Work v. State

1938 OK CR 12, 75 P.2d 1161, 63 Okla. Crim. 433, 1938 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 127
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 28, 1938
DocketNo. A-9293.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1938 OK CR 12 (Work 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
Work v. State, 1938 OK CR 12, 75 P.2d 1161, 63 Okla. Crim. 433, 1938 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 127 (Okla. Ct. App. 1938).

Opinion

BAREFOOT, J.

Defendant was charged with the crime of rape in the first degree in Cleveland county, was tried and convicted of assault with intent to rape, and was by the court sentenced to serve a term of one year in the reformatory at Granite, and has appealed.

The facts in the case are that defendant, who was 19 years of age, was charged with rape by force on July 21, 1935, upon one Yera Waldon, 21 years of age. Both *434 the defendant and prosecutrix lived in tbe Box community-in the southeast part of Cleveland county. On the evening of July 21st, which was Sunday, prosecutrix attended services at the Box church. A friend and neighbor of hers, Mrs. Flora Boggs, also attended the services and had with her her small three-year-old child.. During the services and about 9 o’clock the child wanted a drink of water and Mrs. Boggs asked prosecutrix to go with her for the purpose of securing the same. They left the church to go- to a grocery store owned and operated by Clark and Mary Carruthers and which was located about 300 yards west of the church. When they had gone not quite half of the distance, they met defendant and a boy by the name of Jesse Potter. This party said: “Let’s walk with you.” He had been drinking and defendant-had left the church for the purpose of taking care of him. Prosecutrix replied that they did not know him, but the evidence shows that they walked on toward the store; the defendant, Ervan Work, walking with prosecutrix, and Jesse Potter with Mrs. Boggs. Jesse Potter was drinking and wanted to carry Mrs. Boggs’ baby, and there was some discussion with reference thereto. They arrived at the store and remained there a few minutes after drinking soda pop which the defendant purchased. Mrs. Boggs whispered to prosecutrix and they immediately started back toward the church. Defendant started back also, and walking with prosecutrix and holding her by the arm. Mrs. Boggs went on ahead, and Jesse Potter hollered at defendant to catch his girl, she was getting away. Mrs. Boggs ran on ahead and left defendant and prosecutrix behind. Jesse Potter remained at the store. Two residences were located between the church and the store. The one on the north side was the home of Jim Potter and his family, and the one almost opposite and *435 on tbe south side of the road was the home of E. E. Webb and family.. Up to this point the evidence of prosecutrix and defendant is identical. Prosecutrix testified that when they reached a point opposite the Jim Potter home, the defendant said: “Let’s go in and see Jim.” She said: “Jim isn’t home.” She had seen him and his family at the church services. There was a turnstile at the entrance to Jim Potter’s home, and when prosecutrix told him he was not at home defendant grabbed her around the waist with both hands and carried her into the yard; that she begged him to turn her loose and told him if he did not she would scream, and defendant said: “Yes, and I’ll kill you.” That because of his strength she was not able to get loose; that she was afraid that he would carry out his threat to kill her; and that he threw her down on the ground and had intercourse with her. Her testimony was that immediately thereafter she started down the road to the store, and that she saw defendant going toward the store along the inside of the fence, and that when she arrived there she saw May Carruthers, Clark Carruthers, also her brother, Ira Waldon, Donald Mantooth, and Eaymond Douglas, who were at the store when she arrived; that she immediately told May Car-ruthers in the back room what had happened, telling her a part that night and a part the next morning; that as she went home that night, after the church services, she told Flora Boggs about it the first time she had a chance to talk to her privately; that she told her mother about it that night when she returned home and her father when he returned home the same night. Her underclothing were exhibited to the jury and were torn and stained. She testified that they were clean and in good condition prior to the assault made by the defendant. Some of the witnesses at the store testified that her clothing was dis *436 arranged and her hair disheveled, and that she was crying when she came to the store. Others testified that they did not notice her clothes being dirty or her hair being disheveled or did not notice her crying.

May Carruthers, the first person with whom prose-cutrix talked after the attack, testified for the defendant. She testified that prosecutrix was not crying when she came in the store, and she did not notice her clothing being disarranged, bnt said: “Her hair was tousled a little.” ,She further testified as follows:

“Q. Did Vera Waldon tell you anything at that time about being assaulted by Ervan Work? A. No, she didn’t say he insulted her. Q. What did she say? A. She just-said she was mad. I said, Who are you mad at?’ She said she was mad at Ervan. Q. Did she say what she was mad at him for? A. No, she asked me could she stay there until church was over, she didn’t want to go back up tkére. Q. She did stay there? A. Yes, sir, she did. Q. She tell you that anything had happened? A. Not that night. Q. She did return the next morning? A. Yes. Q. What did she tell you about it next morning? A. She said he insulted her. Q. Did she say ‘insulted’? A. She didn’t put it that way, she didn’t say ‘insulted.’ Q. Tell any other way she said it. A. She said Ervan didn’t treat her very nice, they had a big rookus, he tried to have intercourse with her. When she first told me, I said: ‘Did he?’ She said, ‘No.’ Then she kept talking. She was there a couple of hours I guess, maybe longer. She said: ‘Well, I’m going to tell you the truth, he did.’ Q. She first told you he didn’t? A. Yes, she did. Q. Did she tell you anything about having promised Ervan she would have intercourse with him? A. Yes, she did. Q. When did she tell you that, that morning? A. Yes, sir. Q. That she had promised previously that she would have intercourse with him? A. Yes, she did.”

On cross-examination, she was asked:

*437 “Q. I will ask you if you didn’t have a conversation with John Blackburn on Tuesday following this Sunday morning, in which you told John Blackburn in these words, or in substance — at your store, there at Box, in which you told John Blackburn ‘that Vera Waldon came in here Sunday night crying, she was all mussed, her clothes were dirty and told you that Ervan Work had attempted to rape her? A. No, I didn’t tell him them words at all. Q. What did you tell John Blackburn? A. I don’t remember what words I used, but I didn’t use them kind of words. Q. When did you have that conversation with him? A. I don’t remember, but it was after this happened.”

John Blackburn testified that the witness May Oar-ruthers told him on Tuesday morning, following the Sunday night on which this occurred, in substance, that:

“Q. I will ask you if you didn’t have a conversation with her in which she said in substance: ‘Vera came into my house Sunday night, her hair was all ruffled or mussed up, her' clothes were dirty and torn and her face was dirty, and I helped wash her up and that Ervan Work had assaulted her, and that he ought to be killed and shouldn’t be allowed to live.’ Did she tell you that? A. You’ll have to talk * * * Q. Did she say those words to you or that in substance? A.

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Related

Cole v. State
1947 OK CR 36 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1947)
Coppage v. State
1943 OK CR 62 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1943)
Gordon v. State
1942 OK CR 160 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1942)
Weeden v. State
1941 OK CR 179 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1941)
Varner v. State
1940 OK CR 62 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1940)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1938 OK CR 12, 75 P.2d 1161, 63 Okla. Crim. 433, 1938 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 127, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/work-v-state-oklacrimapp-1938.