Lane v. State

1939 OK CR 142, 95 P.2d 654, 68 Okla. Crim. 97, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 7
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 2, 1939
DocketNo. A-9651.
StatusPublished

This text of 1939 OK CR 142 (Lane 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
Lane v. State, 1939 OK CR 142, 95 P.2d 654, 68 Okla. Crim. 97, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 7 (Okla. Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

DOYLE, P. J.

This appeal is from a judgment of the district court of Coal county, rendered on March 23, 1939, in pursuance of a verdict convicting Frank Lane of larceny of domestic fowls and assessing his punishment at imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a term of one year.

It appears from the record that appellant, Prank Lane, and Joe Lawson were jointly charged with the crime of larceny of domestic fowls.

The information charges that in Coal county, on or about the 5th day of September, 1938, said defendants did unlawfully and feloniously take, steal and carry away about forty turkeys, the personal property of one George Harris, without the knowledge or consent of the owner.

Appellant’s conviction was upon his separate trial.

The petition in error and case-made were filed in this court on May 19, 1939.

The only errors assigned are that the verdict and judgment are contrary to both the law and the evidence, for this reason the court erred in overruling the demurrer to the evidence and in denying appellant’s motion for a new trial.

The only question presented for review by the record is the sufficiency of the evidence to support the verdict and judgment.

It appears from the evidence that George Harris, who lived 14 miles west of Coalgate, was the owner of about 80 turkeys on the date alleged; Mr. Harris missed about 40 of his turkeys, made a search for them, and on ,Septem *99 ber 24th, he found 40 head of them near Bill Perry’s place, a mile and a quarter from his house, then he went to the county seat and notified Marvin Balch, the county attorney, and they went out to Bill Perry’s, and Mr. Harris picked out his turkeys by his mark, a webb split on the right foot between toes and a nick from the first joint of the left wing.

Bill Perry testified that he lives four miles south of Tupelo, that he was present when George Harris and two other men put a flock of turkeys into his lot, and Mr. Harris picked out 40 of them that had his mark; that he had seen these turkeys there for eight or ten days before, and that he had 23 turkeys himself there, that he lives about a mile and a quarter from the defendant, Prank Lane.

Theodore Johnson testified that he lives a quarter of a mile south of Tupelo, was acquainted with the defendant, Frank Lane, that about 11 o’clock on the night of September 5th, Prank Lane and Joe Lawson came to his house and told him their truck had broke down a little over half a mile south of his house, and he got up and went with them. Riley High and his wife were at the truck, a 36 Chevrolet pick-up, and there were turkeys in it; Lane said he was hauling them for these people; that he took Mr. Lawson and Mr. High and his wife back to their home to get their trailer, their place was one mile east and a mile south of Hudson’s store, and. the pick-up truck was something, like three or four miles north and east of the store; that coming back his car went dead, and he waited there until they came on, when they came by they would not pull his car, so he rode on with them to the pick-up. Mr. Lane was there and the turkeys were still in the truck, they backed the trailer up to the pick-up and put the turkeys into the trailer, Lawson and the Highs went back *100 with the turkeys in the trailer, and Frank Lane took him home in his pick-up.

Riley High testified he was staying out there with Joe Lawson, his wife’s stepfather; about the 5th of September, 1938, Joe Lawson penned up some turkeys there and they were taken away the night of the 5th by Frank Lane and Joe Lawson; that Joe Lawson asked him and his wife if they wanted to go with them to get their furniture, Frank Lane had been there that evening* and looked at the turkeys. When he drove up that night they were in bed. He came in and sat on the side of the bed, and asked him if he wanted to go to Okmulgee and get his furniture. He said, “I will take you up there for $6,” and he answered, “I have not got the money and I will have to pick it out in cotton.” So they loaded the turkeys, then pulled out and got over this side of Tupelo and the car broke down, something went wrong with the gears. Frank and Joe went to Tupelo to get a truck and he and his wife waited there until they came back with this man Johnson. They did not bring the chain to pull the car in, so Joe asked Johnson how much he would charge to take them home and he said 50 cents. Johnson drove them to about a quarter of the house and they got out and walked to the house. Joe got his trailer and he got his car and they drove back to> the pick-up. Joe and Frank loaded the turkeys into the trailer, and Joe started back with them. When they got back just this side of Goose creek the car had a flat. It was getting pretty close to daylight when the truck broke down. Joe turned the turkeys out, got the car started and drove about a half a mile, and the rear axle broke, so he went after a team and it was getting daylight when he came back, that he got a. team from Louis Lane and pulled the car and trailer in; that Louis Lane is the son of Frank Lane.

*101 • ■ Obie Hudson testified that be runs a store three and a half miles south of Clarita, and on the night of the 5th day of September some people came1 there and got gas. Theodore Johnson was one; he was headed north; that he knows Frank Lane and Joe Lawson. Frank Lane lived a mile straight east and a little, north of his store, and Joe Lawson lived a mile east and a mile south of the store. That his store is a mile south of Goose Creek, that he was driving to Allen the next morning and saw Joe Lawson’s car there, and noticed that the trailer was empty.

Mrs. High testified that on the 5th of September she was living with her stepfather, Joe Lawson, the 5th was on Monday, Labor Day. That night Frank Lane came over to take some turkeys off the place that were supposed to belong to him and Mr. Lawson. They were all in bed asleep. Uncle Frank wanted to make a.deal to go to Ok-mulgee to get their furniture, they talked about 20 minutes and decided to go, and were to give him $6 to' haul their things, they started on with the turkeys and got up close to Tupelo and the truck broke down. Joe and Uncle Lane went away and got Mr. Johnson to come and fix the truck, and with her husband she stayed with the truck. Up to this time Frank Lane said the turkeys belonged to him. When Mr. Johnson came up, he said those turkeys belonged to Joe Lawson and Gladys. That just before this case was filed Frank Lane asked her and her husband to leave and go to Wichita Falls to pick cotton, and she said, “Uncle Frank, we have not got the money, and the kids have not got any clothes”, and he said, “Uncle Frank will get the clothes”, and her husband said he was not going to do it, and Frank Lane walked away. That Joe Lawson was in jail in this case at that time.

Walter Clark, sheriff, testified that he made a search for the turkeys and went to Joe Lawson’s house and there *102 talked to Joe Lawson and Frank Lane, that Frank Lane said that he and Joe Lawson were 50 and 50 on some turkeys, and Joe decided to sell his part and made a deal with Riley High to go to Okmulgee to get his furniture, and High was to pay him $6 for the trip.

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Bluebook (online)
1939 OK CR 142, 95 P.2d 654, 68 Okla. Crim. 97, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 7, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lane-v-state-oklacrimapp-1939.