Conn v. State

89 So. 2d 840, 228 Miss. 833, 1956 Miss. LEXIS 572
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 15, 1956
DocketNo. 40075
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 89 So. 2d 840 (Conn v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Conn v. State, 89 So. 2d 840, 228 Miss. 833, 1956 Miss. LEXIS 572 (Mich. 1956).

Opinion

Kyle, J.

The appellant, Robert Conn, was jointly indicted, along with Hobson P. Jones and Carl Matthews, at the November 1952 Term of the Circuit Court of Hinds County, on a charge of grand larceny in the taking, stealing and carrying away of $300 in money, being the property of L. C. Lipscomb. A severance was granted to each of the defendants, and the appellant was tried at the September 1955 Term of the Court, and was convicted and sentenced to serve a term of two years in the state penitentiary. From that judgment he prosecutes this appeal.

The testimony of the State’s witnesses made out a case of “pigeon dropping.” Four witnesses testified for the State. The defendant offered no testimony on his own behalf.

Jake Terleton, colored, testified that he lived at Port Gibson and ran a night club for members of the colored race. He knew Carl Matthews prior to 1952, but had never known Robert Conn or Hobson Jones until sometime during the month of June 1952 when they came to see him at his home in Port Gibson. Matthews and Conn came together, and Matthews asked Jake if he wanted to go into “a deal of business.” Jake told Matthews that he did not know what he was talking about, and Matthews said that he had a man who would show him. Matthews then left the house and came back about ten [839]*839minutes later with Mr. Jones. Jones had a small handbag or suit case in his hand. He told Jake that he could “make some money.” Jones then put a five-dollar bill between two pieces of paper about the size of the five-dollar bill, and rolled it on the table. He then dropped the roll in a bowl and filled the bowl half full of water and dropped some pills in it, which caused the water to boil up. He then took the two pieces of paper out of the bowl of water, twisted them and hung them over a light and dried them and said, “That’s what I can do.” Jones asked Jake whether he would be interested, and Jake told him that he did not think he would be interested, Jones told Jake that it would take around a thousand dollars “to be interested.” He then told Jake that he was going to Utica. Jones went to Utica and called Jake on the telephone about 10:00 o’clock that night; and Jake finally told him that he might be up there in the morning, around 9:00 o ’clock.

Jake testified that he went to Utica the next morning and carried L. C. Lipscomb with him. L. C. was his stepson. Jake told L. C. that Mr. Matthews had a deal on, and “I want you to go up there with me to see what we can do about it.” Jake had $200 in money in his pocket and L. C. had $300. Jake and L. C. drove to the depot at Utica, and Matthews and Conn met them there. Matthews told Jake that the man they wanted to see had gone to Jackson, and Jake, L. C. Matthews and Conn then got in Jake’s car and drove to Jackson. They parked their car on the north side of the Robert E. Lee Hotel, and Conn got out of the car and went into the hotel and returned shortly thereafter with Jones. Jones asked L. C. if he knew what the plan was. L. C. said, “No,” and Jones then said, “Well, Mr. Matthews will tell you.” Matthews then told L. C. what the deal was;'and Jones said to Jake and L. C., “We are going to give you three for one. It will be good money.” L. C. asked Jones how he knew it would be good money, and Jones said, “I will [840]*840go down to the bank with you and I will cash it in and let you know that it will be good, it will be three to one good money.” L. C. then told Jones that he had $300 to invest, and Matthews told him that he had $200. Matthews then gave Jones his $200; Jake gave Jones $200; and L. C. gave Jones his $300. Conn was present during the entire transaction. Jones then went back to the hotel, and did not return immediately. After a time Matthews went into the hotel to see what Jones was doing. He came back and said that Mr. Jones was eating dinner and would be down directly. But Jones did not return. Conn told Jake and L. C. that he had seen some cops around the hotel, and then said, “We had better leave from around here.” Conn, Jake, and L. C. then left the hotel and drove to the railway depot. Matthews did not go with them. When they got to the depot Conn said that he would go inside and see if he could find out what had happened — presumably, find out what had happened to Mr. Jones; and Jake and L. C. did not see Conn any more. About an hour later Jake and L. C. drove back to the hotel and picked up Matthews, and Jake, L. C. and Matthews drove back to Utica. They found Conn’s car at Utica and got the number off of the car. They waited around there about an hour, thinking that Conn would come back to Utica to get his car. But Conn did not come back. A lady got in Conn’s car and drove off. Jake, L. C. and Matthews drove back to Jackson about midnight, and Jake and L. C. reported their loss to the police department the next morning. Matthews went with them to the police station. Jones and Conn were picked up by the police sometime thereafter, and Jake and L. C. saw Jones and Conn in a line-up at the police station the day after the filing of their complaint.

L. C. Lipscomb’s testimony was substantially the same as that of Jake Terleton. Lipscomb testified, however, that he had marked the bills that he paid to Jones, two $100 bills and two $50 bills, with red ink; and that Mr. [841]*841Jones told him, “The deal is, I just want to use your money to take the numbers off of it. * * * You get your money back plus three for one, and good money. ’ ’ Lipscomb also testified that after he and Jake had reported their loss to the police department and Jones and Conn had been arrested he saw Jones and Conn in the line-up at the police station and recognized both of them.

Carl Matthews, who had been jointly indicted with Jones and Conn, testified as a witness for the State. Matthews testified that he had known Conn about twenty years, but he did not know Jones prior to June 1952. He had known Jake Terleton six or seven years, and he had known L. C. Lipscomb about three years. Matthews testified that Conn and Jones came to Utica and asked him if he knew where they could find “a prospect.” They told him they would rather have a colored prospect. Matthews stated that he did not know exactly what they meant when they said “prospect,” and they did not explain their plan to him; but he decided to help them out. He expected to get something out of it, and they told him that he would get something out of it. For that reason he decided to take them to Port Gibson to see Jake and L. C. Matthews, Jones and Conn went to Port Gibson and found Jake at Jake’s Grocery Store. They then went to Jake’s house to discuss the matter. When they got to Jake’s house, Matthews stayed out in the car, and Matthews did not know what took place in the house.

Matthews stated that Jake and L. C. came to Utica the next day and met Conn and Matthews at the depot. They then drove to Jackson in L. C.’s care to “make the trade,” and stopped the car at the Robert E. Lee Hotel. Jones came out to the car and asked them if they were ready to do business. Matthews testified that he had $200 in money which had been given to him by Conn while they were in Utica, which he was to turn over to Jones “to buy in on the deal.” He gave the $200 to Jones, and Jake and L. C. gave their money to Jones. Jones then [842]*842went back into the hotel, and Matthews did not see him any more that day, nor did he expect to see Jones any more that day. But he met Jones and Conn by appointment the next afternoon at the Green Derby, on U. S. Highway 80 West; and they gave him his part of the split, which amounted to $150.

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Related

Russell v. State
391 So. 2d 987 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1980)
Conn v. State
123 So. 2d 859 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1960)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
89 So. 2d 840, 228 Miss. 833, 1956 Miss. LEXIS 572, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/conn-v-state-miss-1956.