Pierce v. State

1929 OK CR 162, 277 P. 251, 43 Okla. Crim. 115, 1929 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 191
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Pierce v. State. Read the opinion of the Court — 42 Okla. Crim. 272
Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma·Decided May 4, 1929·No. No. A-6452.·Published

Opinion

DAVENPORT, J.

The plaintiff in error, hereinafter called the defendant, was charged jointly by information with Ralph Tallman, and was convicted of having in and! upon the lands and premises controlled by the said Fritz Pierce six barrels of mash which was fit for manufacturing and distilling intoxicating liquor. Ralph Tallman was acquitted. The defendant Fritz Pierce was convicted, and his punishment left to the court. The court sentenced the defendant to 30 days in jail and to pay a fine of $150 and cost. Motion for new trial was filed, considered, and overruled, and the case appealed to this court.

Before the case was called for trial, the defendant filed a motion to suppress the evidence on the ground that the search warrant described the S. E. % of section 10, township 21 north, of range 26 west I. M., and that defendant had never had possession, control, or ownership of the said land, and that the search warrant described certain land the defendant was in possession of but in mak *116 ing the search they did not find anything on the land controlled, owned, or possessed by the defendant, and that the property alleged to have been found by the officers under the search warrant did not belong, to him, nor did he have any ownership or know anything about the property being where it was alleged to have been found by the officers. The motion of the defendant to suppress the testimony was overruled, and defendant duly excepted.

The state then called C. L. Thoroughman, who testified he was a federal prohibition officer; he knew Fritz Pierce; that on February 12, 1926, when he went out to assist in making the search of the premises, Mr. Deveney and Hanley accompanied him; when they got to Mr. Piercers place, they found Mr. Pierce and Mr. Tallman; they began the search immediately after talking with Mr. Pierce and Mr. Tallman. Over the objection of the defendant, he was permitted to state he searched the property described in the search warrant. Witness then testified to the conversation they had had with the defendant Pierce in which the defendant told them to go ahead and search his place, but that he did not have possession of the other property and they would have to get another search warrant to search that. Witness further testified defendant had on rubber boots and looked like he had been wading in the water. An objection was interposed by the defendant, which was overruled and exceptions saved. The witness then attempted to describe the condition of defendant’s clothing as to being dirty or clean; then witness testified as to where they found the still, pressure tanks, burner and pitcher pump in the cave with the mash.

The record contains several objections made by the defendant which the court sustained and directed .the jury not to consider any of the testimony with reference to the still, boiler, pressure tank, and pitcher pump.

*117 R. E. Deveney was called as a witness, and testified in substance that be went with Mr. Thoroughman tbe morning they claimed to have searched tbe premises; that bis search warrant described tbe S. E. % of section 10, township 21 north of range 26 I. M., and tbe S. E. % of section 11, township 21 north, range 26 west I. M., and witness stated that Mk. Pierce’s house was on S. E. *4 of section 10; they found the six barrels of mash in a cave where they found the other articles. On cross-examination the witness admitted that he did not, of his own knowledge, know whether the barrels of mash they found were in section 10 or 11.

Witness Hanley in substance testified to the same facts as did the other two witnesses, except he did not make any observation as to the tracks on the land; he said there were lots of tracks where the mash was found; there was kind of a trail down that way, but as to where the tracks went he never paid any attention; he claimed that he and Mr. Thoroughman detected the smell of mash when near the house of the defendant; that the defendant ha,d some barrels in the house, in a shed room; he did not notice any smell of mash or any mash in the barrels while Mr. Thoroughman was mashing them up; he saw a number of gallon jugs in the old shed; that there was a pile of broken ones; Mr. Thoroughman had already broken them.

On cross-examination the witness stated he thought the section line between sections 10 and 11 was about 200 yards west, but finally stated he did not know where it was. He stated defendant’s house was in section 10; he thought Mr. Pierce’s house and the cave were both located on the S. E. % of section 10. Witness further on cross-examination stated in substance that he did not *118 know whether the cave where they found the mash was in section 10 or not.

Witness C. L. Thoroughman was recalled and asked with reference to the barrels in or near the Pierce house, and stated he destroyed the barrels while there; that there were three in the side room adjoining the house, and he could smell mash in the barrels. The above is in substance the testimony offered by the state. Through the entire testimony the state attempted to produce testimony showing that the place where they found the mash in the cave or dugout was in the same section of land as the home of the defendant. The defendant contended that it was in a subdivision of section 10, and his home was in section 11, and that he did not have anything to do with that land, but that it was in possession and under control of other parties.

The defendant called C. A. Hartman, who testified that he knew where the line was between sections 10 and 11, in township 21 north, range 26 west I. M.; told when the survey was made, and about being present, and testified positively that the home of the defendant was in section 11; that the section line 'between 10 and 11 was west of the defendant’s house; that defendant’s house is located in the S. W. % of section 11; that he knew who had been in possession of the S'. E. % of section 10 prior to and on that date and subsequent to February, 1926; that Kelly Dennison and George Boyles were the parties that have been in possession of the land; that the parties named had; fenced it and were using it for pasture.

Ben Van Camp was called as a witness for the defendant, and he testified he had lived in that county since 1918; that he was well acquainted with the defendant, Fritz Pierce; that the defendant lived on the S. W. % of *119 section 11; witness further stated that no one lived on the S. W. % of section 10 that he knew of; that he did not know whether Ralph Tallman lived there with the defendant or not.

Ralph Tallman testified, in substance, that he lived with his father and. mother at Gage, excepting, two days in February, 1926, when he was at the home of Fritz Pierce; that Mr. Pierce had told him he knew where he could get a job; that he was at Mr. Pierce’s house on the 12th of February when the officers came; he was never at Mr. Pierce’s'place before the time mentioned; that on the 11th and 12th of February, Mr. Pierce was working on a car and doing different things around the house; he was arrested on the 12th of February; he went with Mr. Pierce across the creek and north to a place where Mr. Pierce wanted to rent some land.; the officers never found anything on the farm that Mr.

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Pierce v. State, 1929 OK CR 162, 277 P. 251, 43 Okla. Crim. 115, 1929 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 191 (Okla. Ct. App. 1929).

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