Mobbs v. State

1923 OK CR 128, 214 P. 1086, 23 Okla. Crim. 372, 1923 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 213
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 19, 1923
DocketNo. A-4024.
StatusPublished

This text of 1923 OK CR 128 (Mobbs 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
Mobbs v. State, 1923 OK CR 128, 214 P. 1086, 23 Okla. Crim. 372, 1923 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 213 (Okla. Ct. App. 1923).

Opinion

MATSON, P. J.

This is an appeal from the district court of Atoka county, wherein on the 26th day of January, 1921, plaintiff in error, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was convicted of the crime of assault with intent to kill, and his punishment fixed at a term of seven years’ imprisonment in the state penitentiary.

The only error assigned is the refusal of the trial court to direct the jury to return a verdict of not guilty based on the insufficiency of the evidence. The defendant introduced no evidence. The evidence on behalf of the state is substantially as follows: Defendant was charged and convicted of assaulting one C. A. Hunter with intent to kill him. on the 22d day of September, 1920. This alleged assault occurred on a public highway in Atoka county bn the afternoon of that day when the prosecuting witness C. A. Hunter, together with his son Charlie Hunter, were returning home from the city of Atoka, where they had taken two bales of cotton for the purpose of marketing. At the time of the alleged assault, C. A. Hunter was traveling in a farm wagon, and his son was traveling in another farm wagon immediately following him. Frank Mobbs and Clyde Mobbs, who were brothers, had stationed themselves at a point along such public highway near Rock Creek, and just a short time before the shooting a man by the name of Robinson passed along the highway and say' the Mobbs boys there, and Frank Mobbs in the presence of Clyde told Robinson that they were there for the purpose of killing Hunter. They also made inquiry of Robinson as to where Hunter was and how he was traveling, and Robinson told them *374 that Hunter was traveling in a wagon by himself and that his son Charlie was alsoi traveling in a wagon just behind.

As to what occurred when the Hunters reached the place where the Mobbs boys were in wait for them, we quote the following excerpts from the testimony of C. A. Hunter and of Charlie Hunter. • C. A. Hunter details it as follows:

“Q. I will ask you to state whether or not you saw) them on or about the 22d day of September, 1920? A. Yes, sir. Q. Where did you see them? A. I saw them right upon a bluff about a quarter the other side of Rock Creek. Q. Mr. Hunter, state whether or not anything unusual occurred at thatl time and place?' A. Yes, sir; I had been to town with a bale of cotton. Come on Tuesday evening, and Wednesday went back home; about 3 o’clock in the evening got back there. I was standing in the wagon, with the sideboards on. I was — just as we got to the top of the hill, I could see Clyde Mobbs and Frank Mobbs on their horses, standing crossways of the road, I guess about 40 or 50 steps from us, and they come- — I am not sure whether one of them was on the ground or not, but' anyway they come running back pretty fast, on their horses, and just as I started to get on the level ground, we¡ met them, Frank and Clyde Mobbs; told me to stop. Q. Explain to the court and jury what' occurred there. A. Well, they s'aid, ‘Stop there,’ and I says: ‘What do you want me to do that for?’ And he said: ‘You God1 damned son of a bitch, I say stop.’ Q. Who was that talking ? A. That was Frank Mobbs and Clyde Mobbs both jumped off their horses, and Clyde Mobbs had the Winchester in his hand, and Frank got some rocks, and said: ‘You God damned old son of a bitch — ’ Q. Tell what was said and done at that place? A. Frank Mobbs grabbed up two rocks. I was standing up in the wagon, I began to try to talk to them, and they were both talking, and Frank said: ‘You God damned old son of a bitch, I am going to kill you. If you got anything to say, say it. ’ And I kept trying to talk. And he said: ‘ Shoot the God damned old son of a bitch. ’ And my boy jumped out of the back of the wagon, and grabbed some rocks, and said if he shot me he would knock his brains out. And Clyde pointed the gun at me, and Frank said: ‘ Shoot the God damned old son of a bitch.’ And I told them I was *375 unarmed, just like any other man pleading for his life. And he said: ‘Shoot him1, you.God damned son of a bitch.’ And Clyde said, ‘This fellow has got a rock drawn on me,’ and Frank said, ‘Give me the gun.’ And I took hold of the side bars and went off the side of the wagon. I fell on a pile of rock on the far side, and as11 went down to the ground I grabbed a rock, and when they come around the team, Frank had the gun and throwed the gun up that way, and snapped, and he kept coming towards me, and I was trying to get to him and get hold of the gun, and he throwed another cartridge in the gun, and that fellow there throws a rock and hit me on the arm, just as he come around, and got about halfway of my mule, and after the gun failed to fire, and he throwed another cartridge in his gun, and he shot me right there, and shot me through the hand there, and I grabbed him, and Charlie and this boy was fighting with rocks. Clyde and I couldn’t tell what was going on, and I held on to him until he jerked loose, and when he jerked loose, I knocked Frank down to his knees, and Charlie and this boy was fighting with rocks, and he jumped loose and shot me, and I knocked the gun off, and it shot me through the shoulder, and I hollered at my boy! that he had shot me, and he whaled away with a rock and knocked him down, and he come up with the gun; and Charlie and this fellow was on the run when he come up with the rock in his hand, just like he was going to lamm me in the face, this arm fell down in my hand, and the gun didn’t have any hammer on it, and I never used one before, and he picked the rock up and drawed it back, and I pulled the trigger, and he told me not to shoot any more; he was shot. And) when Frank hollered he was shot, Clyde tore loose from Charlie and run away.”

Charlie Hunter details it as follows:

“Q. In your own words tell the court and jury what happened. A. Me and my father had been to town with a bale of cotton apiece, and coming back, we met Clyde and Frank in the road just as we topped the hill from Rock Creek. Q. Tell how you were traveling? A. I was in a wagon behind my father, and he was in a wagon in front. Q. Go ahead. A. We seen Clyde and Frank on top of the hill, by their horses, *376 and just as we topped the hill, they got on their horses and come on, riding, meeting us. They must have been about 100 yards from us when we first seen them. Q. All right, go ahead. A. And they just rode on down the road. And I was fixing to move a lot of plow tools, and Frank had my-, and I thought I would ask Frank where my- was; and they rode up, and Frank said, ‘You God damned old son of a bitch,’ just as they got even with my father, and, ‘You God damned old son of a bitch, I am going to kill you. ’ And 'Clyde had a gun. Q. What kind of a gun? A. Little 22 hammerless, pump target. Q. All right. A. They jumped down off their horses.

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

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1923 OK CR 128, 214 P. 1086, 23 Okla. Crim. 372, 1923 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 213, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mobbs-v-state-oklacrimapp-1923.