Territory of Hawaii v. Schilling

17 Haw. 249, 1906 Haw. LEXIS 34
CourtHawaii Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 3, 1906
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 17 Haw. 249 (Territory of Hawaii v. Schilling) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Territory of Hawaii v. Schilling, 17 Haw. 249, 1906 Haw. LEXIS 34 (haw 1906).

Opinions

OPINION OP THE COURT BY

HARTWELL, J.

(Prear, C.J., dissenting.)

Tbe defendant was tried, convicted and sentenced upon an indictment charging an assault with intent to commit the crime of rape. He pleaded a former-trial and conviction by the magistrate of the district of Lihue of the offense of assault and battery and that the same assault was charged in the indictment. In a supplemental plea he also pleaded that he was advised that the facts shown at the trial of the assault and battery amounted in law to a felony and therefore that he could not afterwards be prosecuted for the felony under the statute, which provides as follows:

“If upon the trial of any person for any misdemeanor it shall appear that the facts given in evidence amount in law to a felony, such person shall not by reason thereof be entitled to [251]*251be acquitted of such misdemeanor, and no person tried for such misdemeanor shall be liable to be afterwards prosecuted for felony on the same facts, unless the court before which said trial may be had shall think fit in its discretion to discharge the jury from giving any verdict upon such trial, and to direct such person to be proceeded against for felony, in which case such person shall be dealt with in all respects as if he had not been put upon his trial for such misdemeanor.” R. L. Sec 2864.

The pleas were overruled, the court declining to hear evidence in verification of the plea of former conviction. The defendant excepted to the rulings and assigns them as error.

The statute on which the supplemental plea is based applies to a jury trial and does not authorize a magistrate to acquit of a misdemeanor upon finding that a felony is shown by the evidence and commit the defendant for trial for the felony. The court, in overruling the plea, must be deemed to have taken its averments as true. The question is therefore presented whether the plea was good.

The statute upon which the plea is based is as follows:

“No person shall be required to answer again for an offense, for which he has once been duly convicted, or of which he has been duly acquitted upon a good and sufficient indictment.” R. L., Sec. 2731.

“Any person who has been tried and convicted of any offense before a court, tribunal or magistrate having jurisdiction of themase; shall not be subject to subsequent criminal prosecution therefor, and such conviction may be pleaded in bar of any such subsequent prosecution.” Ib. Sec. 2732.

The statute further provides:

“Where the same act constitutes two or more diverse and distinct offenses, different in their nature and character, one not being merged in the other, the offender may be proceeded against for each, and cannot plead a conviction or acquittal for one, in bar of proceedings against him for the other.” R. L., Sec. 2734.

Although the plea is styled a plea of autrefois convict, based upon the statute, it must also be considered as equivalent to a plea under the 5th amendment, “nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or [252]*252limb” wbicb includes jeopardy of fine or imprisonment as well.

The two offenses of assault and battery and assault with intent to. ravish are “diverse and distinct, different in their nature and character, one not being merged in the other” so that if “the same act constitutes” them “the offender may be prosecuted for each and cannot plead a conviction or acquittal for one, in bar of proceedings against him for the other” unless the statute conflicts with the twice in jeopardy clause of the 5th amendment. All of the evidence required to prove the higher offense would not be admissible in proof of the lower, while the evidence required to prove the lower offense would not prove the higher; nor at the trial of the higher offense could a verdict for a simple assault have been given under the statute.^ At common law the court could not direct a verdict for a misdemeanor in the trial of a felony unless “the indictment sets out the facts of an offense and charges them to have been done feloniously while in law they constitute only a misdemeanor.” 1 Bishop, N. Crim. Law, Sec. 810. It is enacted in 7 W. 4, and 1 Vjc. c. 85, s. 11:

“That on the trial of any person for any of the offences thereinbefore mentioned, or for a/ny felony whatever, where the crime charged shall include an assault against the person, it shall be lawful for the jurv to acquit of the felony, and to find a verdict of guilty of assault against the person indicted, if the evidence shall warrant such finding; and when such verdict shall be found, the court shall have power to imprison the person so found guilty of an assault for any term not exceeding three years.” Lonsdale, Stat. Crim. Law of England, 30.

“But this is now repealed by the Stat. 14 and 15 Vict., c. 100, §10, and the more general provision introduced, allowing the jury, upon all indictments for felony or misdemeanor, to acquit of the offence, and find the party guilty of an attempt to commit it.” 2 Archbold, Crim. Pr. & Pl., 68.

Our statute does not authorize a verdict of an assault in a trial for an assault with intent to ravish, although, in many instances, provision is made for conviction of a less offense than is charged.

Thus in charges of assault or assault and battery or mayhem, [253]*253or with intent to murder, maim or disfigure, or with a dangerous weapon with intent to commit burglary, robbery, manslaughter or murder or other crime of such character, or of an assault by one not armed with a dangerous weapon with force and violence with intent to commit burglary, robbery or theft, or with a knife, sword-cane, or any other weapon obviously and imminently dangerous to life, or on any public officer with intent to resist, hinder or obstruct him in the discharge or execution of his duty, or of offering violence to the person of a public minister, or inflicting slight corporal injury upon another, the defendant “may be found guilty of any offense necessarily included in that with which he is charged, as the facts proved may warrant.” E. L., Sec. 2918. A verdict may be given for assault and battery or for manslaughter on an indictment for murder or manslaughter. Ib. Sec. 2865. On an indictment for robbery, larceny or any offense of more than one degree, a verdict may be given for any lesser degree of the same offense. Ib., Sec. 2866. Hpon trial for robbery the jury may find an assault with intent to rob. Ib., Sec. 2867. A trial for embezzlement permits a verdict of larceny, and conversely, in a trial for larceny, embezzlement may be found. Ib., Sec. 2868. If upon a trial for obtaining property by false pretenses it is proved that the property was obtained in such a manner as to amount in law to a larceny, the defendant is not therefore entitled to be acquitted and shall not afterwards be liable to a prosecution for the larceny. Ib., Sec. 2869. A person tried for the offense of rape or sodomy may be convicted of an assault with intent to commit the same. Ib., Sec. 2873. Section 3082, Ib., provides a penalty for the offense of riot or unlawful assembly having for its object the destruction or injury of any house or other structure, section 3083, Ib., for a higher penalty if the riot or unlawful assembly endangers life, limb, health or liberty, but one who is indicted under this section may, by section 2876 Ib., be convicted of the offense charged in the previous section.

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Bluebook (online)
17 Haw. 249, 1906 Haw. LEXIS 34, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/territory-of-hawaii-v-schilling-haw-1906.