United States v. Fleenor

162 F.2d 935, 1947 U.S. App. LEXIS 2981
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedAugust 6, 1947
DocketNo. 9236
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 162 F.2d 935 (United States v. Fleenor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Fleenor, 162 F.2d 935, 1947 U.S. App. LEXIS 2981 (7th Cir. 1947).

Opinions

SPARKS, Circuit Judge.

Appellant was charged, in two counts, by grand jury indictment, in the Southern United States District Court of Indiana, with having in the year 1946, unlawfully, knowingly, willfully, and feloniously transported, caused to be transported, and aided and assisted in obtaining transportation for and in transporting in interstate commerce into the State of Indiana from another State, certain women for the purpose of fornication, adultery, debauchery and prostitution, in violation of the White Slave Traffic Act, 18 U.S.C.A. § 398. The first count related to the transportation of Geraldine Fleenor and Gladys Egan, alias Gladys Kellogg, from Peoria, Illinois, to Evansville, Indiana, on or about July 19, 1946. The second count related to the transportation of Sue Kearns from Henderson, Kentucky, to Evansville, Indiana, on or about August 16, 1946.

To each count of this indictment appellant pleaded not guilty, and the case was tried by a jury. At the close of plaintiff’s evidence, appellant moved for a directed verdict of not guilty as to each count, which was overruled. This motion was renewed at the close of all the evidence, and was again overruléd. The jury returned a verdict of guilty as to both counts, and judgment was rendered accordingly, with a penalty of five years’ imprisonment, and a fine of $500 as to each count, and the sentences and judgments on the two coums were to run cumulatively and not concur[936]*936rently. From this judgment this appeal is prosecuted.

Considerable stress is laid by appellant upon the conduct of the court in the trial of this case because at different times it plied certain questions to different witnesses. All but one of appellant’s counsel appearing here conducted the trial in the district court, and no complaint whatever was there made concerning the conduct of the court in any respect, nor was it assigned there as a ground for appeal. However, we have studied the entire record, and we find no justification for such an assignment.

Further contention is urged by appellant that although the court instructed the jury that they were the sole judges of the facts and the weight and credit to be given to the various witnesses, that instruction in no wise served to correct the intimation, as to the'Judge’s view and wishes made through his actions and comments during the trial. In this respect appellant says he does not question the sincerity and singleness of purpose of the Judge, "but this is one of those rare cases where it was necessary for the Judge to rise above moral principles in order to perform his duty as a Judge.” After many years of experience both as a trial and a reviewing court it has never before been suggested to us that it was ever necessary for any court, under any circumstances, to rise above moral principles in order to perform its duties.

Appellant contends that the court erred in its instruction on the question of reasonable doubt. This subject is covered by three consecutive paragraphs of the court’s instructions. The objection is addressed only to a portion of the first paragraph, ending with a comma, without mentioning one word of the remaining portion of that sentence, or any part of the second and third paragraphs. It is elemental that instructions on any particular subject should be construed as- a whole, and when that is done here we find no error whatever in this respect.

It is further contended by appellant that the court erred in instructing the jury with respect to the witnesses, 'as follows:

“Of course, you saw the witnesses on the witness stand, you have a right to look into their faces and determine the weight and credit to be given to the testimony of those witnesses, take into account the interest they may have in the outcome of this trial, the reasonableness of the testimony, and such other facts as will assist you in determining the weight and credit to be given to the testimony of the various witnesses who have testified in this case, and, finally, it is your responsibility to tell this court by your verdict whether or not this defendant is guilty as charged in the indictment.” There was no error in this instruction.

Appellant further urges that the court erred in instructing as follows: “Now, the defendant 'did not testify. He nad tiic right to testify or not as he saw fit, and the fact that he did not testify in this case must not be considered by you in determining his guilt or innocence because that was his right to testify or not as he saw fit.” The instruction is correct, and there was no error in this respect.

Appellant further contends that the court erred in instructing the jury on the purpose of the alleged transportation of these women to Evansville, Indiana, from Peoria, Illinois, and Henderson, Kentucky. On this subject the court instructed as follows :

“Now, you can’t take an X-ray of a man’s mind, and tell what his purpose is, or what his intent is in doing any certain thing. That is something that exists in the mind alone. In determining that question, of course, you will take into consideration the acts, the things that are done, all for the purpose of you determining what was in the person’s mind who did them. You, of course, will take into consideration the acts of these women as shown by the evidence in the case, just prior to the time they came into Indiana, the acts ofi these women as shown by the evidence, what they did immediately following their arrival in Evansville, and then from that determine whether or not if you find this defendant did aid or assist in transporting or furnishing transportation or transport them according to the statute, whether or not he did it for the [937]*937purpose of having them or any one of them engage in prostitution as charged in the indictment.

“Now, gentlemen, I am not going to discuss the evidence in this case. It did not take long to try it, but I want to say to you that circumstantial evidence is legal evidence, but when the Government relies upon circumstantial evidence as it apparently does in this case to show this defendant is guilty of transporting, aiding or furnishing transportation for these women in interstate commerce, the circumstances must be so convincing that you can arrive at no other conclusion than that of guilt before you can convict him on circumstantial evidence alone.

“So, consider all the circumstances, the association of these people together, at other places than in Indiana — Peoria, Illinois; Henderson, Kentucky; then Evansville, Indiana, and then from those circumstances, together with all other evidence determine whether or not the defendant is guilty as charged.”

The basis of appellant’s objection to this instruction is the first paragraph thereof, and again he does not mention nor does he seem to consider the following paragraphs. He urges that the jury was caused by the first paragraph to believe that proof of the acts of the women before they came into Indiana and after they arrived in Evansville, standing alone, was sufficient in itself as a basis for a verdict of guilty, and further that the jury was made to believe that reasonable grounds of belief on the part of appellant that they might engage in prostitution thereafter would constitute guilt to the same extent as would intent and purpose on his part that they should do so. We think the instruction as a whole conveys no such impression.

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Related

United States v. Holz
103 F. Supp. 191 (E.D. Illinois, 1950)
United States v. Fleenor
177 F.2d 482 (Seventh Circuit, 1949)
United States v. Kaadt
171 F.2d 600 (Seventh Circuit, 1948)
United States v. Randall
164 F.2d 284 (Seventh Circuit, 1947)

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Bluebook (online)
162 F.2d 935, 1947 U.S. App. LEXIS 2981, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-fleenor-ca7-1947.