Jones v. State

1937 OK CR 96, 69 P.2d 71, 61 Okla. Crim. 458, 1937 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 86
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 4, 1937
DocketNo. A-9161.
StatusPublished

This text of 1937 OK CR 96 (Jones 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
Jones v. State, 1937 OK CR 96, 69 P.2d 71, 61 Okla. Crim. 458, 1937 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 86 (Okla. Ct. App. 1937).

Opinion

DAVENPORT, P. J.

The plaintiff in error, hereinafter referred to- as the defendant, was by information charged with rape in the second degree; was tried and found guilty by a jury. The jury failing to agree upon the punishment the court sentenced the defendant to- be confined in the state penitentiary for a term of 7% years. Motion for new trial was filed, considered, overruled and the defendant has by petition in error with case-made attached appealed his case to this court for review.

J. L. Boyd, father of Thelma Boyd, the prosecuting Avitness in this case, stated he had lived near the city of Sayre for more than 22 years. He further stated:

“I know the defendant H. L. Jones; he picked cotton for me in the fall of 1928 and 1929, and has worked for me a greater part of this year; I think he worked about 35 days for me in 1935; he did not work steadily for me daring the spring of 1935; he quit my employ on the 12th day of July, 1935; I fix the date by a check I gave him.
“Thelma Boyd is my daughter; she was 16 years old on the 12th day of August of this year, 1935; the last time the defendant worked for me he commenced about the first of July, 1935, and worked steadily from then up to the 12th; he roomed in a house about 20 steps from my house and ate on the cabinet in the kitchen because the house where he lived was not equipped for serving his meals. I called him Dank. The defendant worked for Mrs. Martin the day before he came to my house the first of July to- work; his duties around the place was anything I had for him to do; he was a good hand, nice about the house and respected my family.
*460 “I never inquired as to bis reputation in tbe community but so far as I know it was good; I never beard bim swear, and if he took a drink I do not know it; we did not have a stove in tbe little bouse where be lived and if it was very cold be stayed in tbe house; he helped my children with their lessons in school when be first came there. I had Dr. Windle examine my daughter.”

Dr. Windle testified:

“I am a practicing physician; I examined Thelma Boyd about the 30th day of September, 1935; they brought her to me and wanted me to- see if she had been ravished; I made an examination and found there was no hymen or what is commonly called maidenhead; from my examination I found she had had intercourse with a man.”

On cross-examination Dr. Windle stated:

“There was no bruises or abrasions, nothing but scar tissue all healed over that was caused by intercourse; the remainder of the female organs did not show any signs of violence.”

Ed West, testifying for the state, stated:

“My name is Ed West; I am sheriff of Beckham county; about the 30th day of September, or a little later I arrested H. L. or Dank Jones, on a charge of rape and brought him to jail; later I took him to' the county attorney’s office; when I got there with Jones, the county attorney, John Richardson, myself and the defendant were present. The defendant made a statement after he was informed of the charge against him. He stated he was not guilty of raping Thelma Boyd; he ivas asked if he had ever had intercourse with her and he said he had had intercourse with her on two occasions; that when he had intercourse with her they were in the kitchen.
“McCreery, I believe, asked him once if he knew Ruby Boyd; both Ruby and Thelma’s name was mentioned, the first one he asked about was Thelma; defendant denied he had raped Thelma Boyd; he stated there in our presence he had had intercourse with Thelma Boyd twice.”

*461 'Thelma Boyd, the prosecutrix, stated:

“I live seven and three-fourth miles northwest of Sayre with my father and mother; there are two1 children in my family, myself and sister Buby Boyd; I was 16 years old on my birthday, which was on the 12th day of August, 1935; last July I was 15 years old. I know this colored boy, the defendant in this case; I first saw him in 1928, at that time I was eight years old; he was picking cotton for my father; he again worked for my father in 1929; when he worked for my father he stayed in a little house near our house; in the summer of 1935 he was working for my father part of the time; if we happened to be going to church my sister and I would ride as far as the church with him, we did not just ride up and down the section line, nor did we ride or associate with him unless it was while he was driving some place, either to church or to town;. he helped us with our lessons some, as he was an educated negro; he stated he had finished the eighth grade; he did not eat with my family, he ate on a cabinet in the corner of the room.
“About the first of July, 1935, about three o’clock in the afternoon I was in the bedroom lying down; my mother had gone to my grandmother’s a short distance from our home. The defendant was plowing in the field near the house; about three o’clock he came to the bedroom door and asked where my mother was; I told him she had gone to my grandmother’s; he came over to' the bed and pulled up my dress and got on the bed with me: 1 started hollowing and he told me to hush; he had intercourse with me. I did not consent, it was against my will and consent; he did not threaten me nor did he say not to say anything about what had taken place; I did not tell it because I was afraid to; the defendant left our place about the 12th of July following this incident. He returned the last of September. I never told my mother about what had happened until just about the time the defendant came back; the reason I told her then I learned he was coming and and I did not want him to1 come, I was afraid of him.
*462 “The defendant held one of my hands, he had his other hand over my mouth. The defendant here is the man who came to my room and held me and had intercourse with me; during all the early years the defendant worked for my father he was with us children and was good to us, and never did anything wrong all that time; when we started to school he helped us with our lessons. So far as I know his reputation in the community as a colored man was good. When he was working in the field, close to the house he would come to the house and get water, and when he was away from the house we would drive the car and take water out to him; we did not feel afraid to take water to him, he had never done anything at that time to make me afraid of him; he never did threaten me, always acted gentlemanly when he was around sister and I.
“If the defendant happened to be going the way mother was, when she was going to a neighbor’s, he would drive her in the car. I don’t know the day he had intercourse with me; I don’t know that it was the first day of July, it was on Thursday; I don’t know whether it was the last Thursday in June or the first Thursday in July; I can’t get the idea of when it was as I don’t know; if the first of July was on Thursday it was the first of July; I told Mr. McCreery it was some time near the first, never set no date at the preliminary trial as to when the defendant had intercourse with me.

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

Related

Humberd v. State
1934 OK CR 66 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1934)
Clemmer v. State
1935 OK CR 1 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1935)
Coats v. State
1934 OK CR 68 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1934)
Pickett v. State
248 P. 352 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1926)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1937 OK CR 96, 69 P.2d 71, 61 Okla. Crim. 458, 1937 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 86, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-state-oklacrimapp-1937.