Williams v. State

122 Miss. 151
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 15, 1920
DocketNo. 20676
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 122 Miss. 151 (Williams v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Williams v. State, 122 Miss. 151 (Mich. 1920).

Opinion

Per Curiam.

This is an appeal from a conviction for murder followed by a death sentence.

On the occasion in question, some sort of a show was being given in the town of Areola with its accompanying crap game, in which game the appellant and Lucius Blevin, among others, were engaged. A controversy arose during the progress of the game between the appellant and Blevin, which Blevin, shortly after reported to the deceased and Tom Williams, both of whom were deputy sheriffs, stating that the- appellant had threatened him with a pistol. The deceased thereupon took the appellant into custody, and was joined shortly thereafter by the other deputy, Tom Williams. What then occurred, according to the state’s theory, will be best told in the language of Williams, who testified on behalf of the state:

‘ ‘ Q. When you saw him next, he was under arrest with Mr. B. L. Williams, the dead man? A. Yes, sir.

‘ ‘ Q. Where was he when you saw him there? A. Out there back of a boarding house, down there at Areola.

“Q. What was Mr. Williams doing with him? A. Mr. Williams was setting down on an old safe there, and the negro was standing out in front of him.

11Q. What did you do — go up where they were ? A. Yes, sir.

“Q. Co ahead and tell what occurred from then on?: A. Mr. Williams told me: ‘Tom, this negro had a pistol [164]*164here, and he has thrown it away. Let’s look for it. Hold him here until I look for the pistol.’ And I said: ‘All right. He is just lying though. He has it around here somewhere himself.’ This negro said, ‘I sent it home by my brother-inlaw.’ I told Mr. Williams he was lying; that he hadn’t sent it anywhere. He looked around under the house a few minutes and couldn’t find it, and I said: ‘Well, he said he had it. That is sufficient, and he has been toting it around.’ He said, ‘If We get the pistol that will be better. ’ Then he said, ‘We will take him on over there to the house,’ and the negro said, ‘I have my horse here, Mr. Williams,’ and Mr. Williams said, ‘Get the horse, Lucius,’ and this negro, Mat Thomas, I told him to come too. We went across the railroad three hundred! or four hundred yards from where we started from, and he run his hand down in here (indicating), and said his drawers were down. I noticed him by the light from the railroad. We could see byf that. It was dark there where we had been. The first thing I knew then he put the gun up to mv cheek and shot me like that (indicating), and shot Mr. Williams in the side. I turned around and pulled my gun and made one shot. The first .shot I shot in the ground right by him, and the next shot I made he ran off and shot at me twice. I asked Lucius for more shells, and he said- ‘No, sir. . . . ’

“O Wbo is Lucius? A.. Lucius Blevin, a state witness. He said. ‘No. sir; I haven’t got any shells.’ He loaded up the second time and came back, and the second shot he run un behind me a.s I was crossing the railroad and shot me through the hand, and then shot me through the thumb, and Lucius said. ‘Mr. Tom. olease come on, that nigger’s goinv to kill von,’ and caught ahold, of me, and I said, ‘Turn me aleóse.’ and T went up to the section house and tel'1 Mr. Tnm about it.”

•On eross'examination tins witness further testified that while thev were back of the boarding house, and while the appellant was held by Mat Williams and Lucius [165]*165Blevin, he was struck, but twice only, with the buckle end of a trousers belt, and with nothing else, in order to make him tell where his pistol was.

The appellant’s evidence was in sharp conflict with that of the state’s witnesses, and, if true, fully supported his claim „that he killed the deceased in self-defense. His theory of the case is contained in the following questions and answers which appear in the transcript of his evidence in chief:

“Q. Go ahead and tell the jury all about that; they are going- to decide whether you will be hung or not. A. Yes, sir; I will tell them the truth and nothing but the truth. Well, the way it was, from the first beginning, it started about a dollar and a quarter. Albert Kimberly put $1.25. down, and Lucius picked it up. Mat said, ‘I shoot a dollar and a quarter.’ He said: ‘No, I don’t shoot it;, I put the money down there.’ And he looked around and said, ‘Whq got my money?’ The boy said: ‘I ain’t got it; you vain’t put any down there.’ The boy asked me didn’t he put it down there, and I said: ‘Yes, he put'it down, two solid halves and a quarter. I reckon he did. ’ Lucius that time run around to grab me to cut me, and another fellow run in betwixt us, and said, ‘No, I wouldn’t do anything like that, ’ and by that time I went out and got a bride, and he said I drawed a pistol on him. I didn’t do that. Time I got out the house Mat come up and ,said, ‘Boys, I wouldn’t have any trouble. ’ I said, ‘ I ain’t doing nothing, no use for me to let them run over me. ’ I had a brick in my hand then and never pulled a pistol, at all. After that I went around on the front part where the show was and went back in the gambling house. That time Mat was up, in the box cutting off the game, and finally Mir. Tom came in and Mat gets down and gives somebody else his game. Then after he stood around awhile Mr., Tom went to the door and got to whispering around, and Mr. Tom left then. I don’t know where he went. I suspicioned then—

[166]*166“Q. What Tom was that? A. Mr. Tom Mosely. After I heard that whispering" and all going on, I said, ‘Well, that fellow has told him I had a pistol or something. ’ That time I goes out then and hides' this gnn, and time I goes and hides the gun I went back where the boys gambling, standing up in there. After awhile I went back out the door again, and Mr. Williams was standing out there, and he walked up to me.

“Q. Which Williams was that? A. Mr. E. L. Williams. He came up to me and said, ‘Where is the gun at?’ I said, ‘I haven’t any,’ and he searched me and didn’t find any. He found a scabbard on me, and said, ‘Where that gun at, nigger?’ I said, ‘I haven’t got any gun. I sent it home by my brother-in-law,’ that very way. So I walks on off, and he said, ‘I told you to stand here, not move any more.’ I said, ‘All right, Cap,’ and! that time Mr. Williams sent for Mr. Tom, and I said, ‘I am going to stand here and won’t move any more.’ That time Mr. Tom came up and ousted bis gun and-puts it in my facfe. I said: ‘That’s all right, white folks; I haven’t got a pistol.’ He curses me and says, ‘You son of a bitch! You get it.’ I said, ‘I haven’t got any gun.’ He says, ‘Boys, get him.’ He said to me, ‘Come around here,’ and I went around there, and he called Mat and Lucius, and they carried me up there to the gin and taken me out there and made me pull my clothes off, and I begged them not to whip me and I would tell them where the gun. He said, No, you don’t know where it is at.’ And they stretched me out, one on my head and one on my feet. Mr. Tom grabbed his gun and hit me once on this side and once on this side (indicating). Mr. Tom grabbed the belt and hit me two licks and the buckle broke off then, and Mr. E. L. Williams said, ‘Go in there and get a gin belt.’ He said,, ‘No, I can’t get in there,’ and that time Mr. Tom walks up and kicks me here on my mouth. My mouth commenced to bleeding all down here, and [167]*167I said, ‘Let me up, and I will go and get the gun.’ They let mo up then, and I put my olothes back on me.

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Bluebook (online)
122 Miss. 151, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-state-miss-1920.