Majority
Headnote
(1.) Habeas Corpus—Legality of Arrest Depends on Sufficiency of Depositions.On the 20th day of February, 1908, the district attorney of the county of New York submitted to a city magistrate depositions charging the relator with the crime of perjury. Upon these depositions the magistrate issued a warrant for the arrest pf the relator on that charge and delivered the same to the defendant Beery, a police officer, who thereupon arrested the relator; whereupon the relator sued out a writ of habeas corpus requiring the defendant Beery to produce the person of the relator before a Special Term of the Supreme Court. At the. same time there wTas issued a writ of certiorari commanding the city magistrate to return to the Supreme Court the date and cause of the imprisonment of the relator, and in the return to this •writ of certiorari the magistrate returned the depositions upon which he had issued the warrant. In the hearing before the Supreme Court the relator claimed that these depositions failed to show that any crime had been committed and that the city magistrate was not, therefore, authorized to issue the warrant, and the officer had no authority to hold the relator under it. The Special Term overruled this contention and remanded the
Section 148 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides that when an information is laid before a magistrate of the commission of a crime he must examine the informant or prosecutor and any witnesses he may produce, take their depositions in writing and cause them to be subscribed by the parties making them. Section 149 provides that the depositions must set forth the facts stated by the prosecutor and his witnesses tending to establish the commission of the crime and the guilt of the defendant. Section 150 provides that if the magistrate be satisfied therefrom that the crime complained of has been committed and that there is reasonable ground to believe that the defendant has committed it, he must issue a warrant of arrest. To justify the magistrate in issuing the warrant, therefore, it must appear from the depositions of the prosecutor and his witnesses taken before him that a crime has been committed and that there is reasonable groúnd to believe that the defendant has committed it. Section 2015' of the Code of Civil Procedure provides that “ a person imprisoned or restrained in his liberty, within the State, for any cause or upon any pretense, is entitled * * * to a writ of habeas corpus, or a writ of certiorari, as prescribed in this article, for the purpose of inquiring into the cause of the imprisonment or restraint, and, in a case prescribed by law, of delivering him therefrom.” Section 2031 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides that “ the court or judge before which or whom a prisoner is brought by virtue of a writ of habeas corpus, issued as prescribed in this article, must, immediately after the return of the writ, examine into the facts alleged in the return, and into the cause of the imprisonment or restraint of the prisoner; and must make a final order to discharge him therefrom, if no lawful cause for the imprisonment or restraint or for the continuance thereof is shown; whether the same was upon a commitment for an ac
The crime charged against the relator was that a perjury in the verification of a report made by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company to the Superintendent of Insurance in the -State of blew York in January, 1905. The'Metropolitan Life Insurance Company was originally incorporated on January '20, 1866, under the name of the Rational Travelers’ Insurance Company, with a capital of $200,000. Its charter was amended by chapter 286 of the Laws of 1867; chapter 49 of the Laws of 1868, when the name of the corporation was changed to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; chapter 87 of the Laws of 1874; chapter 437 of the Laws of 1883, and chapter 492 of the Laws of 1902. On the- 28th of January, 1905, there was filed in the office of the Insurance Department of the State of Rew York the annual statement of the Metropolitan Life Insurance- Company for the year ending December 31, 1904, in pursuance of the provisions of the Insurance Law of this State, which was made upon blanks furnished by the Insurance Department to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. It contains a statement of the capital stock of the company, its income and disbursements for the year, with a detailed statement o-f the assets of the company. The statement of the assets consists of what are called “ Ledger Assets ” and “ Xon-Ledger Assets.” In the schedule of ledger assets there was inserted, in the blanks furnished by the Insurance Department: “ 3. Loans secured by pledge of Bonds, Stocks or other collateral, per Schedule C;” the company to insert in this blank
“ State of New York,
■County of New York,
ss.:
“ John E. Hegeman, President, and James S. Roberts, Secretary, of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, being •duly sworn, each for himself, deposes and says that they are the above-described officers of the said Company, and that on the thirty-first day of December last all the above-described assets were the absolute property of the said company, free and clear from any liens or claims thereon except as above stated; and that the foregoing statement, with the schedules and explanations herein contained, annexed or referred to, are a full and correct Exhibit of all the Assets, Liabilities, Income and Disbursements and of the condition and affairs of the said Company on the said thirty-first day of December last and for the year ending on that day, as the same were in fact and as the same are shown by the books of the Company, and that the foregoing declarations and answers are true, according to the best of their information, knowledge and belief, respectively.”
This was signed by the relator and the secretary of the company and sworn to before a notary public.
The crime charged in the deposition taken before the magistrate was that the relator had committed the crime of perjury
The charge is thus based upon the falsity of this statement that there was owed to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company no moneys because of loans made by the said Metropolitan Life Insurance Company upon the pledge with it of bonds, stocks or other collaterals. If, therefore, as a fact, on the 31st day of December, 1904, it did not appear from the depositions "submitted that there was due to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company any amount because of such loans, it is quite evident that there was no evidence before the magistrate that a crime had been committed, and the magistrate was not, therefore, under the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure to which attention has been called, authorized to issue a warrant for the arrest of the relator. And as the depositions upon which the magistrate had acted were before the court for review under the writ of certiorari, the relator was entitled to have that question determined.
In the depositions taken before the magistrate it appeared that for upwards of fifteen years it had been the policy of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company not to make any return of loans made upon the pledge with it of bonds, stocks or other collaterals. In order to enable the officers of the company to make a truthful report without showing .that the insurance company had made any such loans, it had been the custom of the company to transfer all of these loans it had made to the firm of Vermilye & Co., a firm of bankers doing business in the city of New York, against whose responsibility no suggestion is made. Vermilye & Co. were bankers of the insurance company, having a deposit account with them, and this firm trails; acted its business in relation to the purchase and sale of secu
It was claimed by the learned district attorney, as the basis of his charge, that the statement verified by the relator was false; that, notwithstanding this transaction, the insurance company never ceased to be the holder of these loans secured by these collaterals.; and that, therefore, the statement made in the return to the Insurance Department that it held no loans secured by the collaterals mentioned was a false statement, and the affidavit verifying this as a true statement was perjury. It is undoubtedly true that neither the insurance company nor Vermilye & Co. expected this, transaction to result in a permanent transfer by the insurance company to Vermilye & Co. of these loans. It might be that as between the persons borrowing this money and the insurance company, such a transaction could be regarded as a conversion of the securities held to secure the loan, but it is apparent that there • was an actual, completed transaction by which the insurance conrpany' had transferred the loans and the collateral held to secure them to Vermilye & Co., and had received from Vermilye & Co: the amount due to the insurance company thereon. Thus the relation of the insurance company to the borrowers had changed. It did not hold the loans secured by the collaterals, for it had received the amount that- it had loaned, and Vermilye & Co. then became the creditor, and had in their possession the securities pledged
From the facts as they appeared before the magistrate^ there can be no question but that the relator honestly believed he was making a true statement of the actual condition of the1 company on the 31st of December, 1904, and as an actual fact the-statement that was made and that the relator verified was a true statement. Perjury is defined by section 96 of the Penal Code to be “ a person who swears or affirms * * * that any testimony, declaration, deposition, certificate, affidavit or other writing by him subscribed is true, * * * on any occasion in which an oath is required by law * * "x" and who * * * wilfully and knowingly testifies, declares, deposes or certifies falsely, in any material matter, or states in his
Concurrence
It follows that the order appealed from must be reversed and the relator discharged.
McLaughlin and Houghton, JJ., concurred.
I concur in the reversal of the order dismissing the writs of habeas corpus and certiorari and remanding the relator to the custody of the respondent, Beery, but I am not convinced that
Notwithstanding that situation it seems to me that the affidavits and evidence before the city magistrate were not sufficient to establish prima facie the charge of perjury made against Mr. ITegeman. The affidavit annexed to the annual statement for the year ending December 31, 1904, and which was verified by Mr. ITegeman, was made upon information and belief as is alleged in the deposition of Flood, who preferred the charge. The charge is: “That the said John R. Hegeman, in the County of New York, on the 26th day of January, 1905, in' the manner and form aforesaid, feloniously, wilfully, knowingly, falsely and corruptly committed perjury * *
In order to establish a charge of perjury based upon such an affidavit, it should be made to appear not only that the affidavit contained a false statement, but that the accused person knew the statement to be false; and on the trial of an indictment for perjury based upon such an affidavit a conviction could not be had unless the indictment should negative not only the truth of the oath, but also the information and belief. Lambert v. People, 76 N. Y. 220 .
It is established by affidavits that the transaction was of a ■similar character to others which had been had for fourteen previous years and that it was regarded by the officers of the in
I am of the opinion that the evidence was insufficient to establish '¡yt'ima facie ivillful and deliberate perjury of Mr. Hegeman. On the contrary, there was enough to show satisfactorily that such willful and deliberate perjury had not been committed. I fully concur in the expression of Mr. Justice Ingeaiiam in his opinion that, “ From the facts as they appeared before the magistrate, there can be no question but that the relator honestly believed he ivas making a true statement of the actual condition of the company on the 31st of December, 1904.” Therefore, I concur in a reversal of'the order.
Olaeice, J., concurred.
Order reversed and relator discharged.
NOTE ON RIGHT OF APPEAL IN HABEAS CORPUS CASES.
WHO ENTITLED TO.
Mere fact that person is a party to proceeding does not entitle him to appeal, but he must further have an interest in the controversy. Matter of Quinn, 2 N. Y. Ap. Div. 103.
District Attorney who has appeared and opposed release on habeas corpus of one imprisoned for violation of section 675, Penal Code, may appeal from order discharging the relator. People v. Keeper, etc., 22 N. Y. Cr. Rep. 293 .
WHAT DECISIONS REVIEWABLE.
Held generally appealable. Yates v. People, 6 Johns. 337 .
Order directing further return not appealable under statute authorizing appeal from order refusing to grant writ or from final order made on return thereof to discharge, remand, or dismiss. In re Larson, 96 N. Y. 381 .
Order of county judge holding invalid warrant on which relator detained and directing discharge, appealable by statute. In re Scrafford, 59 Hun, 320 ; People v. Tucker, 3 N. Y. Supp. 792 .
Decision as to right of custody of minor not appealable. People v. Sternburger, 153 N. Y. 634 ; People v. Watts, 122 N. Y. 238 ; People v. Allen, 105 N. Y. 628 ; People v. Brown, 103 N. Y. 684 ; In re Welch, 74 N. Y. 299 .
Order of discharge cannot be superseded, pending appeal. People v. Stout, 10 Misc. 247 .
Practical effect of staying proceedings on appeal from órder dismissing writ sued out by pauper immigrant would be to enjoin agents of Federal government, therefore improper. People v. Hurlburt, 67 How. Pr. 362 .
When dismissed.
To perfect appeal, remanded relator must be within jurisdiction of court, otherwise dismissed. People v. Mead, 64 How. Pr. 252 .
SCOPE OF REVIEW.
Appellate court will not interfere in habeas corpus proceedings to determine custody of minor child, unless discretion allowed lower courts is manifestly abused. In re Welch, 74 N. Y. 299 .
Occurrence of events pending, appeal will not alone justify affirmance of order directing discharge. People v. Reardon, 186 N. Y. 154 .
Error in imposing conditions on order discharging habitual drunkard from custody of committee, cannot be complained of by latter. In re Larner, 79 App. Div. 134 .
BY CERTIORARI.
Does not lie until after final determination of case, hence not upon order •committing defendant for a false return. In re Husted, 17 Ab. Pr. 326.
Cases cited
- Wheeler v. Allen 51 N. Y. 37 p. 61
- National Bank of Deposit v. Rogers 1 App. Div. 623 p. 61
- Lambert v. People 76 N. Y. 220 p. 64
- Yates v. People 6 Johns. 337 p. 66
- In re Larson 96 N. Y. 381 p. 66
- People ex rel. Pruyne v. Walts 122 N. Y. 238 p. 66
- People, ex rel. Brush v. Brown 103 N. Y. 684 p. 66
- In re Welch 74 N. Y. 299 p. 66
- People ex rel. Young v. Stout 10 Misc. 247 p. 66
- People ex rel. McIntyre v. Hurlburt 67 How. Pr. 362 p. 66
- People ex rel. Sherwin v. Mead 64 How. Pr. 252 p. 66