Clark v. State

1930 OK CR 234, 288 P. 489, 47 Okla. Crim. 379, 1930 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 379
Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma·Decided May 24, 1930·No. No. A-6962.·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

DAVENPORT, J.

The plaintiff in error, hereinafter, called the defendant, was informed against jointly with Chauncey M. Davis and Earl R. Kelley, charged with forgery, was tried separately, convicted and sentenced to imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a period of seven years. Motion for new trial was filed, considered, overruled, and defendant excepted, and the case appealed to this court.

To sustain the allegations in the information the state called J. P. Flanagan, who testified in substance as follows :

“On August 28,1926, I began negotiating with the defendant respecting the purchase of the royalty interest of Leonard D. Ingram, in the southwest quarter of section 2, township 19 north, range 7 east, Creek county, Oída. I began negotiations with the defendant in the office of H. R. Johnson. Johnson and the defendant discussed the runs, and Mr. Johnson told the defendant that I was joining in the contemplated purchase of the royalty. The defendant stated he had to pay $27,500 to the negro and *381 $2,500 to some one else, and wished to make $5,000 himself. I agreed to pay $36,000 for the royalty interest. I told, the defendant I did -not know Leonard Ingram, and that he would have to buy the royalty from Ingram, and that I would in turn buy it from him. The defendant stated he had the inside track; that a Muskogee bank held a mortgage for $15,000, and that he had left his check in payment of that sum, and was working with Napoleon Scott, who was getting Ingram to make the sale. I was later advised that Ingram would be in the office the following day. The defendant then stated he would go to Sapulpa with Ingram and have the instrument recorded before the money was paid. On September 2, 1926, the defendant and Johnson, accompanied by the colored man, drove to my home. I told the defendant that Earl Kelley was acquainted with Ingram, and the defendant stated Kelley had identified him. Defendant stated he had a deed, and he would drive to Sapulpa and place it on record. Defendant, Johnson, and the negro that was with them left, and I saw them later at the Exchange National Bank building.
“The bank held a draft drawn by Ingram upon the defendant for $12,500. The defendant gave me a deed, and I delivered him a check for $36,000 for the property. Exhibit 1 is the deed from Ingram to the defendant. Exhibit 3 is the deed from the defendant to me. Exhibit 4 is a receipt signed by C. H. Garrett for $15,000. There was in the bank at the time of this transaction a check for $15,000 from the defendant, upon which was written, ‘Full payment of mortgage and note on the Southwest 2-19-7, to First National Bank of Muskogee.’ The defendant promised to get a release of the mortgage. I took a transfer order to the Prairie Oil & Gas Company. Later I was served with a summons in the suit of Leonard D. Ingram to quiet title. An investigation was begun. Johnson, the defendant, and myself went to Muskogee and tried to locate Napoleon Scott. We learned that he was away. We went to the office of Clark Compton, chief of police of Muskogee, and tried to locate C. H. Garrett. Compton said that Clu Garrett was the only Garrett he *382 knew in that community. The defendant talked to Clu Garrett, and he denied any knowledge of the transaction. Defendant told me he paid Kelley $2,500. The whole deal was consummated in the Exchange National Bank on September 2, 1926. I don’t recall that Clark told me at any time that he knew Leonard Ingram, or that he had any dealings with Ingram.”

H. R. Johnson in substance testified for the state:

“I began negotiations with the defendant for the purchase of this royalty in August, 1926, when the defendant appeared at my house claiming to have the royalty interest for sale. We examined the wells and the runs. Defendant stated he was able to deliver the property and would have Leonard Ingram in the Exchange National Bank on the 1st day of September, 1926. He failed to appear. The defendant said Ingram had given him a mortgage and blank deed. On September 1st the defendant advised me that Leonard D. Ingram would be there the following morning, and about 8 o’clock a. m., the morning of the 2d, the defendant appeared at my home with Ingram. We went down to the Exchange National Bank. The defendant Clark went out of the bank and brought in Leonard D. Ingram, and Ingram signed the transfer order. When the order was signed, there was $27,500 paid to' Leonard D. Ingram. Mr. Flanagan suggested that Ingram take a cashier’s check, which he declined to do. Mr. Flanagan then suggested to the defendant that it would be a good idea for him to go back with the boy to Muskogee, and see that the negro boy arrived there safely with the amount of money he had.”

Chauneey M. Davis also testified in substance for the state that he was acquainted with Earl Kelley, had kno wn him since 1924; saw him on the morning of September 1st, in Muskogee. Kelley asked the witness if he would like to make some money, and witness answered in the affirmative; drove with Kelley in a Ford coupe to Tulsa, the night of September 1, 1926. When they reached Tulsa *383 they went to the apartment of the defendant, and Kelley got ont and went into defendant’s apartment. Kelley and the defendant came ont together, and—

“We got in a Pierce-Arrow coupe. Kelley went in his car, and the defendant and I drove in the Pierce-Arrow. We three drove to the northwest part of the city to the residence of a man by the name of Boyles, where Kelley introduced the witness to Boyles as Mr. Davis. We returned to the Security National Bank building, where Kelley and Boyles got out of the car. The defendant and I went on to Fourth and Boston and parked. The defendant then got out of the car and left me alone in the car. A man was waiting in the lobby of the Clinton building. The defendant and Kelley got out of the car, and the three went upstairs and remained for some time. This was about 3 o’clock in the morning. I remained in the car and Kelley brought me a sandwich and a bottle of beer. Kelley then started away, and reached in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, and said he had better have me sign this, and told me to sign Leonard D. Ingram. I told him he must be crazy. ‘All right, big boy, you are going to- sign this, or we are going to do away with you.’ Kelley pulled out an automatic, and the defendant told me I was going to sign because Mr. Johnson had been looking for him to produce for three days.

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Clark v. State, 1930 OK CR 234, 288 P. 489, 47 Okla. Crim. 379, 1930 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 379 (Okla. Ct. App. 1930).

1930 OK CR 234 (Clark v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Kelley v. State
1931 OK CR 280 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1931)