Majority
Headnote
Larceny—Indictment and Proof under Penal Code, § 528.—Who are Accomplices.—Accessories.—Amendment of Indictment.The appellant was indicted with one Richard S. Scott for grand larceny in the first degree, for .stealing 150 gold certificates of the United States, of the value of one thousand dollars each, the property of the Bank of the Manhattan Company.
The evidence given upon the trial showed that the theft was committed by Scott, who, at the time, was paying teller of the bank; and evidence was giving tending to show that the defendant, Dunn, counseled, induced and procured the theft to be committed.
Scott was used as a witness for the people. He testified, in substance, that having committed peculations from the bank to the extent of §10,000. which he was unable to restore, he applied to Dunn, a practicing lawyer, and a cousin of his wife, for advice; that Dunn advised him to take as large a sum from the bank as he could lay hold of, and then abscond to Canada; leaving, however, the funds to be stolen in the hands of some confidant in the State; that under the treaties Scott could not be extradited from Canada for simple theft; that by leaving the stolen property in this State, he would avoid the penalties of the Canadian law, as to bringing stolen property within the Dominion ; with the funds so stolen, a compromise could subsequently be effected with the bank; that in pursuance of such advice he took from the bank the $150,000, gave the money to Dunn to keep for him, and absconded to Canada. Scott subsequently went from Canada to England. Dunn, from time to time, transmitted small sums from the stolen funds to Scott.
While in England, negotiations were opened between Scott and the bank for the return of the stolen property. When Dunn was called upon for the stolen funds with
The questions discussed on this appeal arise upon the denial of the motion to direct the jury to acquit.
The first contention is that there was a variance between the proof and the indictment. The charge in the indictment was that the defendants did take, steal, and carry away the property therein mentioned. It is not disputed that the offense committed would have been larceny before the Penal Code, because the property stolen had been in the possession of the bank before it was abstracted by Scott. It was also made larceny by the Penal Code, but is claimed that the offense should have been charged under the second subdivision of section 528 of the Penal Code; that is, as an appropriation to his own use by a clerk having property in his possession. This claim is made on the authority of People v. Dumar, 106 N. Y. 502 . There’the defendant was charged with having “ taken, stolen and canned away n certain property. The evidence showed that he obtained the property by false pretenses. It was held that the indictment did not state the offense which was proved against the defendant, and for the variance the conviction was reversed. While the Code makes embezzlement and obtaining goods under false pretenses larceny, it was held that under the Code of Criminal Procedure (sections 254,275) the indictment must not only charge the crime, but state the act constituting the crime; and that the act stated as constituting a crime in
It is not necessary that an indictment should be drawn under one or the other of the special classes of larceny as defined by the Code. If so, there would be no improvement in the codification of this branch of the law. For instead of having three crimes, as formerly, to perplex the administration of justice, there would be now four. It is sufficient that the indictment charges the crime, and then gives a plain and concise statement of the act. It is sufficient if that statement be such as to fairly apprise the defendant of the charge made against him. All that was decided in People v. Dumar was that the act stated differed from the one proved. Ho such criticism could justly be made on the statement here.
By the Code of "Criminal Procedure, section 282, words are to be construed in their usual acceptation, in common language, except such as are defined by law, and those are to be construed according to their legal meaning. If the word “steal” is to be considered in its technical meaning, then its use was proper, because the act here committed was larceny at common law. If the words used are to be considered in their ordinary interpretation, in common language, then the terms employed were equally appropriate. By either rule, they fairly and fully informed the defendant of the charge which was made against him. We think that in
It is next claimed that there was no sufficient corroboration of Scott, because the witnesses, Mrs. Scott, Mrs. Searles, and Win. Cross were accomplices, or accessories after the fact, and that the court erred in charging the jury to the contrary. We think the ruling and charge of the court in this respect was correct. Assuming that an accessory after the fact is an accomplice within the meaning of the Code, it is clear that none of these witnesses were accessories.
Mr. Bishop, in his work on Criminal Law, section 695, enunciates the rule that “ The true test for determining whether one is accessory after the fact is to consider whether what he did was done by way of personal help to his principal with a view of enabling the principal to elude punishment. So, to furnish one with a horse to escape, or to conceal or rescue the principal, renders one an accessory, hut not so the failing to make known the felony; forbearance to arrest, or charitably supplying the prisoner with food, or agreeing hot to prosecute, or preventing the attendance of witnesses.” To the same effect is Wharton’s Criminal Law, section 241. Under this rule, plainly none of these witnesses were accessories. In fact, the rule itself is stated too broadly by Mr. Bishop, as is shown by the cases cited by him, where it has been ruled that the prisoners were not accessories. To constitute an accessory, it is not sufficient to assist the prisoner to elude punishment, because failing to prosecute or preventing the attendance of witnesses would produce that result. But to constitute the offense, one must help the principal to elude, or evade, capture. Hone of the witnesses referred to were cognizant of the crime till long after its commission, and till the defendant was secure from capture by his escape to a foreign country. Hone, except his wife, rendered any aid or assistance to him, except so far as they intervened or
Nor would the fact that they received part of the stolen property, knowing it to be stolen, if we assume that fact to exist, have such effect. Bishops Criminal Law, §§ 692, 695, 699. There was, therefore, nothing in the case to support the defendant’s claim that these witnesses were accomplices.
The corroboration of Scott as to the larceny was sufficient. Mrs. Scott testified that the defendant told her: Lizzie, if it hadn’t been for me he -wouldn’t have taken as ranch as he did, he would have gone off with a great deal less; and if he had taken my advice, he would have taken enough to cripple the bank.” This goes right to the point of the larceny, and not to the mere receipt of the stolen goods, which was abundantly proved by the testimony of the witnesses Searles and Cross, and the letters of the defendant.
The statement in the indictment of the property stolen was sufficient within the authorities (People v. Loop, 3 Park. 559; People v. Jackson, 8 Barb. 637 ); and the evi dence is sufficient to show that the certificates stolen were circulated as money at their nominal value.
The amendment of the corporate title of the bank was authorized by the Code of Criminal Procedure (sections 281, 293). This amendment did not affect the substance of the charge against the defendant. The owner of the property charged in the indictment, and the owner as proved on
Complaint is made of the following part of the charge of the court: “ The prosecution has, in the first place, given yon the evidence of Scott. He says that Dunn was concerned in the commission of the crime, and counseled it; and more, that after he, Scott, had taken the gold certificates, Dunn received them, knowingly, and acted as their guilty custodian. Of course, if that be true, there can be no doubt of Dunn’s criminal responsibility.” We find no exception to this part of the charge, and if there were such it would be untenable. When the learned judge said, “ If that be true, there can be no doubt of Dunn’s criminal responsibility,” he does not refer alone to Dunn’s receiving the stolen certificates, but to Scott’s whole statement that Dunn was concerned in the commission of the crime, and counseled it. In the light of the whole charge, it is not possible that the jury could have misconceived this statement.
We have thus examined the various rulings on this trial of which the defendant complains, and find that no error was committed. The evidence was ample to justify the defendant’s conviction, and the judgment appealed from should be affirmed.
Vah Bbott, P.J., concurs.
Cases cited
- Sherman v. Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad 106 N. Y. 542 at 547 p. 180
- Coleman v. People 58 N. Y. 555 p. 180
- People v. Dumar 106 N. Y. 502 p. 180, p. 184
- Williams v. People 24 N. Y. 405 p. 181
- People v. Holbrook 13 Johns. 90 p. 182
- Phelps v. People 72 N. Y. 334 p. 183
- People v. Jackson 8 Barb. 637 p. 187