Brown v. Commonwealth

241 S.W. 846, 195 Ky. 166, 1922 Ky. LEXIS 293
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedJune 6, 1922
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 241 S.W. 846 (Brown v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown v. Commonwealth, 241 S.W. 846, 195 Ky. 166, 1922 Ky. LEXIS 293 (Ky. Ct. App. 1922).

Opinion

Opinion op the Court by

Judge Clay

Affirming.

On May 30, 1921, Dave Brown shot and killed Jim Brumfield in Pike county. On his examining trial he was held to await the action of the grand jury. An indictment charging him with the crime of murder was returned on September 14th ,and the case was set for trial on September 27th. The jury found him guilty and fixed his punishment at death. He appeals.

The facts are as follows: Some time prior to the homicide appellant hoarded with Brumfield and wife, who then lived in West Virginia. Appellant left West Virginia, came to Kentucky and took up his residence on Ball fork in Pike county. Shortly thereafter he was joined by Mrs. Brumfield and her two children, and from that time on he and Mrs. Brumfield lived together as man and wife.

On the day of the homicide Brumfield went to Fred McCoy, a deputy sheriff, and gave him a warrant charging appellant and Mrs. Brumfield with adultery. The deputy sheriff and Brumfield then started for the home of appellant. On their way, the -officer searched Brumfield at his request and found that he was not armed. When they reached appellant’s home, they found Mrs. Brumfield sitting on the porch. She informed them that appellant lived there, hut that he had gone away on the morn[168]*168ing train. The officer informed Mrs. Brumfield that he had a warrant for her arrest, but, after making preparations for her departure, she agreed to go back and live with her husband and he agreed to take her back if she would treat him right, and desist from her improper conduct. They then left the house for the purpose of going to the home of the magistrate who had issued the warrant. As they proceeded down the road, Mrs. Brumfield was in front. Just a few steps behind her came the deceased carrying the youngest child with his left arm and a suit case in his right hand. The officer, who had stopped to speak to some one, was several yards behind. The witnesses for the Commonwealth say that as Brumfield and wife turned a- bend in the road, appellant suddenly appeared and fired four or five shots at the deceased. He had the deceased by the shoulder when some of the shots were fired. Three of the shots struck deceased, while another shot struck and killed the child which he was carrying. The deceased did not attempt to shoot appellant, and no weapon was discovered by the witnesses for the Commonwealth on his body or in the vicinity of the homicide. Appellant then ran up the mountain and a few hours later was placed under arrest. He was seen to load his pistol just a short distance up the hill, and he did-not carry a pistol in his left hand.

After admitting his improper relations with Mrs. Brumfield, appellant testified that just before the homicide, a Mrs. Smith told him that she had seen some strange man going up the creek and they were asking for him. He then started on up, and as he turned around a little knoll, ran right into Brumfiéld and his wife. Mrs. Brumfield jumped to the side of the path. Brumfield pitched his suit case back tó the right. Mrs. Brumfield said, “Dave, he is going to kill you.” He said, “Don’t do that, Jim. ’ ’ He did not fire until after he saw Brumfield draw his pistol. When Brumfield’s pistol went off, it struck him in the finger. He grabbed Brumfield’s pistol and carried it with him through an old field to a wire fence, and then threw it down. He afterwards drew a map of the place where he put the pistol and William Clever went and got it. Prior to the homicide, different parties- had told him that Brumfield had threatened his life. In addition to this evidence, appellant’s affidavit for a continuance, hereinafter set out, was read as the depositions of the absent witnesses.

[169]*169It is not contended that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the verdict, or that there was any error in the instructions, or in the admission or rejection of evidence, but a reversal is asked for alleged error in refusing a continuance, and on the further ground that one of the jurors was disqualified by reason of an opinion theretofore expressed, but which did not come to the knowledge of appellant until after the trial.

The affidavit for continuance is as follows:

“The affiant and defendant, Dave Brown, says that he is the defendant in this prosecution. That he is not ready for trial herein, because of the absence of W. M. Clever, Mrs. W. M. Clever, Ellen Smith, Andy Smith, Louis Maynard, Frank Thompson, John Blevins, Nelse Finley and James Smith, who are material witnesses for this defendant. The defendant says that he was arrested on this charge on the 30th day of May, 1921, and that he was immediately brought to Pikeville, Kentucky, and placed in jan, and that he has remained in said jail continuously up to the present time and is now so confined. He says that he was only indicted on this charge on the 14th day of September, 1921, and at the present term of this court, and that each of the above named witnesses reside along the border line between West Virginia and Kentucky, except W. M. Clever and Mrs. W. M. Clever, who reside in Lawrence county, Kentucky, and affiant says that on the 16th day of this month he had subpoenas issued for each of the above named witnesses and that he sent the subpoenas. to Lawrence county, Kentucky, to the sheriff of said Lawrence county, to be served upon the said W. M. Clever and Mrs. W. M. Clever, and that he sent the other subpoenas for the other witnesses by his brother, A. F. Brown, to deputy sheriff, John Scalf, who resides near East Williamson, W. Va., and at Goodman postoffice in Pike county, Kentucky, and affiant says that he has used and exercised due diligence in an effort to procure the attendance of each of the above named witnesses, and to that end, on the 16th day of this month (Sept. 1921) 1921, he had subpoenas issued by the clerk of the Pike circuit court for each of said witnesses and the said subpoenas were placed in the hands of John Scalf, a deputy sheriff of Pike county, for to do execution thereon and the said John Scalf claimed that he did not have time to summon said witnesses and affiant says that if given further time, he has reasonable grounds to believe and does believe [170]*170that he can secure the attendance of each of said witnesses.
“Affiant says that said witnesses will testify as follows : W. M. Clever will swear that the day before this trouble occurred in which the deceased Jim Brumfield lost his life he (W. M. Clever) met the said deceased Jim Brumfield in Williamson, W. Va., and the said Jim Brumfield talked with him and was inquiring of him about the whereabouts of this defendant and the said W. M. Clever told the said Jim Brumfield that this defendant was working near M.cVeigh postoffice .on Pond creek in Pike county, Kentucky, and the said Jim Brumfield stated to the said W. M. Clever about these words: ‘Gf— d — -him (meaning the defendant), I want to find him; I intend to kill him the first time I come on him and I am going up there and if I find him I will kill him,’ and the said Jim Brumfield' showed the said witness a small 32 calibre pistol with which he said he would kill this defendant if he could find him and the said Jim Brumfield came up Pond creek on the train on that morning with the said W. M. Clever and the said Brumfield got oft at Pinson Junction about one-half mile -below where this trouble occurred and the said W. M.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
241 S.W. 846, 195 Ky. 166, 1922 Ky. LEXIS 293, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-commonwealth-kyctapp-1922.