Washington v. State

147 S.W. 276
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Washington v. State. Read the opinion of the Court — 68 Tex. Crim. 589
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas·Decided May 1, 1912·Published

Opinion

PRENDERGAST, J.

Appellant was indicted for the murder of Frank Kubena, charged to have been committed September 20, 1911. [277]*277There are two counts in the indictment. By the first, he is properly charged with killing deceased by “striking, bruising, and lacerating the head and temple of him, the said Frank Kubena, with a large and heavy stone, and by then and there using other means and instruments upon him, the said Frank Kubena, which said means and instruments are to these grand jurors unknown.” The other count charges the killing precisely the same way as the first, but says that appellant killed the deceased while he (appellant) “was unlawfully engaged in the perpetration of robbery.” The jury found him guilty of murder in the first degree, and fixed his punishment at life imprisonment.

The statement of facts is lengthy, comprising 136 pages of typewriting.

[1] Appellant contends that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the verdict. It would serve no useful purpose, and therefore it is unnecessary, to give a detailed statement of the evidence. We have carefully read and considered it all; and it is our opinion that the evidence is not only ample and full to sustain the conviction, but, while circumstantial it is very satisfactory to us, and shows that the jury was clearly justified thereby in convicting the appellant. Besides, the court and jury below heard it all, saw the witnesses and their manner of testifying, and the jury, finding him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and the lower court sustaining the conviction, under the circumstances, we cannot disturb the verdict.

The appellant made a motion to quash the indictment, alleging race prejudice in the selection of the grand jury and in his indictment, alleging that he was a negro, charged with killing a white man.

[2] Appellant also made a motion to quash the special venire on the same grounds, and also on the ground that the special venire was not drawn for that term of court, but for a previous term. The court, as the rec,ord clearly shows, heard evidence on both of these motions, and, after hearing the evidence, overruled them. The record shows no statement of facts whatever on the subject ; but there appears with the file in this court what, perhaps, was intended to show the testimony that was introduced on these motions, but this appears not to have been agreed to by the attorneys in the case, nor approved by the court. The court adjourned for the term on November 21, 1911. This paper was filed in the court below, as shown by the file mark of the clerk of the court below, on December 9, 1911, and in this court on December 23, 1911. Under the circumstances, it is the well-established law of this state that such a statement cannot be considered by this court for any purpose. Probest v. State, 60 Tex. Cr. R. 608, 133 S. W. 263, and authorities therein cited. We must assume that the judge, after hearing the evidence, found in accordance therewith; and that his judgment, overruling these motions, was clearly sustained by the evidence.

[3] By appellant’s first bill of exceptions, he shows that after his motions to quash the indictment and the venire were overruled the court then asked him if he was ready to go to trial, and he announced that he was not ready to go to trial, because he had not been served for at least one full day with a properly certified copy of the indictment returned against him in this case; but the court ordered him to trial, to which he excepted. This is, in substance, the whole of the bill. It is wholly insufficient to show any error. His objection to going to trial, because he had not been served one day with the indictment, does not prove itself. That is merely his objection. If such was the fact, the bill should have shown it, and should have stated it as a fact. As the court ordered him to trial, we must necessarily assume that the court saw, as a matter of fact, that he had been served more than one day with the indictment. The record shows that the indictment was returned and filed November 6, 1911. The case was not called for trial until November 14, 1911. The bill does not show any error.

[4] By another bill, appellant shows that, while the state was introducing its testimony, and the witness A. J. Kallus was testifying, he was asked by the state how much money he paid the deceased, Frank Kubena, on the day he was killed. He replied he had a memorandum in his pocket, which was taken from his books the previous day. The appellant objected to this testimony, because, if the witness had no independent recollection of how much money he paid the deceased, then the books, under proper conditions, would be the best evidence, and not his pocket memorandum, and such testimony was irrelevant and immaterial. The court overruled the objections,' and permitted the witness to testify that he had in his pocket the memorandum of the amount he paid the deceased, which was taken from his books the previous day, and same showed he had paid deceased $15. The bill is wholly insufficient, and does not state a sufficiency of- the facts and circumstances to show that any error was committed. If we could look to the record, it would doubtless show that he merely referred to the memorandum in his pocket for the purpose of refreshing his Recollection, and the memorandum was not introduced in evidence at all, and the bill does not show it was introduced; and that, as a matter of fact, he testified from his knowledge and recollection, after merely refreshing his recollection, from the memorandum. In refreshing a witness’ recollection the rule is: “It is immaterial that the writing used by witness is not the original writing or memorandum; he may use a copy of it, if it be sufficient to refresh his memory.” 11 Ency. of Ev. 131; I. & G. N. R. R. Co. v. Blanton, 63 Tex. 109; Railroad v. Burke, 55 Tex. 342, 40 Am. Rep. 808; Railroad v. Turner, 42 Tex. [278]*278Civ. App. 532, 94 S. W. 214; Railroad v. Startz, 42 Tex. Civ. App. 85, 94 S. W. 213; Riley v. State, 44 S. W. 498.

[5] By another- bill, appellant shows that, while the state was making out its case and before it rested, it introduced witnesses for the purpose of .contradicting the statements made by the defendant in what is called his voluntary statement, made upon his examining trial before an examining magistrate. The appellant objected to this testimony, because it did not seek to establish, nor did it establish, any material fact or facts which shows his culpability of the crime charged against him; but, on the contrary, said contradictions tend to create in the minds of the jury a prejudice against him as to his being untruthful before he had ever testified in the trial of this case, and thus virtually compelling him to take the stand and testify in his own behalf, even after the state had already blackened the testimony he would give in his own behalf, and thus prejudiced the minds of the jury against him. It will be seen that this hill does not give the voluntary statement claimed to have been introduced, nor does it give the testimony of the witness or witnesses introduced by the state to contradict it, and is wholly insufficient to show any error. Article 724, § 857, p. 557, and article 796, § 1123, p. 732, White’s Annotated 0. C. P.

[6] By appellant’s next bill, he shows that, while W. T.

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Washington v. State, 147 S.W. 276 (Tex. 1912).

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