Wallace v. State

28 Ark. 531
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedDecember 15, 1873
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 28 Ark. 531 (Wallace 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
Wallace v. State, 28 Ark. 531 (Ark. 1873).

Opinion

McClure, C. J.

Before proceeding to an examination of this case, it may not be amiss to inquire upon what grounds a judgment of conviction in a case of felony may be reversed. Section 332 of the criminal code is as follows:

“A judgment of conviction (in cases of felony) shall only be reversed for the following errors of law, to the defendant's prejudice, appearing upon the record:
“1. An error of the circuit court in admitting or rejecting important evidence.
“ 2. An error in instructing, or in refusing to instruct the jwy-
“ 3. An error in failing to arrest the judgment.
“4. An error in allowing or disallowing a peremptory challenge.
“5. An error in overruling a motion for a new trial.”

Our criminal code is much like that of Kentucky, and the section just quoted, with the exception of the fifth clause, is a literal copy of section 334 of the code of that state. In the case of Cornelius v. Commonwealth (15 B. Mon., 544), one of the grounds on which a reversal was asked was, that the court erred in overruling a motion for a new trial. As will be seen, the code did not authorize a reversal of a judgment of conviction, in a case of felony, for any such reason, and in disposing of that ground of error, said: “No objection to any of the proceedings of the circuit court, which does not come under one of the heads mentioned in section 334, can be relied upon in this court, or made available for the reversal of a judgment of conviction.” The same question was again raised in the case of Comely v. Commonwealth (17 B. Mon., 408), and the language above was reiterated in response thereto.

It is not claimed that the court below erred, “ in failing to arrest the judgment,” nor is it claimed it erred “in allowing or disallowing a peremptory challenge.” This being true, our inquiry must be confined to three propositions: 1. Did the court err “in admitting or rejecting important evidence?” 2. Did the court err “in instructing or in refusing to instruct the jury?” 3. Did it err “ in overruling a motion for a new trial?” Under the code, these are the only inquiries to be made on the record before us, and we will take them up in their order.

The seventh ground of a motion for a new trial is, “That the court erred on the trial in permitting the plaintiff, after the examination in chief of Thomas H. Payne and his cross examination, by the defendant, to reexamine the said witness as to new matter, that is to say, as to additional admissions of the defendant stated to have been made to said witness in the prison.” The bill of exceptions does not show that any objection was made to the reexamination of Payne; nor does it show he was reexamined at the trial. The reexamination of a witness, as to new matter, is within the sound discretion of the court, and will not be questioned here unless it appear that the substantial rights of the party were prejudiced by the refusal.

The eighth ground is, “that the court erred on the trial in refusing to exclude from the jury the evidence of Shropshire, Lankford and Bristow.”

Shropshire testifies that Wallace told him that there were several persons about Clarksville who had meddled themselves about his business, and he intended to hold them responsible; that Ward, the deceased, resided at Clarksville at the time of this conversation.

Lankford testifies that, in August last, he met the defendant Wallace about four miles east of Clarksville, riding a mule, and that he asked him why he was riding a mule; that he replied he was fattening his horse and that the fun had not commenced yet. Defendant at the time was armed with a double barreled shot gun and a pair of pistols, and said he would not be arrested and would not give the road for any' three of them; that there was some kind of process against the defendant at that time, and that he understood him to refer to the officers having the process. .

All of this testimony was objected to by the defendant, and the objection overruled by the court, and exception taken. It is irrelevant and ought to have been excluded from the jury, but inasmuch as it neither tended to prove the guilt nor the the innocence of the prisoner, a judgment would not be reversed for such an error.

Bristow testifies that in June last he had a conversation with the defendant, and he was talking of his troubles; said he had a few wild oats to sow, and a few to mow; and when that was done he did not care what became of him; that he was ready to die, or something to that effect; that Dr. J. P. Mitchell wanted him hung, and that he intended to “ go for him ; ” that Doe. Ward (the deceased) had “ shot his mouth off ” about the matter, but George Wallace had met him at Flood's saloon and made him take it all back. Defendant also said something about Sykes, and said he would “ go for him; ” that he had always looked upon Judge Mears as his friend until he discharged Dudley Turner for shooting bis brother George, but he believed he was a snake in the grass, and some day he might or would “go for him ; ” that he came very near going for Capt. J. C. Hill, but he got off of the track somehow; that Jake Rodgers was a friend to Turner and he intended “ to go for him; ” that he would get the fattest of them.

All of this testimony, so far as the same relates to any statement made by the defendant in relation to others than the deceased, the defendant objected to, which objection was overruled, and exception taken. The evidence so far as it relates to threats made by the defendant as to Mitchell, Rodgers, Mears, Hill and Sykes, ought not to have gone to the jury, and-the court ought to have excluded it, and why it was admitted is beyond our comprehension. Believing as we do that the jury could not have come to any other conclusion, on the facts proven and instructions given, if the entire evidence of Bristow had been excluded, the refusal to exclude is not such an error as would warrant a reversal.

The sixth ground is : “That the court erred on the trial in refusing to allow Thomas H. Payne to state whether he had not, at a time and place mentioned, and before he was called to testify on this trial, made a statement of the whole conversation which occurred between bim and the defendant near or at the court house yard in the town of Clarksville, on Monday night preceding the Wednesday on which Ward, the deceased, was shot, and whether he did not give as part of such statement that defendant, in speaking of his intentions of killing, etc., said, before he would be taken he would kill some of them, and that he did not intend to be taken.”

It does not appear from the bill of exceptions that Payne was ever asked any such question, or that the court refused to allow it to be asked.

The ninth ground is: “ That the court errred in refusing to allow McMurray, on his voire dire examination, when offered as a witness on the part of the defendant, to state the whole conversation which it had shown had taken place between said witness, after he was sworn as such, and H. C. Barrow.”

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Related

Williams v. State
801 S.W.2d 296 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1990)
House v. State
324 S.W.2d 112 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1959)
Allen v. State
298 S.W. 993 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1927)
Douglass v. State
121 S.W. 923 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1909)
Whitehead v. Breckenridge
82 S.W. 698 (Court Of Appeals Of Indian Territory, 1904)
Jones v. State
80 S.W. 1088 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1904)

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Bluebook (online)
28 Ark. 531, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wallace-v-state-ark-1873.