Young Chung v. State

136 P. 631, 15 Ariz. 79, 1913 Ariz. LEXIS 69
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 26, 1913
DocketCriminal No. 334
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 136 P. 631 (Young Chung v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Young Chung v. State, 136 P. 631, 15 Ariz. 79, 1913 Ariz. LEXIS 69 (Ark. 1913).

Opinion

CUNNINGHAM, J.

In criminal cases the law requires this court to review all decisions, opinions, orders, charges, rulings, actions, and proceedings made or had in the cause in the trial court, appearing in the record. Par. 1059 (Pen. Code) Ariz. Rev. Stats. 1901. Counsel for appellant can materially assist the court in the pei’formanee of this duty by pointing out in the record the exact error either by means of a formal assignment of error or errors or by affirmatively stating in his brief wherein the alleged error lies in each particular. Appellant on the trial of this appeal has not formally assigned errors, which we think is the logical course to pursue in such cases, but he has in his brief and in his oral argument at the bar pointed out to the court the errors principally relied upon for a reversal, so that his viewpoint as to such alleged errors clearly appears.

The first error noticed by appellant arises upon the testimony of witness Baker, relating to the character of the property found upon the person of the defendant at the time of the arrest. The testimony of this witness tends to corroborate the testimony of the prosecuting witness Gin Chung in the particular of the kind and class of money taken at the time of the robbery and in point of time of its introduction was offered subsequently to that of the said prosecuting witness. The witness Baker was by the court sworn as bailiff and placed in charge of the jury trying the case. It is contended by appellant that it was error for the court to place the jury in the charge of Baker, for the reason he was a witness against this defendant on trial and his testimony shows he was a partial and prejudiced person.

The second error is based upon the conduct of the bailiff in charge of the jury in permitting the jurors to separate [84]*84during the course of the trial and before the cause was finally-submitted to them.

The third error is that the verdict was contrary to the evidence in the particular of the presence of the defendant at the place of the commission of the crime. It is contended that, from the evidence of defendant, he was at another place at the time when the crime was committed, and it was impossible for him to have been at the scene of the crime, and that such evidence is conclusive upon that fact.

The fourth alleged error is based on the order refusing anew trial because of the misconduct of the jury while deliberating upon their verdict. Juror Reilly stated in the presence of several other members of the jury, while eonsideringeertain testimony bearing upon the good character of tins-defendant, that the witnesses who testified to such good character were members of the Chinese Masons and they would naturally testify to the good character of the defendant-Another juror stated: “Yes, he knew it to be a fact that these-witnesses who testified as aforesaid, to the good character of defendant, were Chinese Masons.” That no evidence was offered or received upon the trial showing or tending to show-that such witnesses belonged to the Chinese Masons.

The fifth alleged error is based upon the order refusing a new trial, because of newly discovered evidence, in the particular shown in the affidavits in the record.

The foregoing alleged errors were discussed in the brief and at the bar and will be considered in the order stated above.

Baker was a deputy sheriff and as such arrested the defendant upon a warrant placed in his hands for service-After the arrest was made, upon the request of the defendant, the officer accompanied him to the place of business of his-friend, and while there the defendant left with his friend certain contents of his pockets, consisting of a sum of money, a comb, eyeglass, and a key. The witness was examined as ta the character of money the defendant had in his possession, and he described the money as consisting of “four silver dollars, two halves, and two quarters, . . . and then he had taken out some greenback bills, one had the figure ‘5’ and a ‘V’ on it, and the other one I couldn’t see what the number was on it, but there was two and probably more, but there [85]*85■was two I am sure of, the one $5 bill, and the other one, he laid them down also. ...” They were not in defendant’s purse but were loose in his pocket.

The prosecuting witness had previously testified that at the time of the robbery he was robbed of four $5 bills and certain silver money, all aggregating the sum of $53.15. The defendant testified that he deposited with his friend, while in the custody of the deputy sheriff, $9.90, all in silver. Appellant contends that the testimony given by the witness Baker as to the character of the money in the possession of the ■defendant corresponded minutely with that given by the prosecuting witness and therefore shows a feeling of deep prejudice against the defendant. The record fails to show a minute resemblance between the money described by the prosecuting witness and that described by the deputy sheriff, In amounts. To give the amounts mentioned by the deputy sheriff the greatest possible sum, we have three $5 bills and $5.50 in silver, $20.50 in all, while four $5 bills and $33.15 silver, $53.15 in all, were testified to have been taken from the prosecuting witness. The record discloses a wide variance in the sum taken at the robbery and the sum found in the possession of defendant. No merit appears in this contention. Did the court err in placing the jury in charge of a bailiff because such bailiff is a witness for the prosecution and was the regular officer who arrested the defendant on the charge and acquired knowledge of all the facts to which he was called to testify only through making the arrest? "Would these conditions disqualify the witness from acting as the jury bailiff? We think not. The mere fact that the ■deputy sheriff happened to be a witness for the prosecution would not disqualify him from keeping the jury in his custody. State v. Shores, 31 W. Va. 491, 13 Am. St. Rep. 881, 7 S. E. 413; State v. Rosencrans, 9 N. D. 163, 82 N. W. 422; 12 Cyc. 670, and note 36.

The defendant had notice that Baker would be a witness for the prosecution, or might have had such notice from the subpoena filed in the case. He had actual knowledge of that fact when Baker had been on the witness-stand and had testified. No claim is made that defendant raised any objection to the witness taking charge of the jury until after a verdict was returned. The objection upon the grounds stated in the [86]*86motion for a new trial, then, after the verdict was returned, came too late; defendant must be deemed to have waived the objection when the motion was made.

The second grounds for complaint are based upon the misconduct of the bailiff in permitting the jury in his custody to separate during the course of the trial. The affidavits presenting the record upon this question are to the effect that during the course of the trial, and before the cause was submitted to the jury, the bailiff in charge took one Zook, a juror, from the room, where the jurors were being kept together, and separated him from the other jurors for from twenty to thirty minutes; and rebutting affidavits to the effect that Zook had an injured and wounded arm. That on the occasion referred to in the first-mentioned affidavits it became necessary to have the wounds dressed. That the wife of the juror was called to dress the wound and did dress the wound. That to dress the wound it became necessary to have the juror go to another room from that occupied by the jury.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
136 P. 631, 15 Ariz. 79, 1913 Ariz. LEXIS 69, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/young-chung-v-state-ariz-1913.