United States v. Richardson

113 F. Supp. 423, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2597
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedJanuary 16, 1953
DocketCr. No. 1645-51
StatusPublished

This text of 113 F. Supp. 423 (United States v. Richardson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Richardson, 113 F. Supp. 423, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2597 (D.D.C. 1953).

Opinion

KIRKLAND, District Judge.

In this particular case, counsel for the defendant, Marie Lucinda Richardson, has filed a motion for a new trial on January 7, 1953, opposed by points and authorities filed by the Government and the Court has had the benefit of extended argument by counsel.

The Court, based upon our local practice, especially the rules as set forth in the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and local case law, wherein the Court observes, first, and finds that this particular motion was filed within the two years provided for newly discovered evidence under Rule 33 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, 18 U.S.C.A., and the local case law, especially Thompson v. United States, 88 U.S.App.D.C. 235, 188 F.2d 652, 653, that with especial regard to local case law and that particular case, the rule locally is as follows:

“ ‘The trial court has a broad discretion as to whether a new trial should be granted because of newly discovered evidence, and its action will not be disturbed on appeal unless an abuse of that discretion appears.’ To obtain a new trial because of newly discovered evidence
“(1) the evidence must have been discovered since the trial; (2) the party seeking the new trial must show diligence in the attempt to procure the newly discovered evidence; (3) the evidence relied upon must not be merely cumulative or impeaching; (4) it must be material to the issues involved; and (5) of such nature that in a new trial it would probably produce an acquittal.”

The Trial Court has preserved his trial notes and the Court recalls that this case consumed the days of February 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, and 28, being a total of seven days and that this particular witness, Mary Stalcup Markward, was on the stand three full days.

The Court recalls that she lived at Chesterbrook, Virginia, throughout the period, which was approximately 15 miles to the heart of the city, and that in her activity for the F.B.I., she was a secretary of a local cell of the Communist group that was housed first in the central portions of the city and was afterwards changed to the Stanton Park area at 3rd and H Street, Northeast. The Court points to that fact because of the element of transportation which figured in the means of getting the witness to and from her home daily, to where she served as such secretary, as well as going on to New York City and to Baltimore.

There was, in addition, testimony by her that she paid dues; the amount is not clearly shown, but it is of record that the defendant Marie Lucinda Richardson, although unemployed for a period of time, had to pay 10 cents a week to keep eligible, so it is a fair assumption the dues must have been greater than that.

Her activities extended from the early part of 1943 until 1952, when she was before the Court testifying.

In addition to dues and transportation, there was also evidence before the Court that frequent contributions were made by members; on one occasion, to send this defendant, as the Court recalls, to New York City to attend a school.

A history of the organization locally was that its membership kept diminishing and in [425]*425the latter years of its activity, more contributions were made than had been made over the previous years.

Now, before the Court begins to make its findings of fact, the Court wants to notice the exhibit which has been filed to the motion for a new trial. I think it is important to notice, as against the amounts which are listed as having been paid to Mary Stalcup Markward, that in the ten years’ time, there is listed but $147 as expenses. Now that, obviously, is not complete. Transportation alone in ten years’ driving of an automobile would consume more oil and gas than that, and one doesn’t travel to New York and back on the train for fare alone, unless he pays close to $20 to $22, or if he goes to Baltimore, even, or makes a few trips, so it is perfectly apparent that among the other sums of $23,879.45, there must be expenses, expenses apart from the $147 listed.

Now, in paragraph 2 of the exhibit attached to the motion, there is this statement :

“That the prosecution represents that such data which was incorporated in the figures hereinafter set forth accurately state the facts concerning all the payments” — and the Court emphasizes the word “payments” — “up to and including September 10, 1952.”

On the second page of the exhibit under the paragraph designated I, down near the bottom and about six lines up from the bottom, there is this statement:

“And that such payments were made for services performed and expenses incurred by such witness in furnishing information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning the Communist Party or its activity or members.”

Now, on page 4 of the exhibit under II, there is this quotation:

“In this case up to and including September 10, 1952, the sum set out below after the names of each and for the years indicated, and that such payments were made in connection with witness fees, transportation, per diem, furnishing information, and consultation with respect to testimony in this and other cases involving the Communist Party or its activity or members, or the defendant herein, or some of them.”

Now, it is quite important that we observe that witness fees and per diem are included within this sum. The Court will judicially notice in the District of Columbia a witness fee is $4 per day. The Court will note, from the representation of counsel, that this witness was frequently called upon to testify, as the record now shows, not only before the Court in this case in particular; but called upon to testify in administrative proceedings and to testify in other cases, and quite obviously that is a figure of sizeable amount; it is not shown.

The Court’s own father was a Deputy United States Marshal for 35 years and the Court knows that transportation is allowed. The Court will judicially notice the transportation allowed is 7 cents a mile, that Baltimore is approximately 35 miles from Washington, New York is 220 miles from Washington, it is approximately 15 miles from Chesterbrook, Virginia, to the District of Columbia alone, and when one stops to multiply daily at least a required 30 to 40 miles a day, even if you eliminated the week-ends of Saturday and Sunday, a hundred days in all, you’d have over 250 days at 40 miles and at 7 cents, you have $2.80 or roughly $3 a day for 250 days, you have $750 multiplied by 10 years, you have $7,500 in the one item of transportation alone.

In addition, there is an allowance of per diem. The Court is uncertain of what that amount is, but with the American dollar in 1952 and a few years before, at approximately 50 cents, with the average breakfast running the average person a dollar and lunch a dollar and a half and dinner at least $2.50, being unacquainted with the number of days involved, one can readily see if you multiply an allowance of $5 or $6 per diem that you are running up a very considerable sum.

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Related

Thompson v. United States
188 F.2d 652 (D.C. Circuit, 1951)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
113 F. Supp. 423, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2597, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-richardson-dcd-1953.