Territory of Hawaii v. Charman

18 Haw. 46
Hawaii Supreme Court·Decided October 30, 1906·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

OPINION OP THE COURT BY

FREAR, C.J.

The defendant liaving been tried, convicted and sentenced on a charge of rape brings the case here on exceptions.

[47] Exception 1, ■which arises from the overruling of a challenge to the array of trial jurors, presents the question whether the jury law, particularly sections 1777, 1779 and 1780 of the Revised Laws, was not rendered unworkable by the amendments made by act 74 of the Laws of 1905. It is contended that sections 1779 and 1780 were left without sufficient amendment to be reconcilable with the amendments made in section 1777. The difficulty arises chiefly from the fact that two lists, one for trial and one for grand jurors, are provided for by section 1777 as amended, instead of one list as previously for all jurors, while the other two sections seem at first impression to contemplate in their amended form as well as previously only one jury box for the names of all jurors. It must be conceded that the amendatory act is somewhat of a botch and leaves the law in a very unsatisfactory state, but it seems to us that the act as a whole shows clearly what the intention of the legislature was, and that the different parts may be harmonized without undue violence to their wording.

Section 1777 previously provided that jury commissioners should prepare a list of persons liable to serve during the year whether as trial or grand jurors, and section 1779 provided that the clerk of the court should deposit all the names on that list in a “jury box” and then select by lot two smaller lists of names and deposit them in a “grand jury box” and a “trial jury box” respectively, and then from these resnective boxes select by lot still smaller lists of names of persons to serve as grand and trial jurors respectively for the particular term. Section 1777 as amended provides that the jiiry commissioners shall prepare two lists of persons to serve as grand and trial jurors respectively instead of one list as previously and section 1779 as amended accordingly omits the provision for selection by the clerk of two lists, one to be put in a “grand jury box” and the other in a “trial jury box” — that having already been practically accomplished by the jury commissioners under_ section 1777 as amended — and then provides merely for the selection by the clerk of the smaller lists of persons to serve as grand and [48] trial jurors respectively for the particular term. It is clear that the legislature intended that the names of persons selected by the jury commissioners and liable to serve as grand jurors and trial jurors respectively should be kept in separate boxes and this intention may be given effect by construing the word “jury box” when used in the sections following section 1YY7 to mean the appropriate jury box according as grand or trial jurors are referred to and not as meaning the same jury box irrespective of whether grand or trial jurors are referred to and by construing similarly other words when used in the singular or without some such word as “appropriate” or “respective.”

Exception 3 was taken to the allowance of the following question put to the complaining witness at the close of her direct examination after she had testified as to what the defendant had done to her: “This thing that this boy did to you that day at the reservoir, did you want him to do this or not?” The objection to the question is based solely on the ground that it was leading. In our opinion it was not leading and even if it were its allowance would not be sufficient ground for reversing the verdict and granting a new trial. See 1 Wigmore, Ev., Secs. 770, 772.

Exceptions 4 to 14 involve the question of the admissibility of evidence introduced to show a confession on the part of the defendant in stating, at his examination before a district magistrate sitting as a committing magistrate, that he was guilty. The magistrate testified that the defendant was brought before him by the deputy sheriff on a charge of rape, and that he entered the charge in his record book. He then produced the book and read the charge as entered by him and proceeded to testify as follows: “I read this charge to the defendant. I read it to him and to his attorney and I asked them if they understood the charge or not. The defendant answered that he understood. The court then questioned him, ‘Are you guilty as charged or not guilty?’ The court then asked him again fDo you understand, do you fully understand this charge against you or not?’ The defendant said ‘Yes.’ I again asked him, [49] 'Are yon guilty as charged or not?’ He again replied he was guilty as charged. I then entered in this hook the plea of guilty as charged.” He further testified that he then said that the charge had to be taken to a higher court and that he had no-right to impose punishment; that he then wrote in his book that it was a case of commitment and signed his name. He testified also that the defendant appeared to be in his right senses; that his attorney and several relatives and others were present and that neither he, the magistrate, nor any other person in authority used any threat, promise, inducement, coercion or deception of any nature in order to induce the plea of guilty. The page of the book containing the record of the proceedings as described by the magistrate was then offered and admitted in evidence.

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Territory of Hawaii v. Charman, 18 Haw. 46 (haw 1906).

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