Trimble v. Territory of Oklahoma

1905 OK 124, 86 P. 64, 15 Okla. 620, 1905 Okla. LEXIS 86
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 3, 1904
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 1905 OK 124 (Trimble v. Territory of Oklahoma) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Trimble v. Territory of Oklahoma, 1905 OK 124, 86 P. 64, 15 Okla. 620, 1905 Okla. LEXIS 86 (Okla. 1904).

Opinion

*621 Opinion of tbe court by

Beauchamp, J.:

On tbe 29th day of November, 1901, there was filed in the probate court of Kiowa county, the following complaint:

“The above named defendants, John Trimble, William Short, John Doe, whose real name is unknown, and Bich-ard Eoe, whose real name is to affiant unknown, are hereby accused of the crime of stealing a steer, being a domestic animal within the meaning of chapter 20 of the acts of the Oklahoma legislature of 1895, for that in Kiowa county, and in the Territory of Oklahoma, on the 15th day of October A. D. 1901, did they the said John Trimble, William Short, John Doe, whose real name is unknown, and Eichard Eoe, whose real name is to affiant unknown, then and there being, then and there did feloniously, wilfully and unlawfully steal, take and carry away one red steer about three years old and branded “DDD” on the left side, the property of one D.Wagner & Son, and of the value of thirty five dollars with the felonious intent on the part of them, the said John Trimble, William Short, John Doe and Eichard Eoe to appropriate the same to their own use and benefit. Contrary to the form of statute in such cases made and provided and against the peace and dignity of the Territory of Oklahoma.”

Thereupon a warrant was issued, Trimble was brought before the probate court and waived examination, and the following findings were made and endorsed on the back of the information:

“There being no sufficient cause to believe ’Mr. Short guilty of the offense within mentioned, I order him to be discharged this 27th day of Dee. 1901.
“HARRIS FlNLEY,
“Probate Judge.”
“It appearing to me that the offense in the within (this) information grand larceny has been committed and that *622 there is sufficient, cause to believe the within named John Trimble guilty thereof, I order that he be held to answer the same and that he is admitted to bail in the sum of one thous- and dollars ($1000.) and be committed to the sheriff of the county of Kiowa, Territory of Oklahoma, until such bail be given and the bond is given in the above sum and approved by the court. It is hereby ordered that the sheriff release John Trimble from his custody to await action of the grand jury.
‘'HARRIS FlNLBY,
“Probate Judge.”

Bail as required was given by John Trimble with F. M. Trimble and G. W. Jones as sureties. The bail bond was in the usual and ordinary form and provided that if the said John Trimble should personally be and appear before the district court and grand jury in and for the said county of Kiowa, on the first day of the next term of said court “then and there to answer a charge brought against 'him in said court for the crime of grand larceny” the obligation should be void; otherwise to remain in full force and effect. At the next term of the district court of that county the grand jury returned an indictment against John Trimble, the defendant, and Trimble failed to appear as required by the terms of the bond, and a forfeiture was taken. Thereupon this action was brought in the district court of Kiowa county against the sureties on the bond to recover the penalty therein. The defendants demurred to the petition upon the ground that it did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, and the demurrer being heard was by the court overruled and exceptions allowed. Plaintiffs in error electing to stand upon their demurrer and refusing to further plead, judgment was rendered against them as prayed in the petition, from which judgment plaintiffs in error appeal and bring case here upon *623 petition in error. Attached to the petition, as exhibits, in the conrt below, were copies of the complaint upon which the warrant of arrest was issued and Trimble arrested, the appearance bond, and all of the proceedings in the district court under which the bond was forfeited, all of which were made a part of the petition.

There are only two assignments in the petition in error:

“That said court erred in overruling the demurrer to the petition of the said Territory of Oklahoma: and that said court erred in not rendering judgment for the plaintiff in error."

The only contention of plaintiffs 'in error 'in their brief is that the obligation in the bond was that the defendant •Trimble should appear before the district court of Kiowa county, then and there to answer a charge brought against him in said court for the crime of “grand larceny," while the only charge against him was that contained in the complaint, which charged him with the crime of stealing a domestic animal within the meaning of chapter 20 of the laws of Oklahoma of 1895; and that inasmuch as there was no crime of grand larceny for the principal in the bond, Trimble, to answer to, there could have been no forfeiture of a bond so conditioned. As will be seen, the contention is an alleged variance in the description of the crime in' the bond from the description in the petition of the defendant in error, plaintiff in the court below.

By reference to section 5239, Wilson’s Statutes, it will be found that when an information is laid before a magistrate of the commission of a public offense, he must, if satisfied that the offense complained of has been committed and that there is reasonable ground to believe that the defendant *624 has committed it, issue a warrant of arrest, and by section 5241, the warrant must specify the name of the defendant, if known, and must also state an offense in respect to which the magistrate has authority to issue the warrant, the time of issuing it, and the county, city, town or village where it is issued, and must be signed by the magistrate with his name of office. And by section 5245 it is provided if the offense charged in the warrant be a felony, the officer making the arrest must take the defendant before the magistrate who issued the warrant or some other magistrate in the county. By section 5280 it is provided the magistrate must without a jury, immediately after the appearance of the defendant and his counsel, proceed to examine the case. The defendant may be sworn and testify in his own behalf as in civil cases. By. section 5291,

“If however, it appears from the examination that anv public offense triable on indictment has been committed, and there is sufficient cause to believe the defendant guilty thereof, the magistrate must in like manner indorse on the information an order signed by him to the following effect:
“It appearing to me that the offense, in the within (named) information (or any other offense, according to the fact, stating generally the nature thereof,) has been committed, and that there is sufficient cause to belie-sje the within named A. B. guilty thereof, I order tha.t he be held to answer the same.”

Provision is also made for bail in case the offense is bailable.

As will be seen by the provisions of section 5246, supra,

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Related

Vanscoy v. State
1987 OK CR 50 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1987)
Webster v. District Court of Oklahoma County
1970 OK CR 80 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1970)
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1907 OK 37 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1907)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1905 OK 124, 86 P. 64, 15 Okla. 620, 1905 Okla. LEXIS 86, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trimble-v-territory-of-oklahoma-okla-1904.