Green v. State

1928 OK CR 139, 266 P. 512, 39 Okla. Crim. 430, 1928 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 343
Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma·Decided April 14, 1928·No. No. A-6185.·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

DAVENPORT, J.

The plaintiff in error, hereinafter called the defendant, was convicted, and in accordance with the verdict of the jury sentenced to pay a fine of $500 and serve a sentence of 5 months in the county jail, on an information charging that the defendant unlawfully and wrongfully had in his possession certain intoxicating liquors, to wit, 8 gallons corn whisky, with the intention on the part of him of selling, bartering, giving away, and otherwise disposing of the same, in violation of the provisions of section 3605, Rev. Laws 1910.

To reverse the judgment the defendant has appealed to this court and has assigned as errors certain rulings of the court and misconduct on behalf of the county attorney in his argument.

*431 The testimony on behalf of the state is, in substance, as follows: George Bowman testified that he knew the defendant, Otis Green; that he saw the defendant on or about the 7th day of July, 1925, at what was called the “Hog Ranch,” northeast, of Beggs; they found some whisky close to his residence where he lives and south of the house something like a quarter of a mile. On cross-examination, the witness testified:

That defendant was not near the whisky when it was found; that the whisky was out in the timber; there were eight or nine gallons in a keg; there were footprints leading off from it toward the defendant’s gate; the whisky and the tracks were not on the defendant’s premises; we had a search warrant, but we did not search the premises where defendant lived; we used the search warrant on what was called the “Hog Ranch;” the whisky we found was something like a quarter of a mile from defendant’s house; it was covered up with brush; the defendant told me this whisky did not belong to him; I would not swear it was his whisky; it was not on defendant’s premises, but the tracks cam© from the gate; we followed the tracks to the whisky, but we did not measure the tracks; I have known the defendant 25 years; I got some direct information that the whisky was there; I don’t know the names, not these oil men; I don’t care to tell their names, it is not necessary.

Adam Le Wallen testified:

That he was at defendant’s home the day preceding the arrest; the defendant was at home; I did not see anything at his house in the way of intoxicating liquors; they had a keg in the woods about a quarter of a mile south from his house; the keg was setting on the ground with a limb and tow sacks thrown over it; my brother and Mr. Green were with me; I suppose Mr. Green was in charge of the keg; he took us out there; we all took a drink; Green opening up the keg, and then I drank, and then one of my brothers drank; when we went there we helped him fix his car, and he asked us if we wanted a drink, and then took us up there.

On cross-examination the witness stated that:

*432 From the time we left we knew we were going to get a drink of whisky; we did not know where it was; I had not seen the whisky before; I do not like to tell much about what we were there for; we were there the night before; we came by and got old man Hill and stopped at my place and taken some whisky and went ovqr and pulled a drunk; I figured he did not get in, and I went over to see; old man Hill and several others were there the night before we put on the drunk; it was not my whisky; Green had it, he rode in the car with it; he brought it from home, I suppose.

In response to a question, the witness gave the following answer:

“Q. You own a still? A. I let him have it, it was a gasoline drum, it was not a whisky drum.”

I had only been over to where the whisky was one trip; Ote Green and my brother was along; Ote Green did not say whose whisky it was.

Oscar Le Wallen, a witness for the state, testified in substance to the same facts as Adam Le Wallen. Fred Garrison also testified that he had received information as to what there was out near defendant’s home; the whis-ky was not in the inclosure of the defendant, but was about a quarter of a mile from the house.

The defendant as a witness in his own behalf stated:

That he found the whisky out there the day before Le Wallen and his brother came over, and he took them over to where it was and they took a drink; when the Le Wallens came to my place I told them there was some whisky over there, and they went over there, and we had a drink; I did not know to whom it belonged.

On cross-examination, defendant stated:

I didn’t get any drum from Le Wallen; I got the whis-ky we drank the night before out of that keg; I found the keg two days before we went over there; nobody was drunk at my place at any time; I don’t know how the whisky came to be where it was.

*433 On redirect examination, the defendant stated:

I have lived out there about 20 years.

The foregoing is, in substance, all the material evidence introduced by both the state and defendant. In addition to the usual assignment of errors, that the verdict is contrary to the law and evidence, and the overruling of motion for a new trial, it is argued that the court erred in admitting incompetent evidence and in permitting the county attorney, in closing the argument to the jury, to make prejudicial statements of matters outside of the record, and of such a character as would arouse the passion and prejudice of the jury against the defendant. The county attorney stating:

“Gentlemen of the jury, if the courts were allowed under the laws of this state to instruct a verdict of guilty in criminal cases, this is one case the court would be justified in doing so.”

This statement was objected to by the defendant, and the court sustained the objection. Further in the argument the county attorney made this statement:

“Bring the Le Wallen boy to the stand. He told that he let him have a gasoline drum. I. want counsel to tell me how he knew it. This, defendant told him or somebody else told him. I want him to tell me how he knew it.”

This statement was objected to by the defendant, and by the court overruled. Counsel for the defendant then stated:

“The defendant excepts to the remarks of the county attorney as highly prejudicial; I object to the remarks and argument of the county attorney upon the proposition that somebody must have told the defendant’s counsel that the witness Le Wallen furnished a drum, or else he would not have known it.”
By the Court: Overruled.
By Mr. Eaton: Exceptions.

*434 County Attorney ((proceeding) : This is just as much in the record as it can be. I know you were not deaf when you cross-examined him.

By Mr. Eaton: To which the defendant excepts as highly prejudicial.

The Court: Overruled.

Mr. Eaton: Defendant excepts.

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Green v. State, 1928 OK CR 139, 266 P. 512, 39 Okla. Crim. 430, 1928 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 343 (Okla. Ct. App. 1928).

1928 OK CR 139 (Green v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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