Jennings v. United States

53 S.W. 456, 2 Indian Terr. 670, 1899 Indian Terr. LEXIS 59
CourtCourt Of Appeals Of Indian Territory
DecidedOctober 26, 1899
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 53 S.W. 456 (Jennings v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court Of Appeals Of Indian Territory primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jennings v. United States, 53 S.W. 456, 2 Indian Terr. 670, 1899 Indian Terr. LEXIS 59 (Conn. 1899).

Opinion

Clayton, J.

There are 15 assignments of error. They are as follows:

“(1) Because the court permitted the government witness J. F. Ledbetter to testify, over the objection of appellant, as follows: T believe it was the 4th of September —might have been the latter part of August, I forget the day now — I made a trip of two or three days after them. I went out east 25 or 30 miles. I went out east of Checotah, near Campbell Russell’s place. I afterwards learned that they had been on the Pittsburg & Gulf, at Barren Fork, a station on the Pittsburg & Gulf. Well, I hunted around there on that information two, three, or four days. I next got information that they were in the Concharty Mountains. That was about the last of September. I was out there four, five, or six days,- — I don’t remember the exact number of days,- — but I returned here on the 2d of October. When I got back, I noticed in the papers that they had held up the train at Cbickasha. The evening I got back I noticed it -the papers. The next information I got of them was at a blacksmith shop about 8 miles north of Tulsa. I learned, however, that they, were coining into the neighborhood of Claremore. ’

“(2) Because the court permitted witness J. F. Led-better to testify over the objection of appellant, as follows: ‘Q. ' Mr. Ledbetter, prior to December 1, 1897, when you went to the Harless ranch for the purpose of arresting A1 Jennings and these other boys, please state whether or not you had any information at that time that A1 Jennings had commmitted any other felony for which you desired t arrest him. A: Yes, sir. ’

[675]*675“(3) Because the court permitted the witness J. F. Ledbetter, over the objection of appellant, to testify as follows: ‘Mr. Soper: Q. Mr. Ledbetter, since the time that you and Mr. Tolbert had been in pursuit of A1 Jennings and the other parties, — since some time in July, I believe you stated, — state whether or not you had received any information which had come to you by which you knew at the time that A1 Jennings had been going about in the Northern district of the Indian Territory under an assumed name. A. Yes, sir; I had received information that he and his brother were under an assumed name.’

“(4) Because the court permitted witness J. F. Led-better, over the objection of appellant, to testify as follows: ‘Mr. Soper: Q. You have stated that you were in pursuit of this man for some time in July. During this pursuit, what was the result of your inquiries as to how long the defendant and the other boys with him remained at any place after you had received word that they were located there? A. I never did get information of their staying at one place over three or four days at a time, and that was at the mouth of the Little Spavinaw.’

“(5) Because the court permitted the government, over the objection of appellant, to read in evidence the warrant issued by Commissioner Robert L. McClure, dated November 24, 1897, after the one issued by Commissioner W. C. Jackson had been introduced.

“(6) Because the court refused to instruct the jury as requested by appellant in instruction No. 1, which is as follows: ‘The court instructs the jury that if the defendant, being placed in a position in which his life is imperiled, shoot at an offcer of whose official character he has no notice, he would be justifiable if the shooting was apparently necessary to save his own life or to prevent his receiving great bodily harm; nor does it matter th^ the officer and [676]*676his posse were legally seeking to arrest him, if the defendant had no notice of that fact.’

“(7) Because the court refused to instruct the jury as requested by appellant in instruction No. 2, which is as follows: ‘The court instructs .the jury that if they believe from the evidence in this case that an officer and posse brought on the difficulty by shooting at the defendant or those with him, or into the house where they were, and that the defendant believed, or had reasonable ground to believe, that he was in danger of losing his life or of receiving great bodily harm from such parties, and that he returned the firing, acting under this apprehension, you will acquit him, provided he had no notice of the official character of said parties, and of their right and purpose to arrest defendant. ’

“(8) Because the court refused to instruct the jury as requested by appellant in instruction No. 3, which is as follows: ‘The court instructs the jury that the motive of the defendant in being where he was at the time of the difficulty has nothing to do with the question of his right of self-defense, and that the lawfulness or unlawfulness of his previous conduct has nothing to do with the question of bis right of self-defense, and it is to be considered only in so far as it may throw light on his belief that his arrest was sought by an officer. ’

“(9) Because the court refused to instruct the jury as requested by appellant in instruction No. 4, as follows: ‘The court instructs the jury that although they may believe from the evidence that, at the time of the alleged assault by the defendant, the officer and his posse had legal authority to arrest him, and that they attempted to exercise this power in such- a violent and menacing manner as to threaten death or great bodily harm to said defendant, that this would justify him in shooting at said parties, if at the time he believed, and had reasonable grounds to believe, that he [677]*677was in clanger of death or of receiving great bodily harm from said parties, and acted under this belief; and they are instructed that this is the law, notwithstanding that they may believe that the defendant at the time knew, that said parties were seeking to arrest him, and that they had the authority to do so.’

“(10) Because the court refused to instruct the jury as requested by appellant in instruction No. 5, which is as follows: ‘The court instructs the jury that, in judging of the danger to the defendant at the time of the alleged shooting, the circumstances must be viewed as they appeared to him; and if they have a reasonable doubt, after a full and fair consideration of all of the evidence in the case, as to whether he was justifiable or not, they will acquit him. ’

“(11) Because the court refused to instruct thejury as requested by appellant in instruction No. 6, which is as follows: ‘The court instructs the jury that although they may believe defendant did not shoot in his necessary self-defense, that, before they would be authorized to convict him of assault with intent to kill, it must appear from the evidence that he fired at James Franklin Ledbetter, the party named in the indictment, with the specific intent to take the life of him, the said James Franklin Ledbetter, and that it is not sufficient to authorize a conviction that he may have fired at some one else with said Ledbetter.’

“(12) Because the court refused to instruct the jury as requested by appellant in instruction No. 7, which is as follows: ‘Counsel for defendant asks the court to charge the jury' that although they may believe from the evidence that defendant knew of the official character of Deputy Marshal Ledbetter and others with him at the time of the alleged assault, and knew of their purpose to arrest the defendant, yet if before defendant made any resistance to the arrest, and before defendant had time, with safety to his life, to surren[678]

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53 So. 868 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1910)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
53 S.W. 456, 2 Indian Terr. 670, 1899 Indian Terr. LEXIS 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jennings-v-united-states-ctappindterr-1899.