Ripley v. State

126 S.W. 586, 58 Tex. Crim. 489, 1910 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 162
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 16, 1910
DocketNo. 337.
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 126 S.W. 586 (Ripley 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
Ripley v. State, 126 S.W. 586, 58 Tex. Crim. 489, 1910 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 162 (Tex. 1910).

Opinion

DAVIDSON, Presiding Judge.

This is the second appeal, the first being reported in 51 Texas Crim. Rep., 126. In a general way, we refer to the report of that case for a statement of the material facts embodied in this record. Appellant this time, however, was convicted of manslaughter. Many questions are suggested for revision in regard to the charge of the court and the refused requested instructions. Many of these will be eliminated upon another trial by reason of the fact that murder in either degree can not arise upon another trial. The question in regard to conspiracy and such matters as pertain to the idea that appellant was in a conspiracy for the purpose of killing deceased, are eliminated by the fact that the jury acquitted of both phases of murder,

*491 The charge of the court upon another trial will be confined to the issue of manslaughter for the State, and self-defense both as applicable to appellant in his own behalf, and especially in regard to the defense of another or others. In this, as in the former trial, the lines are very sharply drawn between the State and appellant as to who was the aggressive party in the difficulty. There is evidence for the State to the effect that a torpedo was exploded upon the streetcar track or a pistol fired. It is further in evidence that the guards upon the street car immediately jumped off and began firing. Appellant’s testimony is to the effect that the guards from the street car began the difficulty by firing first in the direction of the alley. Hone of the witnesses place appellant in the alley or near the alley; he was in a different direction, and if he fired at all, he fired from a different standpoint and from a different direction. The evidence is sharply in conflict as to whether appellant fired during the trouble, and there is evidence that he was not even present at the point where the State sought to show that he was and from which he fired. His evidence shows that he had left the scene of the trouble before the firing began, and was en route home at the time of the shooting. The witness Clark testified that when he returned to the car he noticed the fact that deceased Hayes was shot in the right side, or rather just above the groins, and was in the act of falling; that he eased him down, and was giving him some attention when he heard a shot fired from the direction of Merrick’s corner; that he immediately gave his attention to the party who fired the shot, and himself fired in return; that the firing at that point ceased, and he paid no further attention to it, devoting the remainder of his time to deceased, and finally succeeded in placing deceased upon the ear, and the ear moved on. Clark makes it further apparent that the shot from Merrick’s corner did not strike the deceased; that the ball struck the pavement or- ground near where he and deceased were. In fact, under his testimony it is beyond question that deceased had been .shot and wounded before the firing occurred from Merrick’s corner, where the State’s evidence undertook to place appellant. Hnder this state of case, upon another trial, the court should instruct the jury, in substance, that if appellant fired in defense of others, he would not be guilty of culpable homicide, as well as upon the theory that if he shot of his own accord, without being in harmony or sympathy, or acting together with those who were firing from the alley, that he would not be responsible for the death of deceased, unless the State should show that one of the shots fired by him produced the wound in the body of deceased. These issues are sharply presented by the evidence and should be given upon another trial. We make these remarks in a general way without going into a detailed criticism of the charge of the court and the refused instructions, of which there were quite a number. But, as before stated, all issues of murder are now eliminated from the case, and only those Issues in regard to manslaughter and self-defense will be given upon *492 another trial, and we also suggest that appellant’s theory of alibi be given in charge to the jury.

A bill of exceptions recites that while the witness Dollins was testifying in behalf of the State, and having testified that he went to the residence of appellant some hours after the killing and informed appellant that they had come to arrest him, and that he was city marshal at the time and was accompanied by the constable and two policemen, the State then propounded to the witness the following question: “Q. Without stating anything that he said, did Mr. Bipley make a statement to you at that time? A. lío, sir.” Appellant objected to the question and answer on the ground that appellant was under arrest, that the testimony was improper, illegal, and prejudicial, and moved the court to exclude from the jury the question and answer for the reasons stated. The court overruled these objections, and permitted the question and answer to go to the jury as evidence in the case. We are of opinion that this was error. See Gardner v. State, 34 S. W. Rep., 945; Simmons v. State, 50 Texas Crim. Rep., 527; Wright v. State, 37 Texas Crim. Rep., 627; Fulcher v. State, 28 Texas Crim. App., 465; Denton v. State, 42 Texas Crim. Rep., 427. Silence of a defendant under arrest can not be used as evidence against him.

Other bills of exception were reserved to the introduction of the testimony of an absent witness named Boberts. Generally stated, the bills show the State proved by the county attorney, as a predicate for reproducing Boberts’ evidence, that the affidavit set out in one of the bills of exception was prepared b}^ him and mailed by him to the address of Boberts in Colorado, furnished to him, witness, either by Mr. Boberts himself, or Mr. Stratton, just after Mr. Boberts left, and that it was returned to him, the witness, through the mails, made out and sworn to by Boberts, which affidavit offered in evidence by the State is as follows:

“Before me, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared W. H. Boberts, known to me to be the person whose name is subscribed hereto, and being by me duly sworn, deposes and says that he is an actual, bona fide inhabitant of the State of Colorado, and that he is no longer a citizen of the State of Texas, and that he has been an inhabitant of the State of Colorado for twenty-four months.

“(Signed) Will H. Boberts.

“Sworn to and subscribed before me this, the 23d day of October, 1907.

“(Signed) Horace W. Kennedy,

“¡Notary Public.”

Appellant excepted on the ground that it was not shown that Will H. Boberts, who made the affidavit, is the same Will H. Boberts who testified on a former trial of this case, and whose' testimony is sought to be reproduced and introduced upon the predicate of this affidavit, *493

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Bluebook (online)
126 S.W. 586, 58 Tex. Crim. 489, 1910 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 162, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ripley-v-state-texcrimapp-1910.