United States v. Wiborg

73 F. 159, 1896 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedFebruary 27, 1896
StatusPublished

This text of 73 F. 159 (United States v. Wiborg) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Wiborg, 73 F. 159, 1896 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4 (E.D. Pa. 1896).

Opinion

BUTLER, District Judge

(charging jury). The defendants having been at the time in question officers of the ship Horsa, the first as captain and the others as mates, are indicted jointly and separately, in which indictment it is charged “that within the territory and jurisdiction of the United States they did organize and set on foot and provide and prepare the means for, a certain military expedition cjnd enterprise to be carried on from thence against the territory and dominions of a foreign prince, to wit, the Island of Cuba, the said Island of Cuba being then and there the territory and dominions of the king of Spain, the said United Sthtes being at peace with the said king, contrary to the act of congress in such case made and provided.”

The evidence heard would not justify a conviction of anything more than providing the means for or aiding such military expedition by furnishing transportation for the men, their arms, baggage, etc. To convict them you must be fully satisfied by the evidence that a military expedition was organized in this country to be carried out a,s and with the object charged in the indictment, and that the defendants, with knowledge of this, provided means for its assistance, and assisted it, as before stated.

Thus you observe the case presents two questions. First, , as such'military expedition organized here, in the United States? Secondly, did the defendants render the assistance stated, here, with knowledge of the facts?

In passing on the first question it is necessary to understand what constitutes a military expedition within the meaning of the statute. For the purposes of this case it is sufficient to say that any combination of men organized here to go to Cuba to make war upon its government, provided with arms and ammunition, we being at peace with Cuba, constitutes a military expedition. It is not necessary that the men shall be drilled, put in uniforms, or prepared fbr efficient service; nor that' they shall have been organized as or according to the tactics or rules which relate to what is known as infantry, artillery or cavalry; it is sufficient that they shall have combined and organized here to go there and make war on the [161]*161foreign government, and have provided themselves with the means of doing so. I say provided themselves with the means of doing so because the evidence here shows that the men were so provided. Whether such provision, as by arming, etc., is necessary need not be decided in this case. I will say, however, to counsel that were that question required to be decided I should hold that it is not necessary.

Nor is it important whether they intended to make war as an independent body or in connection with others. Where men go without combination and organization to enlist as individuals in a foreign army they do not constitute such military expedition, and the fact that the vessel carrying them might carry arms as merchandise would not be important.

I have said more on this subject than the facts of this case require simply because of the numerous points presented by the defendants, on which the court is asked to charge. These points I will now dispose of. The court is asked to say;

“(1) It is not a crime or offense against (he United States under the neutrality laws of this country for individuals to leave the country with intern to enlist in foreign military service, nor is it an offense against the United States to transport persons out of this country and to land them in foreign countries when such person lias an intent to enlist in foreign armies.”

As a general proposition this is true, and the point is affirmed.

“(2) It is no offense against the laws of the United States to transport arms, ammunition and munitions of war from this country to any other foreign country, whether they are to be used in war or not; that in such case the shipper and transporter of the arms, ammunitions and munitions of war only runs the risk of cap Lure, seizure,” etc. • <

This is also true. No military expedition would exist in such case.

‘‘(3) It is no offense against the laws of the United States to transport persons intending to enlist in foreign armies and munitions of war on the same trip; that in such case the persons transported and the shipper and the transporter of the arms and munitions of war only takes the risk,” etc.

This is (.rue, provided the persons referred to herein had not combined and organized themselves in this country to go to Cuba and there make war on the government. If they had so combined and organized and yet intended when they reached Cuba to join the insurgent army and thus enlist in its service, and the arms were taken along for their use, they would constitute a military expedí tion, as before described, and the transportation of such body of persons from this country, for such a purpose, would be an offense against the statute.

The fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth points are fully answered by what has been said.

•‘(10) Even if the jury do find that the men taken on board wore an organized military force with officers, as infantry, cavalry or artillery, (he jury cannot find the defendants guilty unless the jury also find that the defendants knew that they were such a military organization as infantry, cavalry or artillery, constituting a military expedition or enterprise against the kingdom of Spain.”

As before slated, to justify conviction of the defendants the jury must be fully satisfied that the defendants knew that the men constituted a military expedition such as I have described.

[162]*162The eleventh point has been fully answered by what the court has said.

The twelfth point is a very important point, and is as follows:

“(12) If tbe jury find that when the defendants left Philadelphia, and until after they had passed beyond the jurisdiction of the United States, they were ignorant of the fact that they were to transport the men in question, with their arms and provisions, and find that the point off Barnegat, where the men in question wore taken aboard, was beyond the jurisdiction of the United States, in other words, beyond the three-mile limit, and find that the vessel was sailing under a Danish flag, then and in that case they will find the defendants not guilty.”

This point raises the question whether the defendants committed an offense against the statute if the only aid which they furnished the expedition was furnished out at sea, beyond the jurisdiction of this country; and I instruct you that if the only aid furnished the vessel, being a foreign vessel, was so beyond our jurisdiction, they did not commit an offense and must consequently be acquitted. They allege that the point off Barnegat where the men were taken on board was not within three miles of our shore. If this is true, and the defendants did not start from our shore under an agreement to provide the means for transporting and to transport the men, but were ignorant of the object of going to Barnegat until they reached there, they cannot be convicted.

If, however, they entered into an arrangement here to furnish and provide the means of transportation, and provided it, they are guilty, ' if this was a military expedition, although the men were not taken aboard and the transportation did not commence until the ship anchored off Barnegat.

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73 F. 159, 1896 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-wiborg-paed-1896.