Segurola v. United States, 1922.

• Citation: 16 F.2d 563
• Decision Date: 18 December 1926
• Docket Number: No. 1922.,1922.
• Parties: SEGUROLA et al. v. UNITED STATES.
• Court: United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (1st Circuit)

16 F.2d 563 (1926)

SEGUROLA et al. v. UNITED STATES.

No. 1922.

Circuit Court of Appeals, First Circuit.

December 18, 1926.

E. B. Wilcox and Salvador Mestre, both of San Juan, Porto Rico, on the brief, for plaintiffs in error.

George R. Farnum, Asst. U. S. Atty., of Boston, Mass. (John L. Gay, U. S. Dist. Atty., and Jesus A. Gonzalez, Asst. U. S. Atty., both of San Juan, Porto Rico, on the brief), for the United States.

Before BINGHAM, JOHNSON, and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges.

ANDERSON, Circuit Judge.

On an information in two counts — the first for possession, and the second for transporting liquor contrary to the National Prohibition Act (Comp. St. § 10138¼ et seq.) — both defendants, Segurola and Santiago, were found guilty. Santiago was fined $100 under the first count, $200 under the second count, and one-half the costs of the proceedings. Segurola was fined $200 under the first count, $300 under the second, and the other half of the costs.

The record shows facts as follows:

Ceballos was, on May 26, 1923, an officer in the insular police force. On that day, as the result of confidential information by telephone to the effect that Segurola, in a Buick automobile, was coming from Luquillo to Loiza, Ceballos took a Ford car and went out to meet the expected Buick. When he saw the Buick approaching he attempted to block it, but Segurola maneuvered past him. Ceballos then gave chase, keeping Segurola in sight, until they reached Carolina, where he passed Segurola, cut in front of and blocked him. Segurola thereupon backed his car, and collided with an electric post. Ceballos then arrested Segurola, searched his car, and found whisky, brandy, vermouth, and gin. These liquors were seized and were admitted in evidence.

1. The first two assignments involve the defendants' right to be furnished by the government with a copy of the information. When the defendants were arraigned, they pleaded not guilty, and requested that a copy of the information be furnished them free of charge. This request was refused by the court, "for the reason that I know of no law requiring the same."

At the close of the trial this same contention was reasserted, and an exception saved to the court's ruling: "That, at the time that the defendants pleaded to the information, the information was in court and open to their inspection, and the defendants and their attorneys were informed by the court that they were at perfect liberty to examine said information in any way they desired, or at perfect liberty to make copies thereof, or to order the copies to be made and certified to by the clerk upon the payment of the fee as provided by law."

The defendants' contention is grounded on section 2 of the Organic Act (39 Stat. 951), which reads:

"That in all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to have the assistance of counsel for his defense, to be informed of the nature and clause of the accusation, to have a copy thereof, to have a speedy and public trial, to be confronted with the witnesses against him, and to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor." Comp. St. § 3803aa.

Analogous provisions in the United States are the Sixth Amendment and Revised Statutes, § 1033 (Comp. St. § 1699), which were construed by the Supreme Court in United States v. Van Duzee, 140 U. S. 169, 172, 11 S. Ct. 758, 760 (35 L. Ed. 399), as follows:

"By the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, `in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right * * * to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.' By section 1033, where a person is indicted for a capital offense, a copy of the indictment and list of the jurors and witnesses shall be delivered to him at least two entire days before his trial. There would appear to be a negative pregnant here, and it has accordingly been held that in cases not capital the prisoner is not entitled to a copy of the indictment at government expense. United States v. Bickford Fed. Cas. No. 14,591, 4 Blatchford, 337; United States v. Hare Fed. Cas. No. 15,304, 2 Wheeler, Crim. Cas. 283, 288. Nor is he entitled to a list of witnesses and jurors. United States v. Williams Fed. Cas. No. 16,712, 4 Cranch, C. C. 372; United States v. Wood Fed. Cas. No. 16,756, 3 Wash. C. C. 440. There is no other statutory provision for carrying out the constitutional obligation of the government to inform the prisoner of the nature and cause of the accusation, or for summoning witnesses, or procuring the assistance of counsel, except that by section 878 indigent defendants are entitled to have their witnesses subpœnaed at the expense of the government. There is, however, no general obligation on the part of the government either to furnish copies of indictments, summon witnesses or retain counsel for defendants or prisoners. The object of the constitutional provision was merely to secure those rights which by the ancient rules of the common law had been denied to them; but it was not contemplated that this should be done at the expense of the government."

Probably a like construction should be given to section 2 of the Organic Act. It is, however, unnecessary to rule flatly on this question, for at most it was harmless error. The defendants were not misled or prejudiced. Under St. 1919, 40 Stat. 1181, amending section 269, Judicial Code (Comp. St. § 1246), it is the duty of this court not to sustain such technical errors as do not affect the substantial rights of the parties.

It follows that the first and second assignments are without merit. Doubtless the better practice would be to conform to what defendants' counsel claims has hitherto been the custom in Porto Rico — that the government furnish counsel for accused persons a copy of the information or indictment.

2. In the third and fourth assignments the defendants complain because the seized liquors were admitted in evidence after the court had refused defendants' counsel the opportunity to cross-examine Ceballos, the officer who seized them, as to the source of his information that Segurola was on the road in a Buick, presumably transporting liquor contrary to law.

The contention is that, without the previous telephoned information, there was no probable cause for the seizure, within the rules laid down in Carroll v. United States, 267 U. S. 132, 154, 45 S. Ct. 280, 69 L. Ed. 543, 39 A. L. R. 790. But this is not so.

Ceballos testified that he seized Segurola's car "because of confidential information which I received by telephone and also the manner in which Segurola acted in passing me at high speed"; and, on cross-examination by the defendant's counsel, he reiterated and elaborated his statement that he "was suspicious because he (Segurola) threw his car against my car and because he ran away at great speed. * * * I say he tried to run away from me the first time I met him because he tried to bump his car on mine and it was going at great speed."

On this record there was, therefore, apart from any confidential communication, abundant evidence of probable cause for the seizure under the principles in the Carroll Case, supra.

It is true that Ceballos on his direct testimony stated, without objection, that he "had information by telephone, confidential, to the effect that a Buick automobile driven by Segurola was coming." On cross-examination the following occurred:

"Q. 1. Now you have stated that you received confidential telephone information that there was a car coming with liquor, did you not? A. Yes, sir.

"Q. 2. Who gave you that information?

"Mr. Gonzalez (Assistant United States Attorney): I object, as they...