Ex Parte Collins

1925 OK CR 470, 239 P. 693, 32 Okla. Crim. 6, 1925 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 448
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 10, 1925
DocketNo. A-5796.
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 1925 OK CR 470 (Ex Parte Collins) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ex Parte Collins, 1925 OK CR 470, 239 P. 693, 32 Okla. Crim. 6, 1925 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 448 (Okla. Ct. App. 1925).

Opinion

EDWARDS, J.

This is a proceeding in habeas corpus by petitioner, Tom Collins, who alleges that he is wrongfully and unlawfully deprived of his liberty and confined in the penitentiary by William S. Key, warden. Writ denied.

The petitioner alleges that the cause of his confinement is as follows: That on the 9th day of February, 1923, he was convicted in the district court of Tulsa county for larceny of an automobile and sentenced to a term of 5 years in the state penitentiary; that on the 13th day of October, 1923, he was paroled by J. C. Walton, Governor of the state; that thereafter the said J. C. Walton was impeached and the duties of his office devolved on M. E. Trapp, Lieutenant Governor; that on the 21st day of June, 1925, the said Lieutenant Governor, acting as Governor, unwittingly attempted to revoke said parole. He alleges that such attempt to revoke said parole was brought about by J. G. Duncan, acting as a member of what is termed a “state constabulary” and by Parker La Moore,, secretary to the acting Governor; that said Duncan and La Moore caused the summary arrest of the said petitioner and caused him to be delivered to William S. Key, warden. Among other allegations, it is then alleged that the revocation of said parole.and the continued incarceration of the petitioner is due to the connivance and procurement of the said Duncan and La Moore and other persons, in furtherance of the conspiracy to extort money from the petitioner, and was without a hearing to determiné whether petitioner had complied with the terms of his said parole, and that said attempted revocation was not the act of the said M. E. Trapp, acting Governor, that said Lieutenant Governor, acting as Governor, was without power *9 to revoke said parole, and that said attempted revocation and confinement is unlawful.

W. S. Key, warden of the state penitentiary, represented by the Attorney General, filed his response, setting out that said petitioner was in his custody as warden of the penitentiary by virtue of a judgment and sentence from the district court of Tulsa county and the mandate of the Criminal Court of Appeals, affirming said judgment, and further pleading the parole and revocation thereof above mentioned.

J. G. Duncan, although not designated as a respondent, filed a response setting out that the application of petitioner has been called to his attention in which charges against the integrity of the said Duncan are made, and asks leave to refute same. He alleges that he is superintendent of the state bureau of criminal identification and investigation, appointed by the Adjutant - General. He denies all the allegations of conspiracy, connivance, and fraud alleged by petitioner. He further alleges that petitioner has a record of criminality running back for a number of years, reciting various criminal acts of which he alleges the petitioner is guilty, and that, by reason of the same being brought to his knowledge, he recommended the revocation of the parole of petitioner. He asks leave to substantiate the same and to contradict the allegation by petitioner against said respondents.

Parker La Moore, although not named as a respondent, has filed a response in the nature of an interplea, praying that, on account of the charges made in the petition against his integrity and private and public character, he be granted leave to defend against such charges. He alleges that he is private secretary of M. E. Trapp, acting Governor. He pleads further the record under which the petitioner is incarcerated, and pleads that the revocation of the parole was for good and sufficient rea *10 sons. He denies in its entirety all charges and allegations of misconduct charged against him, and asks that such charges be investigated by this court.

The allegation in the petition that the revocation of the parole was not the act of the chief executive gave a wide range to the evidence and1 the injection of matters which, without this allegation, would not have been admitted; but, under this allegation, and owing to the serious nature of the charges made in connection with this allegation, the evidence of both the petitioner and the respondent was permitted to be developed beyond the scope otherwise permissible.

The allegation that the revocation of the parole in question is not the act of the acting Governor, and was unwittingly made, is met by the flat contradiction of the acting Governor, who testified that the order of revocation was made advisedly, after due consideration, and for reasons by him deemed sufficient.

This evidence disposes of the allegation that the parole was unwittingly issued, and renders immaterial to the legal question before us all the evidence directed against J. G. Duncan and Parker La Moore, and renders immaterial their testimony in refutation of such evidence, and we do not give it any further consideration.

These collateral and extraneous matters out of the case, the contention of the petitioner is that the instrument designated a parole is a conditional pardon, and that the chief executive is without power to revoke the grant except after notice and hearing and proof that pe-titio'ner has violated the conditions of said grant of clemency. The question for determination, then, is: Did the acting Governor have the power, without notice and hearing, to revoke the grant of clemency to Tom Collins, and to order his arrest and return to the penitentiary to *11 serve the term imposed by the district court of Tulsa county.

From the pleadings and record it appears that, on February 16, 1920, after trial before a jury, the petitioner, in the district court of Tulsa county, was sentenced to a term of 8 years in the state penitentiary for larceny of an automobile. From said judgment and sentence he appealed to this court, and the sentence modified by reducing the punishment to a term of 5 years, and, as so modified, was affirmed and mandate issued on September 20, 1923. On the 27th day of September, 1923, the petitioner, by the then Governor J. C. Walton, was granted a reprieve for a period of 90 days. On the 13th day of October, 1923, he was granted a parole by the said Governor, a part of which is as follows:

“Now, therefore, I, J. C. Walton, Governor of the state of Oklahoma, by virtue of the power and authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the state of Oklahoma, do hereby grant unto the said Tom Collins a parole from said imprisonment upon the following terms and conditions, to-wit:
“First. That the said Tom Collins shall abstain from the use or handling of intoxicating liquors in any form; that he shall not gamble nor in any manner indulge in or conduct a game of chance; that he shall not carry firearms or other dangerous or deadly weapons under any circumstances; that he shall faithfully and industriously follow some useful and lawful occupation, and aid and support those dependent upon him; that he shall avoid all evil associations, improper places of amusement, 'all pool and billard halls, obey all the laws, and in all ways conduct himself as an upright citizen. * * *
“Third. It is expressly understood by the said Tom Collins that the Governor may revoke this parole for violation of any one or more of the conditions hereof, or for any other cause by him deemed sufficient.
“Fourth.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1925 OK CR 470, 239 P. 693, 32 Okla. Crim. 6, 1925 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 448, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ex-parte-collins-oklacrimapp-1925.