Burns v. State

125 S.W.2d 463, 197 Ark. 918, 1939 Ark. LEXIS 306
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedFebruary 27, 1939
Docket4109
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 125 S.W.2d 463 (Burns v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burns v. State, 125 S.W.2d 463, 197 Ark. 918, 1939 Ark. LEXIS 306 (Ark. 1939).

Opinion

Holt, J.

The appellants, William Mabel Burns, Haywood Duckworth and Roma Ollison, were tried and convicted of the crime of robbery in the Pulaski circui.t court, first division, and each sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary, on information as follows: “Comes Fred A. Donham, prosecuting attorney within and for Pulaski county, Arkansas, and in the name and by the authority, and on behalf of the state of Arkansas, information gives accusing William Mabel Burns, Haywood Duckworth and Roma Ollison of the crime of robbery, committed as follows, towit: The said William Mabel Burns, Haywood Duckworth and Roma Ollison, in the county and state aforesaid, on the 7th day of June, A. D., 1938, unlawfully, feloniously, wilfully, maliciously and violently from the person of 0. Sherman, (Trustee of Shorter College, a corporation) in fear, did take, steal and carry away $2,319.90, gold, silver and paper money, said money being then and there the property of him, the said 0. Sherman (Trustee of Shorter College, a corporation), against the peace and dignity of the state of Arkansas.”

The facts upon which the information was based and the convictions had, stated in their most favorable light to the State, substantially, are: 0. Sherman, a colored minister and a Trustee of Shorter College, a corporation, and a resident of North Little Rook, Arkansas, at about eight o’clock p. m. on June 7,1938, left a committee meeting at Bethel Church in that city, carrying a bag which contained approximately $2,300.00 in currency, silver and a few checks. He got in his automobile with this bag- of money and drove to a point near his home when another car drove up by his side and stopped him. One of the defendants, Roma Ollison, jumped out, and Avhile Sherman was still at the wheel of his car, pointed a gun in his face, forced him to hand over the bag containing the money, then shot Sherman in the jaw, jumped back in his car and attempted to escape. In the car with Ollison was defendant, Haywood Duckworth. Sherman, although badly wounded, gave chase in his own car and succeeded in having Duckworth and Ollison captured by the officers. The 'bag in which the money was carried had been loaned to Sherman by Rev. E. J. Lunnon. There was also in the bag a pistol and bible belonging to Lun-non. Duckworth and Ollison voluntarily confessed their part in the robbery, admitted that Ollison shot Sherman in accomplishing the robbery, and in fact none of the details are seriously denied by them, except it is their contention that it was a fake robbery. Duckworth directed the officers to the place where the bag was thrown after the robbery in a ditch in Dark Hollow. The gun and bible were also found, but no money except a five cent piece was found in the bag or ever recovered. -

Defendant Duckworth also made a voluntary confession to officer Jack Pyle in which he stated that the money was in a bag in a canvas sack and that he gave the money to defendant, Mabel Burns, in Fordyce, Arkansas, in Mabel Burns’ home.

The record also reflects, according to the testimony of Rey. E. J. Johnson, that about fifteen minutes before eight o’clock, June 7, 1938, the day of the robbery, defendant Mabel Burns came from the north side of the church to the sidewalls and he and Duckworth stopped about the center of the church and talked three or four minutes. This was about fifteen minutes before Sherman left with the- money. Duckworth then came across the street, talked to Burns three or four minutes, and Burns went across the street to the car and talked to someone who was in the car. There is other testimony that Burns was seen at the church that night.

Jack Pyle, an officer, further testified, that defendant, Mabel Burns, made a statement to him freely and voluntarily, without any hope or promise of reward, in which he admitted that he s^ent a telegram at 4:22 p. m., June 7, 1938, from the Little Bock office of the Western Union addressed to Boma “Bo” Ollison, c/o Fordyce Lumber Company, Fordyce, Arkansas, as follows: “You will be too late.” Signed “Joe”. Hiram King testified that he went with defendant, Mabel Burns, to the telegraph office in Little Bock. He said he wanted to send a telegram and that it was in the afternoon. Defendant Duck-worth denied that Burns had anything to do with the robbery. Defendant Ollison made the statement in the presence of one of the officers that Burns was to send him a telegram if the money was out of the church by 3:30 o’clock, but later said he was forced to make the statement. Defendant Burns denied that he had any part in the robbery at all. Officer Lawrence testified that Burns made an admission to him in which he said lie would show them where the money was and go with them to get it. . '

Appellants earnestly ui’ge, first, that it was error as to Burns and Ollison for the trial court to allow Duckworth to testify that a.t some prior time he had told the prosecuting attorney that they, Ollison and Burns, planned and staged the robbery, for the reason that neither Burns nor Ollison were present when the statement was made and also that the conspiracy had then been completed. We copy from the record the testimony upon -which this alleged error is based: “Q. I want to ask you if you didn’t tell me this in my office? ‘Did you ■participate in that robbery, I mean did you have anything to do with it’ and you answered ‘Yes’. ‘Tell what you know about it, what you did, and what' you got out of it. First, let me ask you this question — Who was in on the robbery?’ and you answered, ‘Bomy Ollison, they call him Bo’? A. I don’t know what I did, I am liable to have told you Blakely or anything. Q. And the further question, ‘Who else’? Mr. Bobinson: I object. Court: You have a right to impeach him by the questions. Mr. Bobinson: That was a statement made in Bums absence. Court: I don’t think he is denying it, it is a matter for the jury to determine. Mr. Bogard: Didn’t you tell me in that office there that you and Ollison and Burns planned and staged that robbery? Mr. Robinson: I object. Court: Objection overruled. Mr. Robinson: Save my exceptions. Mr. Bogard: Q. Didn’t you tell me that? A. Yes, sir, I told you that, I was going to have to say somebody. Q. And you never at any time mentioned anybody but Mabel Burns and Roma Ollison? A. I might not have to you.”

The record discloses a short time before this testimony was admitted that in the testimony of officer Pyle, while he was testifying about admissions made by one of the appellants, the court ruled that such admissions would not be admissible after the completion of the conspiracy against the other two appellants unless they were present. This admonition of the court is as follows: ‘ ‘ Gentlemen of the jury, you are not to consider any statement made by the defendant Mabel Burns that in any manner incriminates the other defendants in connection with this conversation because if the crime was committed it was already completed, the statement of one conspirator against a co-conspirator, if such statement is made after the completion of the offense involved is not competent against the others, so you will not consider any statement made by Burns as evidence against Roma Ollison or Haywood Duckworth.” We think this admonition of the court was broad enough, and was clearly understood by the jury, to mean that they were not to consider the statement of one defendant as against the other two when said statement was made out of their presence and after the conspiracy or crime had been committed.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
125 S.W.2d 463, 197 Ark. 918, 1939 Ark. LEXIS 306, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burns-v-state-ark-1939.