39 Iowa 468 | Iowa | 1874
About 8 o’clock that night defendant came to the house of John Dun, where he kept his trunk and made his home, when not actively employed. He soon went out of the house, and was gone three-quarters of an hour. He was called from the house, and he answered back, about half way from the house to the stock yard. He was arrested that night about twelve o’clock. The next day money amounting to $435.00 was found concealed under one of the wheat stacks in Dun’s stack yard, and rolled up in fish lines. Afterward, about $20.00 was found near a by-path leading from Pfiffner’s store to Dun’s farm. The handkerchief, the fish lines found near the safe, and some of those found with the money in the wheat
“ If you are satisfied that the money was stolen as charged, then you will take up the second point, was it the property of Mr. Pfiffner? On that point you must be satisfied that the money belonged to Pfiffner. Questions of identity are often the most difficult of all questions for the jury to determine; but, after all, it is to be determined as any other tact, viz: From all the facts, circumstances and evidence in the case. That the property in this ease consists of bank bills does not render identification impossible,- but only more difficult of solution. Applying all the facts, circumstances and evidence, you will determine this question of identification of the money stolen from Mr. Pfiffner. If you find that the- offense was committed, and that the property or money belongs to Mr. Pfiffner, then you will determine the guilt or innocence of the prisoner from the charge as well as from the facts, circumstances and evidence.”
The defendant asked the court to instruct as follows: “ In this case it is necessary for the prosecution to prove the identity of the bank notes stolen from him, and if the prosecution has failed to prove this, the jury should find a verdict of not guilty.”
The court refused to give this instruction otherwise than as embraced in his general charge. Defendant insists that this action was erroneous.
It is urged that the general circumstances of the ease cannot be considered in determining whether money found in the stack was the property of Pfiffner, but that, before defendant can be convicted, Pfiffner must be able to swear “ that, and that, and that particular bill I recognize as having been in my safe when I closed my store on the evening of August 29, 1873.” This view is clearly unsound. Suppose-that soon after Pfiffner had closed his store the defendant had been seen to enter and to come from it through the window, that he had been seen to go tó a wheat stack in Dun’s yard and deposit something in a particular place;, that Pfiffner, upon returning,
The instruction was right. The evidence sustained the verdict. The record discloses no error.
Affirmed.