Campbell v. Commonwealth
Campbell v. Commonwealth
Opinion of the Court
Opinion of the Court by
Affirming.
On the evening of Christmas day, 1907, Ulus Lockard, Tom Brackett, Will Brackett, Press Hendrickson and Will Hyatt procured some shotguns and loaded shells, walked up the railroad for about one and a half miles, shooting into the air and the ground, celebrating, as they claimed, Christmas. They started to return the same route, and when they had proceeded for about one half mile they reached the Black Raven Coal Mining Company’s commissary, at which place there was a loaded car to their right on a side track. At the moment when they were passing this car some persons began to shoot at them; one ball grazed the leg of Will Brackett, another grazed the cheek of Tom Brackett near the temple and another entered the hack of Ulus Lockard between the point of the shoulder blade and the spinal colimn, from which wonnd he died the next morning. It is the Commonwealth’s theory that appellants, William Campbell and Ed. Elliott, committed the crime. They denied the charge and claimed that they were not at the car at any time during the evening, but were at a point about one mile away at the time Lockard was shot. Lockard was unconscious at the time he was found after the shooting and remained so, consequently he made no statement with reference thereto'.
Tom Brackett, Will Brackett and Press Hendrickson were introduced as witnesses by the Commonwealth. Will Brackett and Press Hendrickson testified positively that they recognized appellants as the persons doing the shooting. Tom Brackett said he “tool?” it to he them. A. witness by the name of Gholson testified that he had been to the coal tipple, a short distance from the place
Appellants testified and each one’s wife was introduced as a witness for the other and they also testified that the automatic pistols owned by appellants were in the house of Campbell on the evening of the shooting; that when Lockard was shot, the automatic pistol belonging to Campbell, was out of repair and would not fire but one time without taking something- and pushing the empty cartridge Out of it and that the revolver taken from Provin’s house on the evening of the killing, was carried to Campbell’s house for his wife’s protection, as she did not understand how to use an automatic pistol. One or two other witnesses also testified that Campbell’s revolver was out of repair. Appellants also introduced two witnesses, a father and son, who testified to facts,, if true, which show that Gholson did not know who fired the shots at the time Lockard was killed, and several witnesses testified to the same effect with regard to Tom Brackett’s knowledge as to what persons did the shooting. Appellants testified and introduced several persons to corroborate them, that they were near the depot, about one mile away, at the time the shooting occurred, but they all said that they did not know when the killing actually took place. The statements of some of the witnesses show that appellants could have reached the point of killing after they were seen at the depot before the shooting took place. ' The time fixed by some of the other witnesses at which they were at the depot, shows that they could have gone there after the killing.
The Commonwealth introduced an affidavit by appellants which they filed at a previous term for a continuance, in which they named four or five persons whom they claimed were with them at a certain place at the time of the killing, which place was different from the one they claim on the last trial to have been, and they •also testified on the last trial that none of those persons were actually with them, and that they did not see them on that evening. Our opinion is, from the evidence, that
Appellants ask a reversal because the facts fail to establish their guilt; they make no question as to the instructions. The court committed no error to their prejudice in the admission or rejection of testimony.
Our conclusion is that the jury was authorized to return the verdict of guilt fixing their punishment at confinement in the penitentiary for and during their natural lives, therefore, the judgment of the lower court is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.