Thompson v. State

5 S.W.2d 355, 177 Ark. 1, 1928 Ark. LEXIS 51
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedApril 23, 1928
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 5 S.W.2d 355 (Thompson v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thompson v. State, 5 S.W.2d 355, 177 Ark. 1, 1928 Ark. LEXIS 51 (Ark. 1928).

Opinion

Mfhaffy, J.

The appellant was indicted by the grand jury of Little River County. The first count in the indictment charges him with ¡burglary and the second count charges him with grand larceny. He was convicted of burglary, and his punishment fixed at two years in the penitentiary. He was acquitted of the crime of grand larceny.

The appellant filed motion in arrest of judgment, which was overruled, exceptions saved, and he also filed a motion for a new trial, which was overruled, and exceptions saved; and he prosecutes this appeal to reverse said judgment.

George Byers testified that he lives at Wilton, in Little Biver County, and runs a store and restaurant. That his store was burglarized between the first and fifteenth of September, 1927; about $15 in money was taken from the cash drawer. He saw the money in the cash drawer last, before he left the house, about 7 o’clock in the morning, that being the morning that the store was burglarized. Hessie Lyons was in the store when he last saw the money. She had come in to buy some articles, and, going out, made mention of the money. She was in there about 15 or 20 minutes. Witness left the store, locking it, and went over to a lady’s house, and was gone about one hour. When he got back there was no money in the store. The store is in a building about 50 feet long, and there is a door at each end, and one in the west corner. In the west corner is a little vestibule, about 8 feet square, covered over, and a hole in the top, about '24 inches. The hole was covered over, all but one edge, with plank. Witness did not notice about the hole until after the sheriff brought David back. The doors were locked.

On cross-examination he testified that the hole was about five feet above the floor. • That he went to the store about 6 o’clock that morning, and when he left the store there was about $15 in the cash drawer. There was a $5 bill, and $10 more in silver. Does not remember whether he left it in there all night or not, but knows it was there in the morning. The Lyons woman was around behind the counter, waiting on herself. After she left that morning witness went to see a lady about an hour. Her name was Louis. Witness is 73 or 75 years old. He is not sure about how much he had there, but he was gone about an hour, and when he came back he did not have any money in the cash drawer. The doors were locked like witness left them, and the hole was just like it was when he left. It was about 7 o’clock in the morning when the Lyons woman was in the store, and old man Lihu was sitting on the store steps when witness came back. Witness called officers that morning, and they arrested David Still and defendant. Witness was convicted in Little Liver County and sent to the penitentiary for one year for making mash.

On redirect examination witness stated that there was a rock that stayed in the vestibule, and had been there so long that it had made a sign where it had been. It had been turned up over there, and was lying on its end, and, after it had been placed on its end, it would have been possible for a man of the defendant’s height to reach the hole. The rock had been moved. Witness does not remember the amount of the money, but knows it was over $10. He had never been convicted of anything except making mash. Did not see W. L. Hughes, weighing about 175 pounds, trying to crawl through this' hole, and could not get through it. The money was gone, and that was the only hole witness could find. The store is in a hall, on a public road.

Hessie Lyons testified that she lived in Wilton, and is acquainted with 'George Byers, who runs a little store. That she was in his store about 6 o’clock the morning that it is alleged the store was burglarized. George 'Byers was in the store. He told witness to wait on herself, which she did. She saw the money in there, but did not know how much. Saw a bill and some silver, but did not know whether it was a $1 bill or a $20 bill. The drawer was open as witness went by, and Byers was in there while witness was. He was right by the cash drawer. Witness did not .see David Still that morning when she was there, nor Lemous Thompson.

David Still testified that he lives at Wilton, and is acquainted with George Byers. Knows where the store is located, and knows the defendant. Remembers the time the store was alleged to have been burglarized, and that morning, about 7 o ’clock, he saw the defendant. Saw him coming out of the hall. Witness was coming around from the barber shop, and got about middle ways of the hall, and heard somebody call him. He looked back, and thought it was old man Byers. When he got to the side door he saw Lemous coming out of the hall. He 'was slipping down the side of the wall from the top there. Some planks were lying across the loft. .About half of him was out of the hole when witness saw him. He didn’t say anything to witness then. Witness told him, ‘ ‘ There comes Mr. Byers, coming across the road, ’ ’ and he slipped in the corner. Witness went back to Mr. Cook’s in about ten minutes, and about five or ten minutes later Lemous came to the house. He beat witness over there. Witness did not have any conversation with him after he got to the house, but at the store somebody called him, and it was Lemous.

The vestibule is four feet from the corner. You go into the vestibule from the outside, and the hole is in the top of it. Lemous and witness make ties together. They were fixing to go to work together that morning. Both of them were arrested. Witness had known George Byers all of his life. He testified that he did not tell Bob Gantt that he did not .see Lemous Thompson coming out of the hole in the building. Lemous and witness had been making ties together about two weeks, but had worked together before that time. They lived close together, and. ran around together. Does not know how big the hole is in the building, but knows it is there, and saw defendant coming out of it. The first person witness told about this was his father and Mr. Sanderson, two days after he had been arrested. He was kept in jail four days. Witness did not have any money on him when arrested, and Lemous had a dime. The arrest was about 40 minutes after the burglary. Witness told Mr. Gantt that he saw Lemous coming out of the hole.

Francis Young testified that he knew Lemous Thompson. Remembers the day the store was said to be burglarized. Lives across the street, and from his home you cannot see the vestibule, and fie did not see Lemous Thompson coming out of there that morning. Saw him coming from that way. He was leaving the corner, going north, coming from the south. The door is in the west part. That was about 7 o’clock, or a little after. Witness lives northeast of the hall, and he saw Lemous coming from the south from the hall. Saw Henry Lihu that morning, sitting on the steps, about 7 o ’clock. Saw Lemous Thompson about'7 o’clock, and saw Mr. Byers about 7 o’clock.

Nancy Cook testified that she lived in Wilton, ’just across the street from George Byers. Knows the defendant; he came to her house the day the store was said to have been entered. It was about 7 o ’clock in the morning. He stayed about 25 or 30 minutes, and then went on home. David Still and Lemous Thompson came to witness’ house together. They stayed about 25 or 30 minutes, and were not there when arrested.

J. G.

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Bluebook (online)
5 S.W.2d 355, 177 Ark. 1, 1928 Ark. LEXIS 51, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thompson-v-state-ark-1928.