Myers v. State

1921 OK CR 98, 197 P. 884, 19 Okla. Crim. 129, 18 A.L.R. 1057, 1921 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 16
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 6, 1921
DocketNo. A-3624.
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 1921 OK CR 98 (Myers 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
Myers v. State, 1921 OK CR 98, 197 P. 884, 19 Okla. Crim. 129, 18 A.L.R. 1057, 1921 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 16 (Okla. Ct. App. 1921).

Opinion

BESSEY, J.

On the 15th day of March, 1919, in the district court of Bryan county W. F. Myers was convicted of rape upon the person of Goldie Myers, committed on May 15, 1918, and his punishment was fixed at imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a term of fifteen years. From this judgment and sentence he appeals.

The evidence disclosed that W. F. Myers, plaintiff in error, herein called the defendant, was a moral degenerate who by force or persuasion, induced his wife, Goldie Myers, to lead the life of a prostitute. The information charged that the defendant, by means of a certain dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife which he held in his hand, forcibly compelled Goldie Myers, his wife, against her will to submit to sexual intercourse with one Arn Adcock, and that she was prevented *131 from offering resistance to the act of sexual intercourse by reason of the defendant’s threats to kill her and threats of immediate great bodily harm, which the defendant then had the apparent power to execute.

The testimony of Goldie Myers discloses that she was married to the defendant in December, 1917, when she was just past -seventeen years of age. That she then resided in the country, four miles west of Durant. That the defendant was a man of uncertain habits and occupation. That in May, 1918, there was a show at the town of Mead, in Bryan county, giving nightly performances, and that defendant and his wife went to Mead and took lodgings in a hotel there, where they remained all night. The following night, at their room at the hotel, the defendant told witness that he was going to arrange with men to have sexual intercourse with her, and told her to charge and collect for it. She objected, and that he told her that if she didn’t have sexual intercourse with men he would cut her “damned head off,” and that while this threat was being made he held an open knife at her throat- That later, after dark, they went walking up the railroad track, and after they had gone some distance defendant told her there would be some men come, and instructed witness to have intercourse with them. That she protested and he told her she had to do it, while he held the open knife in his hand. Presently three men or boys came, and defendant told witness to go ahead and get the money. He told witness to stay where she was and he retired a short distance away, leaving this man, Arn Adcock, with whom she had sexual intercourse, collecting the money and turning it over to defendant. Then the other two boys came in turn to where witness was and had sexual intereouse with her.

After that they walked back to the show, where the defendant made arrangements with three more men, and they all got into a ear and went into the country, and witness there *132 had sexual intercourse with two of them and attempted intercourse with the third. That when alone with the defendant she protested and he repeated his threats to do her great bodily harm if she failed to carry out his instructions. That no protests were made in the presence of these men, and from all that appears from her testimony these men did not know that she was acting against her will. That the defendant was not in the immediate presence of the parties when these sexual acts were performed, but remained in speaking distance, some fifty or sixty feet away.

On cross-examination the witness, Goldie Myers, said she first had sexual intercourse with other men at Leigh, about three months after her marriage to defendant. Later she had intercourse with men at her room in a hotel at Mead, at Coalgate, at Madill, Poteau, Bonham, Texas, and Dennison, Texas. In each case she claimed that the intercourse was arranged for by her husband, the defendant, and was done under fear and duress. She did not disclose these threats and duress to any of the men with whom she had intercourse, and did not communicate them to her parents or to any friend or any other person, because she feared that if she did the defendant would put his threats into execution. That she visited Durant on two or more occasions in the absence of her husband, after the last visit at Mead, but made no effort to communicate to her father the threats or conduct of her husband.

Arn Adcock testified for the state, to the effect that before the time of this offense he was not acquainted with Goldie Myers or her husband; that he saw both of them at Mead while the show was going on there, but had not spoken to either one. After receiving information from others as to where Goldie and the defendant were, along the railroad track, witness and Joe Jackman went to where they were. The defendant was sitting on a dump, about fifty or sixty feet from where Goldie sat; witness came to him first and defend *133 ant said she was right up the track. If defendant had anything in his hand there witness didn’t see it. Witness had a lighted cigar in his mouth, and defendant told him to get rid of it — that the law might see it and come down and get them. Witness went to where the woman was and she asked him what he wanted and on being told, they proceeded to have intercourse without further conversation. She asked for the money and was paid, and witness was warned to hurry away or the defendant would “raise the devil.” “The woman did not appear to be excited. She acted like she didn’t care whether she done it or not.” Witness then went back to where defendant was standing with Joe Jackman and waited until the latter went to the woman and had intercourse. In the meantime there was no further conversation with the defendant. When Jackman returned the two went back to town, leaving the defendant and the woman in the position they were when first seen there.

The testimony of Adcock is typical of the testimony of four other state witnesses, who testified that they had intercourse with this woman that night. None of them knew that she was laboring under fear, duress or threats, all supposed that she was a common prostitute willingly selling her person for gain.

We feel, as doubtless the jury felt, that this degenerate husband deserved severe punishment, but that alone is not the question before us. It is for us to determine, as a matter of law, whether the facts proven constitute rape, or some other crime. Section 2414, Rev. Laws 1910, provides:

“Rape is an act of sexual intercourse accomplished with a female, not the wife of the perpetrator, under either of the following circumstances:
“First. Where the female is under the age of sixteen years.
*134 "Second. Where the female is over the age of sixteen years and under the age of eighteen, and of previous chaste and virtuous character.
"Third. Where she is incapable, through lunacy or any other unsoundness of mind, whether temporary or permanent,, of giving legal consent.
"Fourth. Where she resists, but her resistance is overcome by force and violence.
"Fifth. Where she is prevented from resistance by threats: of immediate and great bodily harm, accompanied by apparent power of execution.
"Sixth.

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Bluebook (online)
1921 OK CR 98, 197 P. 884, 19 Okla. Crim. 129, 18 A.L.R. 1057, 1921 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 16, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/myers-v-state-oklacrimapp-1921.