the accusation.

The State’s evidence is that, at that time, defendant begged to have the prosecution dropped, and offered to pay the costs. Defendant, testifying as a witness on this subject, qualifies somewhat the last statement, and says that the prosecutrix was willing to drop the prosecution, and that she was not certain that he was the party, and that the marshal asked him if he would pay the costs of the court if they dropped it, and he replied that he would, if they did not have the money.

Without going into further detail, it is enough to say that there is other evidence.

The evidence bearing more particularly on the question of corroboration, also on the identification of the handkerchiefs and gun, and the identity of defendant, is briefly this:

It is undisputed that defendant did not work at the roundhouse or yards, the night in question. He had been working steadily before that. He testifies that he telephoned the roundhouse about 10 o’clock, for permission to lay off, claiming that he had a headache. His work was from midnight until morning. A witness testifies to a conversation with defendant, in which defendant stated that he went to bed at 12:30, and was not out of his house thereafter during the night. Another witness testifies that he saw defendant and spoke to him about 3 o’clock the same night on the street, and that defendant was going towards [1019]*1019his own home, wearing a suit of overalls. Defendant denies meeting this witness.

The city marshal testifies that he arrested defendant about 11 o’clock in the forenoon of the next day. Defendant was in bed at his home, sleeping upstairs. Defendant came down and opened the door.

“Just had on his underclothes. I told him I had a warrant. I asked him if he had a gun. He said, ‘Yes, down to the roundhouse.’ Asked him if he had a flash light, and where it was, and he said, ‘Some place in the drawers.’ He commenced to go through them, but could not find it, so he said, ‘I will go upstairs, and be down in a minute.’ I went up with him. He says, ‘You don’t need to; I will be down in a few minutes.’ I went up, and the minute I got to the top of the stairs, I saw a flash light and a gun on a chair by the side of his bed.

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Bluebook (online)
196 Iowa 1015, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-taylor-iowa-1923.