Williams v. Budgett

186 Iowa 196
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMay 15, 1919
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 186 Iowa 196 (Williams v. Budgett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Williams v. Budgett, 186 Iowa 196 (iowa 1919).

Opinion

Salinger, J.

I. The instructions are not challenged-They state the claim of plaintiff to be that, on or about the first day of May, 1915, and in the nighttime, defendant made an indecent assault upon the plaintiff, and that he then and there assaulted, ravished, and debauched her and carnally knew her, by force and against her will; that he repeated this offense on two other occasions; and that, as a result of the last “ravishment,” she became pregnant. A further claim is that, knowing the condition of the plaintiff, defendant wrongfully and maliciously discharged her from his employment. The only complaint which requires our consideration is that the verdict is contrary to law and evidence, and is the result of passion and prejudice.

II. Plaintiff came to defendant in response to an advertisement, and began work on March 31, 1915. During [197]*197the first two or three weeks, there was a hired man. He slept upstairs. So did defendant and two of his three children. Two of these were respectively 11 and 14, and a third was 8. One of the three was a girl. It does not appear whether she was the child of 14, 11, or of 8. Be that as it may, during some part of April, this girl slept with'plaintiff in plaintiff’s room downstairs, and continued this until the hired man left. When that occurred, the girl desired to go upstairs to sleep. Plaintiff consented, and slept downstairs alone during part of April. She claims that “the first day he began monkeying me;” that she did not like to sleep alone, and had the girl sleep with her, because plaintiff “was afraid of what would happen.” When asked what she was afraid of, she answered that she knew very soon defendant was no gentleman; that she got very afraid of him, right away. Being asked what she was afraid of, she answered, “Because I didn’t want him monkeying in my bedroom.” Being then asked, “He had not been monkeying with you, had he ?” she answered, “Yes,sir, sure he did: he came in that night.” She forgot at this point that he did not come until later. She claims that, after he assaulted her the first time, she told him she was going to quit working for him after that; that he inquired what she was going to do, and she told him she was going to work some other place, and he then asked her to stay one night. The assaults were repeated, and she still stayed. Her explanation is that she didn’t leave because she had no money to go, and she adds, “How can I get out?” She also testifies that plaintiff ivas paying her $5 a week, the first two weeks, and $4.50 a week, another two weeks, and that she “only had $25 when I left.” Being further and definitely pressed on whether her not leaving was due to her having no money, she answered:

“Well, T had money enough; I had $25 come in, and that is all I had; he owe me one more week. Q. Why [198]*198didn’t you go away when he monkeyed with you and you were afraid of him? A. Yes, sir, I was afraid of him because I have to pull him back. Q. Why didn’t you go away and get on the train and go away and leave him? A. I couldn’t get no money at all to leave the first time. Q. I thought you said you had $25. A. No, that was the last time, when T got him, the 9th of July. Q. You had some money coming from him all the time? A. Well, I have money for my clothes. I needed clothes to wear. I didn’t have any clothes.”

But she persisted in saying, “Yes, sir, I was going to quit working for him any time if I could get money enough.” Now, whatever money difficulty there may have been, it is not explained why she could not have got what money was due her as well at once after the first assault as 15 days later. At this later time, defendant did give her money wherewith to go to Spirit Lake, “and back.” It was not only enough for the car fare, but enough to get two dresses for her daughter, to buy plaintiff some new rubbers, and $4.00 over, which she could spend for more clothes when she returned from Spirit Lake, — the place to which she went for refuge and rescue, and because “I didn’t want him monkeying all the time.” So far as appears, this money was furnished without any demand. And so far as appears, no demand for payment was made at the time when, after the first assault, she said she would quit, and claims she could not go for lack of money. She did not take her trunk with her. She told defendant she was going to quit him and go and visit at Spirit Lake, “and if I can get no place, then I come back again. And I told him I be back Monday morning,” and arranged with him to meet her at the depot on her arrival. She kept this engagement, and he met her in accordance with it, and took her home in his car. According to her account, she made several efforts to fasten doors and win[199]*199dows for safety, and each and all of these attempts proved insufficient. She is consistent in stating that she once more locked her door on the night after returning from Spirit Lake.

III. The plaintiff testifies that the first offense was committed on May 1st, and that she thereupon declared that she would leave. The offense was repeated. Still she did not leave. She went nowhere until the 15th of May. As before said, her explanation is that she had no money. As before said, defendant admits that he owed her. He did give her money wherewith she could and did go away on May 15th. Then she went to Spirit Lake. She claims to have written to a Mrs. Wheelock, a woman friend in Spirit Lake, to look out for a job for plaintiff; that Mrs. Wheelock answered plaintiff should come and stay a little while with her, and that she had a man for whom she thought the plaintiff could work; that, when she reached Spirit Lake, her friend wanted her to stay a little while, to which she responded, she didn’t believe she could, because she was looking for a place; and that she did look for a place to work, but was unable to get one. It is the undisputed testimony of defendant that “she spoke that there was a man in Spirit Lake that met her; that they had intended to go out on a boat for a ride; that it was a little too windy, and they thought they wouldn’t go. She said this man wanted her to marry him.” She says she did not make any attempt to get a job, except that once she went to look for one, — “a kind of a one, but I didn’t like it.” She says further that Mrs. Wheelock phoned for and wrote to the man whom she had mentioned in writing to plaintiff as one for whom plaintiff could work; also, that Mrs. Wheelock did not want her to work for this man; and that Mrs. Wheelock had not written plaintiff “to come and get that job,” but referred to one on another farm, whose owner plaintiff never saw at all. She [200]*200was asked why she didn’t see the man that Mrs. Wheelock wrote her to come and see, and answered, “Well, I wrote to him two times or about three times. He wanted a housekeeper.” Being thereupon pressed, “Why didn’t you see the man Mrs. Wheelock wrote you to come down and see, — why didn’t you see him, do you. know ?” She answered, “No, that lady was with him each time.” She was then asked, “Why didn’t you see this man?” She answered, “He didn’t come up.” Being then asked why she didn’t go out and see him, she replied, “He was on a farm down there too far away, 10 miles or so.” She stated further that, while on this visit, other men came to where she was, and that:

“They want me to come down and work for them at housekeeping. I didn’t go down there at all. I didn’t want to go. The lady told me he wasn’t very good, so that I wasn’t working for him. But I went down there to see if I would like it, but I didn’t like it at all. One of these men lived all alone, and I didn’t like it, and I won’t go.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
186 Iowa 196, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-budgett-iowa-1919.