Wiley v. State

1920 OK CR 167, 191 P. 1057, 17 Okla. Crim. 643, 1920 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 143
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 11, 1920
DocketNo. A-3454.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 1920 OK CR 167 (Wiley v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wiley v. State, 1920 OK CR 167, 191 P. 1057, 17 Okla. Crim. 643, 1920 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 143 (Okla. Ct. App. 1920).

Opinion

MATSON, J.

John Wiley was convicted at the May term, 1918, in the county court of Oklahoma county, of the *645 crime of maintaining a public nuisance in a room and building at 501 North Hudson street, Oklahoma City, Okla., in which said room certain spirituous, vinous, fermented, and malt liquors, to wit, whisky, alcohol, and Jamaica ginger, were possessed and kept by the said John Wiley for the purpose of sale, etc., and at which said place numerous persons resorted and congregated for the purpose of drinking said intoxicating liquors, and did drink the same on said premises during a period of time continuously from the 1st day of July, 1917, up to and including the 22d day of October, 1917. A trial by jury resulted in a verdict of guilty, and the punishment assessed at a fine of $500 and imprisonment in the county jail for a period of six months. The court, after overruling the motion for a new trial, pronounced judgment of conviction against defendant in accordance with the verdict rendered.

Roy Cogswell, a witness for the state, testified in substance as follows: That he was a plain clothes man on the Oklahoma City police force; was acquainted with the defendant, and also acquainted with the premises known as 501 North Hudson street, Oklahoma City. That he had visited said premises about three times between the 1st day of July, 1917, and the 22d of October, said year. That the defendant was keeping a drug store on said premises. That the first trip witness made to the premises, Capt. Slayton and John Heep of the police force accompanied witness. That there were two or three persons in the drug store at the time, one of whom was Doc. Holman. That the defendant was also there. That when the officers went in the building, Doc. Holman ran out of the door and up the street. Witness does not remember if they found anything inside the building at that time. On the second visit, witness *646 found a half pint bottle of whisky in the back part of the prescription case, and a pint bottle was also found behind some bottles on a shelf in the back part of the room. John Heep was with witness on this visit. That Heep found the bottle along the north wall in the back of the drug store behind some large bottles on the shelf. These bottles of whisky were identified and introduced in evidence. The third visit witness made to the premises he found Mr. Wiley back of the prescription case and three other men back there drinking, and a whisky glass and a quart bottle were sitting on the back of the prescription pa-se. That the men were drinking. Witness also testified that he lived about 100 feet west of the premises of the defendant, across the street from the same, and was acquainted with the general reputation of the place in that neighborhood between the 1st of July, 1917, and the 22d of October, said year, as to its being a place where alcohol, whisky, and Jamaica ginger were kept for sale, and where people congregated and resorted for the purpose of drinking intoxicating liquors, and that said place had a bad reputation in that respect.

John Heep, on behalf of the state, testified in substance as follows: That he was a police officer of the Oklahoma City Police Department, was acquainted with the place at 501 North Hudson street. That said place was owned and kept by the defendant, John Wiley, between the 1st of July and the 22d of October, 1917, that witness was at said place twice during said time. That on the first visit there a man by the name of Holman ran out of the place and threw two bottles of whisky out on the sidewalk and broke them. That on another occasion witness went there with Mr. Cogswell, and two bottles of whisky were found in the place; one was *647 found in a little drawer by the prescription case, and the other was sitting on a shelf back of some bottles. Witness testified that he was not acquainted with the general reputation of the place.

H. V. Owens, on behalf of the state, testified, in substance, that he was an automobile salesman for the Chal-mers cars; that he had been in said business about two months; that prior to that time he had run a transfer business, and had also railroaded some; that he was acquainted with the defendant, John Wiley, and had visited his place at 501 North Hudson between the 1st of July and October 22, 1917, probably as many as a dozen times; had bought intoxicating liquor from defendant during that time two or three times; that he bought whisky, generally bought a couple of drinks at a time; that he had also bought Intoxicating liquor from a fellow whose nickname was “Skeet,” who worked at said place; that he bought whisky, alcohol, and Jamaica ginger from Skeet; that he bought the Jamaica ginger at the soda fountain, and the whisky behind the prescription case at the west end of the building. Witness also testified that he was acquainted with the general reputation of the place as to being a place where intoxicating liquors were kept for sale, and that said reputation was bad. Witness also testified he had been convicted of a violation of the prohibitory liquor laws. On cross-examination, witness testified that he had been convicted of bootlegging three times, that is, for unlawful possession of whisky; that no cases were pending against him at this time; that he was arrested with one Paul Atkins (sometimes called “Skeet”) when Skeet hauled a grip full of whisky in witness’ automobile, but that no criminal charge v-ns filed against him; that he knew Atkins was selling whisky in defendant’s place of business, and knew that *648 before he and Atkins were arrested for hauling whisky in the car.

Paul Atkins, a witness on behalf of the state, testified, in substance, as follows: That he lived in Oklahoma City, and was working for the Fisk Rubber Company, and had been working for said company about six months prior to ifiat time. Lie had worked .for oefendant, John Wiley, in his drug store at 501 North Hudson as a clerk, began working there a week or so before September, 1917; that he quit working there in the latter part of October; that Wiley was the owner of the drug store, and hired the witness; that witness had seen intoxicating liquor around the drug store, and had sold the same during the time he clerked there; that he could not call the names of all to whom he had sold whisky. When he received money from the salé of whisky, he registered it in the cash register; that Mr. Wiley furnished the whisky; that he had seen Wiley sell whisky in there on numerous occasions; that witness had also sold alcohol and Jamaica ginger; that witness was not there when Heep and Cogswell raided the place. On cross-examination, witness testified that he had been convicted and paid a fine for drunkenness. Witness denied that Mrs. Wiley had fired him for selling whisky in the drug store, or had told him to get out of the store. Witness testified that he and Vick Owens had been arrested for transporting whisky in a suit case; that John Heep and Roy Cogswell were two of the officers that arrested them; that they filed a charge against witness for that offense; and in this connection the following proceedings were had:

“Q. What was that for — did you. ever put up a bond in that case?
“By Mr. Callihan: Objected to; not proper Impeaching question. The only question he could be asked is if he *649

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Related

Fitzgerald v. State
1947 OK CR 152 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1947)
Bordwine v. State
1942 OK CR 27 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1942)
Barnett v. State
1928 OK CR 321 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1928)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1920 OK CR 167, 191 P. 1057, 17 Okla. Crim. 643, 1920 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 143, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wiley-v-state-oklacrimapp-1920.