Hodo v. State

1929 OK CR 48, 274 P. 688, 42 Okla. Crim. 65, 1929 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 319
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 9, 1929
DocketNo. A-6376.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1929 OK CR 48 (Hodo v. State) 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
Hodo v. State, 1929 OK CR 48, 274 P. 688, 42 Okla. Crim. 65, 1929 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 319 (Okla. Ct. App. 1929).

Opinion

DAVENPORT, J.

The plaintiff in error, hereinafter called the defendant, was convicted in the district court of Kay county for obtaining illicit connection with Veril McMasters under a promise of marriage by the defendant to the said Veril McMasters, which said promise was not fulfilled, the said defendant having failed and refused to marry the said Veril McMasters, and not now being the husband of the said Vteril McMasters, and was sentenced to pay a fine of $500. Motion for new trial was filed and overruled, and defendant excepted and appeals to this court.

*67 The testimony on behalf of the state is, in substance, as follows: Veril McMasters stated she was 21 years of age; she had lived in Kay county practically 10 years; that she was a graduate from the Newkirk high school; that her family moved from Missouri to Newkirk; she knew defendant in Missouri before coming to Oklahoma; defendant began keeping company with her in March, 1924; the first time she went out with defendant they went to a schoolhouse to establish a Sunday School; after that time defendant was with her two or three times a week; on the 18th day of May, 1924, she and defendant became engaged to be married; the reason why she remembers the date was it was her birthday; that they were on the road home from Newkirk. “We were talking, and he said, ‘Would you answer a serious question if I asked you one?’ and I said, ‘Yes. if it is necessary;’ and he said, T want to ask you one if you will give me an answer;’ and I said, ‘Yes, I will give you an answer;’ and he said, ‘Will you marry me?’ and I said, T don’t think that is a fair qoestion;’ and he said, ‘It is fair with me and it ought to be fair with you;’ and I said, T won’t answer it now;’ and he said, ‘When will you answer it’ and I said, T will answer it Sunday morning;’ and he said, ‘Why, Sunday we are going to the 101 Ranch, you will answer it then.’ This conversation was on Friday night; we went to the 101 Ranch Sunday, and I answered, ‘Yes, that I would marry him;’ I had intercourse with the defendant about Wednesday following the 18th of May; I believe we had been to Blackwell to a show; it took place in Kay county, about one mile south of Dilworth, Gkla.; we were going along joking about being engaged, and he asked when we would be married, and I told him I did not know, he said, T need somebody, and I need them pretty bad;’ and I replied, ‘Your mother is a good cook;’ he said what he wanted was not somebody to cook; he said he wanted somebody to sleep with, and I said, “Maybe you could persuade your father.’ *68 Nothing more was said until about a mile further west, and he turned the ear and I told him the road home was the other way, we haven’t time to fool around, it is midnight; and he replied, ‘I have something serious to talk to you about;’ I said, ‘All right, let’s hear it;’ and he did not say anything, he went on a little ways, stopped his car, and sat there a little bit, and said, ‘I think you ought to come across;’ and I told him I did not know what he meant, and he said, ‘You ought to, well, if you don’t I will show you pretty soon;’ I said, ‘Well, I am not going to anyway;’ and he said, ‘We ought to, that we were engaged, that makes it all right;’ and I said it did not make it right with me; he said, ‘We are married in the sight of God just the same as if we were married;’ finally he got out of the front seat and got in the back seat, and lifted me across the top of the seat into the back seat; he was hugging and kissing me; he pulled me on his lap and had to hold me; and I told him he ought not to do that; and he said it was all right, it was the way he believed, and that it did not make any difference, he was going to be boss; he pulled my dress up, and then he said he was going to show me right now. I cried, and he just went ahead, and I submitted to it, and he had intercourse with me; I submitted because he promised to marry me any way, and I did not think it would make a whole lot of difference; we had intercourse again on Saturday night of that week; we were returning from Newkirk; he repeated about the same words he did the first night, ‘We will get married anyway.’ ”

On cross-examination, witness stated she was 21 years old; that she went with defendant about three weeks before they were engaged; he proposed on the 18th day of May, 1924; they were in a car driving to Newkirk to get a girl friend to take her to her house; “the first intercourse he had with me was Wednesday following the 18th of May, 1924; it was not exactly willingly that I submitted; I protested, but did not kick or *69 fight him; it was partly force; I had a conversation with defendant -about a week before the child was born. Dr. Pryor attended me at the birth of the child; I became pregnant about the 20th or 21st, somewhere along there in May; figuring from the 19th day of February, I figure it was along about the 20th or 21st of May.”

Quite a number of questions were propounded to the prosecuting witness, but we have substantially set out all the testimony material and necessary to arrive at a proper opinion.

Zela McMasters, a sister of the prosecuting witness, was called, and, in substance, testified she knew the defendant; he kept company with her sister; the best she could remember “he began coming about May, 1924, I think; he came most every night; I would say three or four times a week; I don’t know when they became engaged, except she said it was on her birthday; defendant took her to Stillwater in 1924, and he came back with her; sister’s child was born in February, 1925; defendant was at her home two weeks before the child was born; he kept company with her regularly or steadily after that; sister went back to Stillwater in the summer 1925; I saw defendant and Veril in the act of sexual intercourse ■out in the car in front of our house the last of October or the first of November, 1924; only saw them have intercourse one time; defendant came back to see my sister after the baby was born; he acted like a sweetheart as much or more so than he did before; Mother and I saw him in town, and I told him there was no use to pretend he did not know Veril was pregnant because she had written a letter, and he did not answer it; my mother spoke up and asked him why he had not been down; my mother asked him if he did not know he was under obligations to Veril and why he retracted his promise; he said they sometimes retract themselves; I did not say much of anything. This *70 conversation was after I had seen them having sexual intercourse.”

■ On cross-examination, she stated it was along the last of October, or the first of November, she saw the defendant and her sister have intercourse; the child was born in February, 1925; “I was sleeping in the front room that night; it was along toward midnight; sister was on his lap at the time they was having sexual intercourse; he was sitting in the seat; I could see what they were doing from where I was; in conversation with the defendant at Dr. Pryor’s house, I told him I sent for him to come down; my mother spoke up, and said, ‘Be careful, Zela;’ I don’t remember about her saying anything about it being a public place; I don’t think I said, ‘I don’t give a damn if it is.’ I told him he had better come down.”

Mrs.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Holland v. State
1951 OK CR 32 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1951)
Melton v. State
1932 OK CR 118 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1932)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1929 OK CR 48, 274 P. 688, 42 Okla. Crim. 65, 1929 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 319, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hodo-v-state-oklacrimapp-1929.