State v. Ashcraft

70 S.W. 898, 170 Mo. 409, 1902 Mo. LEXIS 78
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedDecember 2, 1902
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 70 S.W. 898 (State v. Ashcraft) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Ashcraft, 70 S.W. 898, 170 Mo. 409, 1902 Mo. LEXIS 78 (Mo. 1902).

Opinion

SHERWOOD, P. J.

Having been indicted for murder in the first degree, for shooting Henry Hughes with a revolver, whereof he died, defendant was found guilty of murder in the second degree and his punishment assessed at ten years’ imprisonment in the penitentiary, and he is an appellant in this court.

The testimony shows that the defendant and the deceased had met in McLaughlin’s saloon, in the town of New Franklin, east of where the killing occurred, in the neighborhood of six o’clock that evening, and the defendant testified that the deceased took defendant’s cap from his head, placed it on his own and threw his old cap down on the counter and left and that defendant followed deceased out of doors, but deceased went on off with the cap.

The deceased, between six and seven o’clock, was at the house of Emma Robinson, west of where this saloon was situated, quite a distance, in the town of New [411]*411Franklin, and there were present Emma Robinson, Ida Ford, Mamie Stapleton, Charlie Hughes and one or two others.

The defendant left the saloon shortly after the occurrence he relates between himself and the deceased, and soon put in his appearance at the home of Emma Robinson. He walked quietly into the house, and seeing the deceased sitting in a chair, defendant observed Ms cap lying upon the bed and he walked over and picked it up and asked the deceased why he took Ms cap or hat, and deceased denied that he had defendant’s cap, and some controversy occurred between them about the matter and deceased made a movement of some kind in his chair, the exact nature of wMch the record does not disclose, and defendant put his hand in his pocket, and at this point Mrs. Robinson interfered and said she had a sick daughter in her house and would have no trouble there. Defendant told her he would not have any trouble in her house and went out the door and deceased remained sitting in the chair which, he had occupied when defendant entered the house. It seems there was a path leading from the house to the street and soon after the defendant went out one or two witnesses left the house, one of them going up towards the town and another one in the direction of his own home, which was near the house of Mrs. Robinson.

In a few minutes, the deceased arose and left the house, and soon afterwards he was seen between the street and the house and near to the defendant, and defendant was observed to fire a shot which struck the deceased in the neck, inflicting a wound, from which he died shortly thereafter. The evidence shows that the deceased ran, after the shot was fired, to the street and up the same some distance struggling and staggering and finally fell and was picked up and placed on a cot and carried to his stepfather’s house and died without making any dying declaration as to the facts concerning the homicide.

The defendant testified that shortly after he left the house and before he reached the street, some one [412]*412came running towards Mm and Ms attention was attracted by tbe noise of tbe rapid footsteps on tbe snow, and be turned and by tbe moonlight saw tbat deceased was rapidly approaching him, with a pocket knife open in bis right band, from behind, inquiring “"Where is be?” that be continued to approach tbe defendant, when defendant called to him to halt, tbe deceased paying no attention to tbe request of the defendant and continuing to come towards him until be got almost within striking distance, • and aiming to make at him with the knife, when defendant says be stepped over to the , side of tbe path to avoid deceased striking him with tbe knife, and then be, the defendant, pulled Ms weapon and fired tbe shot which killed tbe deceased.

Tbe defendant went up town and delivered himself to tbe authorities.

There was evidence introduced tending to show tbe good character of tbe defendant as a peaceable and good citizen, and tbat be was a negro boy who bad been reared in Howard county near tbe scene of tbe tragedy.

Tbe court instructed tbe jury upon murder in the first degree, murder in tbe second degree and self-defense.

A witness who was present where Hughes was found in a very few moments after be fell, made search of bis body and only found on him a pocket knife, but tbat was in an inner pocket of bis clothing, and it was shut.

. Defendant admitted be bad shot Hughes, and with tbe pistol exhibited in tbe courtroom.

At tbe instance of tbe State, tbe court gave these instructions:

“1. If tbe jury believe from tbe evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, that tbe defendant Arthur Ashcraft, in Howard county, Missouri, on or about tbe sixteenth day of December, 1899, with a certain pistol, willfully, deliberately, premeditatedly, and of bis malice aforethought shot and killed Henry Hughes, then tbe jury will find tbe defendant, guilty of murder in tbe first degree and will so state in their verdict.
[413]*413“2. If the jury believe from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant Arthur Ashcraft, in Howard county, Missouri, on or about the 16th day of December, 1899, with a certain pistol, willfully, pre-meditatedly, and of his malice aforethought, but without deliberation, shot and hilled Henry Hughes, then the jury will find the defendant guilty of murder in the second degree, and assess his punishment at imprisonment in the penitentiary for a term of not less than ten years. _
“3. The court instructs the jury that if they believe from1 the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant intentionally hilled Henry Hughes by shooting him with a loaded pistol in a vital part of the body, then the law presumes such hilling was murder in the second degree, in the absence of proof to the contrary, and it devolves upon the defendant to adduce evidence to meet or repel that presumption; unless it is met or overcome by evidence introduced by the State.
“4. The court instructs the jury that ‘willfully’ means intentionally, not accidentally, and in the absence of qualifying facts and circumstances, the law presumes that a person intends the ordinary and probable results of his own acts and conduct.
“5. The court instructs the jury that ‘malice,’ as used in the indictment and foregoing instructions, does not mean mere spite and ill will or dislike as it is ordinarily understood; but means that condition of the mind which prompts one person to tahe the life of another without just cause or provocation, and it signifies a state of disposition which shows a heart regardless of social duty and fatally bent on mischief.
“6. The court instructs the jury that ‘malice aforethought’ means that the act was done with malice and premeditation. ‘Premeditation’ means thought of beforehand for any length of time, however short.
“7. The court instructs the jury that ‘deliberately’ means in a cool state of the blood; it does not mean brooded over or reflected upon for a week, a day or an hour; but it means an intent to kill, executed by de[414]*414fendant in a cool state of the blood, in furtherance of a formed design to gratify a feeling of revenge, or to accomplish some other unlawful purpose, and not done under the influence of .a violent passion suddenly aroused by some provocation.
“8.

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Related

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135 S.W. 488 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1911)
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92 S.W. 674 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1906)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
70 S.W. 898, 170 Mo. 409, 1902 Mo. LEXIS 78, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ashcraft-mo-1902.