181 Iowa 440 | Iowa | 1917
From these affidavits it appears: That her codefendant, 'Fred Meyer, was tried at Winter set, in Madison County, at the December term, 1915, and a verdict of guilty of murder in the second degree returned against him; that, on this verdict, he was sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of 15 years; that this trial was attended by a large concourse of people and lasted for several days; that there were a large number of jurors summoned and examined, most of whom were present during the trial; that this trial gave great publicity to the affair, and to the facts upon which the State relied for a conviction; that the newspapers of the county, while assuming to publish reports of the trial as it progressed, gave coloring to the facts by comment and innuendo unfavorable to this defendant, thereby producing
It appears from a reading of the newspaper reports of the tragedy and of the trial of Fred Meyer, as the same have been submitted to us, that every detail touching the tragedy and the manner in which it is claimed to have occurred was fully published and circulated through the county; that detailed accounts of the testimony of witnesses on the trial of Fred Meyer were published, with comment, and with suggestion as to discrepancies that appeared in the testimony, and, though perhaps not intentionally so, they received the coloring which is naturally given by those
“Mrs Ethel Meyer, bride of only a few months, was found dying in the Meyer home, northwest of here, on July 25th, with bullet wounds in her head, and a revolver lying by her side. Meyer and his mother assert the young bride committed suicide, using the revolver that lay beside her to commit the act. The State i>roved, however, that this revolver had been long unused, and could scarcely have been discharged by one of Mrs. Meyer’s strength (meaning the younger Mrs. Meyer).’”
In another publication it was said:
“It was developed at the inquest that the bullet found in the cavity, practically intact, weighed but 74 grains, while the bullet from the cartridge in the revolver which Meyer said was found in his wife’s hand weighed 154 grains.”
Further, it was said:
“There was evidence before the grand jury that Meyer and his mother did not tell the same stories; that they tried to cover up some of their actions, and destroyed some' of the bed clothing which -stas blood-soaked.”
It further appeared in said paper as follows:
“The fact that Fritz Meyer had been found dead in the fields years ago was recalled. Young Meyer is declared by' a neighbor to have said, ‘I suppose I will have to pound stone for this.’ ”
It appears that the Des Moines Tribune, a paper circulated in said county, on December 9th contained a partial report of the trial. The report began:
“The Revolver Was Not Close to the Dying Woman. The revolver with which Fred Meyer and his mother in*446 sist Mrs. Ethel Meyer killed herself was not lying beside the dying woman when he arrived at the Meyer home a few minutes after the shooting, so testified Albert Kneuper, neighbor of the Meyers, today in the trial of Fred Meyer.”
It was further published in some of the papers that Fred and his mother had said that, when they discovered the wife dying with a gunshot wound, she spoke, and said to them that she wanted to die (“Folks, I wish to die”) ; but that it was shown that the wound was of such nature that this could not be true.
It would be profitless to set out all the comments. They are numerous, and many of the headlines inflammatory. To this showing, the State filed its resistance. Certain witnesses made specific denials of matters to which we have not referred in this opinion. The resistance was supported by an affidavit to the effect that they, the affiants, believed that the people of the county were not only without prejudice against the defendant, but they were without any special knowledge of the case, and that they have no bias or prejudice against the defendant, and that there was no excitement or feeling against her in the county, and that, in their judgment, she could and would receive a fair and impartial trial. This affidavit was signed by 487 residents of the county. The county auditor testifies in addition as follows:
“Was out yesterday securing signatures to affidavit in resistance to petition for change of venue. Secured 110 or 115 signatures all on one affidavit. Left about 8 o’clock and got back about half past 5. No prejudice against defendant.”
The deputy sheriff testified that he was out securing signatures to affidavit in resistance to petition for chánge of venue. “Got 114 signatures. Left a little after 9:00 and got back a little after 4:00. Heard talk while I was out that change of venue would be very costly to the
We have not set out all the evidence pro and con on this question, but sufficient to show the general trend of the testimony on this point. The fact that it was generally circulated through the county, after this tragedy, that this defendant had been instrumental in doing away with her husband, and that it had been generally circulated through the county that she was a woman of bad character, is not denied. The number of affidavits in resistance secured by the State is very suggestive of the condition of the public mind, and, we think, tends to support rather than contradict the defendant’s claim. No fact herein set out by the defendant upon which prejudice might be predicated is denied by the State. Under this showing, can it be said that the defendant could, in that county, receive a fair and impartial trial? We recognize that there is discretion in the district judge in passing upon all these matters, but it is a sound judicial discretion, one that has in it a recognition of the fact that, in all well regulated governments, the citizen is entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that these he is entitled to enjoy unless forfeited by crime against the law; that one of the guaranties given the citizen, found in the Constitution of the state, is the right to a public trial by an impartial jury when accused of crime. This is the right of the citizen under the law, and it cannot be denied him. If the judicial system is to sustain itself in the confidence and respect of all right-thinking people, there must be no suspicion of unfairness in the administration of public- justice. It is fundamentál, under our system of government, that one charged with the commission of a public offense is presumed to be innocent until the contrary appears. He is entitled to a fair and impartial trial before a jury of his
We recognize the fact that it is sometimes difficult to draw a line of demarcation between a state of popular feeling that prevents a fair and impartial trial and that which, though existing, may not reach to that point. Four hundred eighty-seven men have voluntarily signed affidavits that this plaintiff, in their judgment, can receive a fair and impartial trial. Her son had been tried for this same offense and convicted, — tried before a jury of that county. The record shows that many citizens were summoned to that trial, both as witnesses and jurors; that the grand jury of the county found the indictment. Though it might be possible to select twelve men who had no feeling or bias against the defendant on. entering the jury box, yet the trial was- to be had in the same community in which the other jurors found her son guilty, under practically the same showing that the State intended to urge against her. During the time of that trial, the courthouse was crowded. Influences from without the jury would, under the showing made, be strong and prejudicial to any fair trial of this defendant. We can reach no other conclusion under this record than that the defendant is entitled to the change prayed for. The court, however, overruled the motion, and this is the first ground of error assigned. This ground must be sustained.
It is apparent in this record that, at the time the coroner’s jury was sitting, this defendant was suspected of the commission of this crime, subpoenaed, and examined for the purpose of verifying this suspicion. The whole trend of the examination shows this suspicion and this purpose. She was examined and cross-examined. Other testimony was given, contradicting what she said. She was again called to explain, examined and re-examined. The examination shows, we think, that it was the thought of the in
Other matters are discussed which we do not think will arise on another trial of this cause, and they are not, therefore, considered in this opinion.
For the errors pointed out, the cause is — Reversed and remanded.