Ivey v. State

247 S.W.2d 105, 157 Tex. Crim. 548, 29 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2506, 1951 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1847
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 5, 1951
Docket25517
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 247 S.W.2d 105 (Ivey v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ivey v. State, 247 S.W.2d 105, 157 Tex. Crim. 548, 29 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2506, 1951 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1847 (Tex. 1951).

Opinions

GRAVES, Presiding Judge.

The offense is preventing another from engaging in a lawful vocation as denounced by Article 1621b, Penal Code; the punishment, one year in the penitentiary.

The injured party, Henry Fennell, testified that for some three years prior to the month of January, 1951, he had been an employee of the Weaver Iron Works in Dallas; on the 5th [550]*550day of that month when he came to work, he noticed a group of his fellow employees and a Mr. Cook, the union representative, gathered outside the gate, and he was informed by them that a strike had been called. Fennell related that he did not then cross the picket line but that he did return to the plant in the afternoon to get his check and get his tools, at which time Cook told him that the checks would be brought to the gate. Fennell stated that, while there, one Adams, a fellow employee, came up to the automobile in which he was seated and indicated his desire that Fennell not cross the picket line even to get his tools, stating that by so doing he might cause others to go in the plant and go to work. At this juncture, Fennell testified that he and Adams had a slight altercation and were separated by their fellow employees.

Fennell related that on the Monday following he and his 17-year old brother, Jimmie Fennell, who also was employed at the plant, returned to work and crossed the picket line. At the close of the day, as he and his brother prepared to leave the plant, he testified the same Adams came up to his side of the automobile, and the appellant approached the same from the opposite side where Jimmie was seated. Adams called Fennell a scab and opened the door next to which he was seated. According to Fennell, he closed the door two or three times; Adams opened it again each time, finally grabbing Fennell by the arm, causing him to come out of the car. Fennell testified that he and Adams struggled, though not exchanging blows, back into the plant enclosure, that something hit him from the side and knocked him unconscious, and that when he came to he was carried to the doctor.

One Milam, who was employed by another firm within the same plant enclosure, testified about Adams’ actions, as heretofore related by Fennell and, further, that the appellant had followed Adams and Fennell and hit Fennell twice. Milam stated that at this juncture he personally interceded, pulled Adams away from Fennell and that thereafter the appellant continued to hit Fennell until he fell to the ground. Milam further related that appellant stomped Fennell in the face with his cowboy boot as he lay prone on the ground and that he desisted when Cook said, “That’s enough, Grady; let’s go.”

Medical testimony was introduced showing that Fennell’s cheekbone had been fractured in the assault.

[551]*551We come now to a consideration of the sufficiency of the indictment. Omitting the formal parts, the indictment alleged:

. . use force, threats and violence by striking and beating with his hands, and kicking and stamping with his feet the said Henry Fennell, and in doing so prevented and attempted to prevent the said Henry Fennell from engaging in an lawful vocation at the Weaver Iron Works, Inc. in Dallas County, Texas.”

It is contended that the indictment is fatally defective in that the word “did” is omitted from the beginning of the above quoted portion of the indictment.

In Branch’s Texas Annotated Penal Code, Section 492, we find the following: “The word ‘did’ is an essential word in indictments, information and complaints, where the acts which constitute the offense are being set forth.” In each of the cases set forth thereunder, we find that the use of the word “did” was essential to the certainty necessary in the description of the offense. However, we feel that the case at bar, by virtue of the presence in the indictment of the phrase “in doing so,” brings itself within the rule set forth in Section 493 of the above, which is stated as follows:

“If, eliminating surplusage, the indictment so avers the constituent elements of the offense as to apprise defendant of the charge against him and enable him to plead the judgment in bar of another prosecution, it is good in substance, under our Code, and therefore sufficiently charges the offense.”

It is further contended that the indictment herein should have charged that such assault and violence used by appellant upon the complaining witness was thus used with the intent to prevent such witness from engaging in such employment, the gist of the contention being that the word “intent” should have been utilized in this charge. With this proposition, we cannot agree. It is not in every charge of violence that it is necessary to charge the intent with which such violence was used. It would be a redundant allegation to say that such violence was with the intent to attempt to prevent. As illustrative of such matter, we cite Article 1190, Penal Code, which denounces an attempt to commit rape. It would be necessary under such latter charge to prove that the intent was to commit rape; nevertheless, the statute and the decisions thereunder do not require the word “intent” to be used in an indictment relative thereto. We think the word “attempt” carries with it the “intent.” We see no [552]*552ground for objection to such indictment. See notes and decisions under Article 1190, Penal Code, and also Form No. 258, Willson’s Criminal Forms, (5th Edition), p. 319.

In Adams v. State, 144 Tex. Cr. R. 399, 163 S. W. (2d) 410, we approved the form of the indictment as against the other complaints raised in the motion. In the motion there, we find several of the same points as are raised by appellant here. We conclude that the indictment contains the essential elements denounced by the statute.

Appellant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support the conviction. His contention is that the state failed to show that at the time appellant assaulted Fennell he had the specific intent, design and purpose of preventing or attempting to prevent Fennell from engaging in a lawful vocation. Appellant lists some eleven other possible reasons, which he claims are raised by the eyidenee, that could have motivated appellant in assaulting the prosecuting witness other than to prevent said witness from engaging in a lawful vocation. Appellant asserts that the duty lay upon the state to negative these in its proof and argues that such was not done.

This contention was ably presented to the jury in that portion of the court’s charge which reads as follows:

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Related

Williams v. State
588 S.W.2d 593 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1979)
Zapata v. State
493 S.W.2d 801 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1973)
Ivey v. State
247 S.W.2d 105 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1951)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
247 S.W.2d 105, 157 Tex. Crim. 548, 29 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2506, 1951 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1847, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ivey-v-state-texcrimapp-1951.