Placker v. State

126 S.W. 409, 58 Tex. Crim. 216, 1909 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 521
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 10, 1909
DocketNo. 46.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 126 S.W. 409 (Placker v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Placker v. State, 126 S.W. 409, 58 Tex. Crim. 216, 1909 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 521 (Tex. 1909).

Opinions

BROOKS, Judge.

Appellant was convicted of theft from the person, and his punishment assessed at two years confinement in the penitentiary.

The following is the evidence introduced upon the trial of this case:

“Chas. Grafmiller, a witness for the State, testified: My name is Chas. Grafmiller, and I live in Atascosa County, Texas. I know both of the defendants. On the 30th day of January, 1909, the defendants came to my house at Rossville, and Wesley got to my house after Fred, about a half hour. It was about five o’clock in the evening. I was working around my mill, grinding corn and chops, and I asked Fred to put up his horses and get something to feed them with, and then go to Ella Newman’s and get some pork and cook their supper, as I had had my lunch. About six o’clock a Mexican barber named Rindon came to my house and cut the hair of the defendants and shaved them, as they said that they were going to a dance. After I saw Rindon leave, and the boys kept waiting around, I was anxious for them to go on to the dance, so I could count my money and post up my books. They kept staying, and I went and laid down on my bed with my clothes on and went to sleep. I put my money in my pocketbook and in my pants pocket. There was about twenty-seven or eight dollars in my purse, three five dollar bills, one one dollar bill, the rest in silver. I slept about an hour and a half, and was aroused by something. I can not explain how; felt as though something touched me, and immediately felt for my money and said: ‘Boys, my money is gone.’ They were then in the same place where they were when I laid down. I then said: ‘Nobody has been here but you.’ And they said: ‘Yes, a Mexican has been here.’ I then got up and we looked for the money, the defendants and myself, under the mattress, under the table, and various other places in the house. I had good reason for not searching them. I was afraid. They then left the house, saying that they were going to the dance. In a few minutes after they were gone, I ran up to Ella Newman’s house, who I thought was a deputy sheriff. It was then about ten o’clock at night. I told Mr. Newman about losing my money, and then returned to my house. I saw no more of the defendants until they returned to my house about five o’clock in the morning. Wesley Placker knocked at my door, and said: ‘Charley, let us in.’ I told Newman I was sure Plackers got my money, and I wanted him to arrest them. He said he would have to have a warrant. Then I wanted him to watch them. I got up and opened the door, and *218 they came in. Fred was drinking heavily. After they came Fred remarked to Wesley: ‘You damned son-of-a-bitch, I can whip you and Charley.’ By ‘Charley’ meaning myself. I heard something drop on the table in the room. I did not know what it was, and didn’t know who dropped it or put it there, but I went over to the table and saw a pistol there, which was not there when I went to bed. Both defendants went to bed at my house then and went to sleep. I did not go to bed again. Wesley got up about six or seven in the morning, but Fred was still sleeping when the officers came to my place to arrest him that morning. After Fred got up I sent him to Mrs. Fowler’s to get some bread to bring to me, as she usually baked for me. He came back but did not bring the bread, and then he was arrested. Just before they left for the dance, Wesley asked me to loan Fred fifty cents, which I did. Wesley had been staying at my house for about a month, day and night, boarding and staying there. He was engaged in carrying the mail from Pleasanton to Rossville and back. I have known the defendants for a number of years. Fred has stayed at my house many times, day and night, but had not been to my house for nearly a year until on the above occasion. I did not see them take my money, nor do I know that they did take it, but I have a suspicion that they did do it, and this is why I had them arrested. The pocket in which my money was placed is so small that only one hand could be put into it at one time. I gave Fred permission to stay at my house and charged him nothing.

“Roman Rindon, a witness for the State, testified as follows: My name is Roman Rindon, and I know the defendants. I saw them at Charley Grafmiller’s house on the 30th day of January, 1909, at about six o’clock in the evening. I shaved Fred Placker, and cut the hair and shaved Wesley Placker, and they paid me for doing this. They took the money from their pockets to pay me with. Charley Grafmiller was sitting in a chair in the room when I got there. He appeared to me to be drunk. About a half an hour before I left Grafmiller went to bed with his clothes on, and did not talk for about a half hour before I left. He was either sleeping or appeared to be sleeping. I left after having been there about one and a half hours, and went to my home, and then went over to the dance, and between nine and ten o’clock the defendants came to the dance. I was with them at the dance all the time they were there, but saw them with no money, but there was no occasion for them to show any money there. Between ten and eleven o’clock the defendants and myself left to go home. We met Juan Cruz, and the defendants went back with him to the dance, and I went on home and saw no more of them. I am guessing as to the time of night. Can’t say positively what time it was.

“J. H. Barrow, a witness for the State, testified as follows: About a week or ten days after the alleged theft of Chas. Grafmiller’s money, the defendant Fred Placker was at my store in Ampliion, and spent *219 at different times from then until he was arrested about twelve dollars, and gave me three five dollar bills to change. The distance from my store to Chas. Grafmiller’s house is about ten miles. On the day that the defendant Fred Placker went to Pleasanton with Hr. Gunn, he changed one of these five dollar bills.

“J.. G. Gunn, a witness for the State, testified as follows: My name is J. G. Gunn. On the morning of February 11, 1909, the defendant Fred Placker got me to bring him and his brother from Amphion to Pleasanton, and he paid me $2.50 for doing this. They had a little silver, but not enough to pay the $2.50, and then they gave me a five dollar bill to get my $2.50 out of it. I saw two other bills, one of them being a five dollar bill, but I don’t know what the other one was.

“Ed Fern, a witness for the defendants, testified as follows: My name is Ed Fern, and I know the defendants. Fred Placker came to my house about ten days after the theft alleged to have been committed at Chas. Grafmiller’s house. He arrived at my store about 12 o’clock the day before Mr. Gunn took him to Pleasanton, Texas. "While he Avas at my house on that day I saAv Tom Sinclair pay him twenty-five dollars, four five dollar bills, and the balance in silver, and he gave one of these five dollar bills back to Tom Sinclair on the same day, a little later. On this same day I paid the defendant Fred Placker three dollars in silver. What I mean by paying is, we were in the bed of a creek playing cards, and Placker won the money from Sinclair and I, and was playing when the money was won by him. This was several days before Grafmiller lost his money. Gamblers some days have money and then have none.

“On cross-examination the witness said:

“Tom Sinclair paid the defendant Fred Placker this money because he, defendant, and myself and Tom Sinclair and other persons had been playing cards and Fred Placker had won this amount from Sinclair and the three dollars from me.

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Related

Snodgrass v. State
148 S.W. 1095 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1912)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
126 S.W. 409, 58 Tex. Crim. 216, 1909 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 521, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/placker-v-state-texcrimapp-1909.