Collier v. State

154 S.W.2d 569, 202 Ark. 939, 1941 Ark. LEXIS 270
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedOctober 6, 1941
Docket4219
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 154 S.W.2d 569 (Collier 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
Collier v. State, 154 S.W.2d 569, 202 Ark. 939, 1941 Ark. LEXIS 270 (Ark. 1941).

Opinion

Humphreys, J.

Two indictments, No. 3680 and. No. 3681, were returned ag-ainst appellant by the grand jury of St. Francis county, Arkansas, on the 17th day of September, 1935, one of which charged him with an assault with intent to kill Allen Ellis by shooting him in said county and state, and the other an assault with intent to kill Eva Ellis by shooting her.

A motion for a continuance was filed by the appellant, and on the 25th day of September, 1935, the court continued the case until the March term, 1936, for the purpose of taking the depositions of Oscar Nipper of Crow-ell, Missouri, by agreement within sixty days.

On March 22, 1937, Dr. N. C. McCowan was ordered by the court to visit Mrs. Neill and report her physical condition to the court.

Appellant was arrested and gave a bond for his appearance on the 23d day of March, 1937, but on that day failed to appear and a forfeiture was taken upon the bond. •

Later an alias warrant was issued for him, and he was required to give a second bond for his appearance.

On March 18, 1941, the case was set for trial, on March 28, 1941. At that time the regular judge, Hon. E. M. Pipkin, disqualified himself on account of having-drawn the indictments when he was prosecuting attorney and Hon. R. B. McCulloch was elected special judge to try the case. Appellant was arraigned and pleaded not guilty and later introduced testimony tending to establish an alibi.

Appellant then filed a motion to take the deposition of Evelyn Neill who was critically ill with cancer at her home in the town of Sheridan in Grant county, Arkansas, stating that she would never be able to attend the trial in person as a witness. He alleged that at the time the crime was committed he was living- with Mrs. Evelyn Neill who was then residing near the home of Allen Ellis and Eva Ellis, and that if she were present or that if her deposition were taken she would testify that he spent the night of June 17, 1935, in her home and did not absent himself therefrom.

The court denied the motion to take the deposition over appellant’s objection and-exception.

Immediately thereafter and on the same day appellant filed a motion for a continuance which he verified on account of the illness of Evelyn Neill and the absence of her husband who was at her bedside, and that the testimony of both would tend to establish an alibi, and also on account of the absence of Ishman Cunningham and Edward Cunningham whose testimony would be beneficial to appellant. The motion did not contain the substance of what these two witnesses might testify nor the testimony of a third witness who seemed to be out of the state.

The motion for a continuance was signed by the attorneys for appellant, but not verified.

This motion was denied, over the objection and exception of appellant.

A motion was then made to consolidate the cases and they were consolidated without objection on the part of appellant.

The case was then tided, resulting in a verdict of guilty of assault with intent to kill, and as a punishment therefor was adjudged to serve a term of one year in the state penitentiary.

Appellant filed a motion for a new trial which was. overruled, whereupon he prayed and was granted an appeal to this court.

Appellant has failed to abstract and brief the case so the assignments of error to be determined are contained in the motion for a new trial.

- The first assignment of error is that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the conviction. The evidence stated in the most favorable light to the appellee is, in substance, as follows:

Allen Ellis and Eva Ellis testified that on the 17th day of June, 1935, they were residing in Pine Tree neighborhood, in St. Francis county, and' that on that night-after dark someone called to Allen Ellis and when his wife partly opened the door and both were standing near each other someone fired a shotgun at them, many shots hitting both of them in their respective bodies causing them to be taken to a hospital in Memphis for treatment where he remained for about three weeks, and she for about one week; that they did not know who shot them; that it had rained before'they were shot and that it was cloudy and dark outside.

Sam Aldridge testified that he resided in Pine Tree neighborhood and was running a store on June 17, 1935; that he carried in stock shotgun shells, and on the 17th of June, the date on which Mr. and Mrs. Ellis were shot, appellant bought some shells late in the evening; that appellant said he wanted some of the biggest shot we had and I sold him five shells of Super X, size 4, to be used in a 12-gauge shotgun.

Jim Ellis, who was deputized by the sheriff and lived in the Pine Tree neighborhood and assisted the sheriff in making an investigation of the shooting, testified that the next morning they went to Allen Ellis ’ home and found gun wads outside and a big brimmed straw hat lying there; that it was a work hat (appellant objected to testimony with reference to the hat on the ground that the hat would be the best evidence. His objections were overruled and he saved his exceptions); that we found tracks where someone had stood there and ran away; that the gun wads were between the tracks and the house; that the ground was soft; that it had rained that night and the tracks were tolerably plain; that they were gum boot tracks; that the tracks went a short distance from the house then in a rainbow circle back to the road; that the tracks went in the back door of appellant’s house; that we had followed the tracks about 150 yards; that we then got in the sheriff’s car and went to Lester Neill’s; that is the place where appellant was living; that we found some gum boots and some wet clothing and two or three different kinds of shells; that appellant was not there; that the boots were near the size of the tracks; that the .shells were Super X, size 4 or 6; that over at appellant’s house they found some Super X shells, three or four Super X and one Kleenbore; that we also-found an automatic 12-gauge shotgun; that we did not find any hat there; that we got in the sheriff’s ear and went east and overtook appellant and two or three others going east; that the sheriff got out and talked to appellant and did not arrest him at that time; that appellant was bareheaded.

Earl Thomas testified that he was living in Pine Tree neighborhood at the time of the shooting and that he heard about the shooting in about an hour after it occurred ; that he saw appellant that afternoon before the shooting about four hours; that he was at Lester Neill’s, Waldo Adams and Wilbur Higgins were there with him; that he heard .appellant say he was going to shoot Allen Ellis but gave no reason for it; that appellant was drunk at the time.

Ray McKee testified that he was living in Pine Tree neighborhood on the date of the shooting and that he was with appellant the afternoon or evening before Allen Ellis and his wife were shot; that he met appellant about three o’clock at the school house and stated that he was going to shoot Allen Ellis; that Allen Ellis had reported him for something about a government loan; that he was drinking at the time.

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Related

Turner v. State
275 S.W.2d 24 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1955)
Meyer v. State
236 S.W.2d 996 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1951)
Higgins v. State
161 S.W.2d 400 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1942)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
154 S.W.2d 569, 202 Ark. 939, 1941 Ark. LEXIS 270, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/collier-v-state-ark-1941.