Jackson v. State
Jackson v. State
Opinion of the Court
On December 31, 1889, tlie plaintiff in error shot and killed' R. T. Myrick in Shelby • County. He was tried in the Criminal Court of Shelby County, convicted of murder in the first degree, and has appealed to this Court.
E. A. Myrick and W. A. Myrick — brothers— were farmer’s, living on the same tract of , land, but in different houses. They had several tenants. The Jacksons were living on their farm about one and one-quarter miles from them. The My ricks had rented a portion of their land to Luther Hill and Sam Tilghman, and they had sub-rented about twenty acres to Tom Jackson, the father of the defendant. The proof is conflicting as to whether the father or father and son rented the land, but the weight of proof is that the father — Tom Jackson — rented the place, and that he and the defendant were to work it, together with a small brother and sister of the defendant. .The rent to be paid was one-half of crop, and the My ricks were to furnish supplies. Hill and Tilghman had not paid the rent to the Myricks, nor had the supply bill been paid by the Jacksons. On Friday or Saturday, December 27 or 28, before the killing on Tuesday, the Myrick brothers went on a visit to Colli ersville, and returned on the night of the thirtieth. On the twenty-seventh the defendant went to Memphis and swore out an attachment against the property of his father, alleging he was
On the morning of the thirty-first W. A. My-rick took his gun and bird-dog and started over to show a tenant where' to build a house, and went by his brother’s, who went with him, taking his gun. They passed by and told Hill and Tilgh-man to take the wagon over and haul the cotton from Tom Jackson’s field to the gin. Jackson having no wagon, the Myricks hauled his cotton from the field to the gin. This was early in the morning. They went to Britton’s and- directed him where to put his house. Britton lived in an opposite direction from Jackson’s. They, after hunting through the fields and woods, went in the direction of Jackson’s house, when the wagon came along, and Hill and Henry Wade were in the wagon and Sam Tilghman was walking; and, seeing no cotton in’ the field, they went on to the house of Tom Jackson, where they arrived between ten and twelve o’clock a.m. Hill and Tilghman were not informed of the attachment of the cotton by the officer, but Tilghman had heard some rumor of it; and, as he went on with the My-ricks that morning in the direction of Jackson’s, told them that he . had heard that Jackson had
“ DECEMBER 31, 1889.
“Mr. Myriek and Brother:
“Síes — Please send down and get your twenty bushels of corn; the balance is expecting to be-sold. Thomas Jackson.”
R. T. Myriek, W. A. Myriek, and Sam Tilgh-man went on up in the yard. Thomas Jackson and John Johnson alone were standing in the halL
The old man pointed to one of the rooms, and remarked, “All right;” and W.- A. Myrick and Tilghman say, just at this time, while R. T. My-rick was thus bending, having his gun on his lap, pointing out to the side, the defendant poked his gun through the door, only partly opened, and fired, and R. T. Myrick fell dead with his head toward the hall and his gun under his body, or rather under his legs; some of the witnesses say with •one hand on the stock of the gun, some say with neither hand on it.
The witness, W. A. Myrick, was then shot by the defendant through a hole under the window, which was shut, and his jaw-bone broken, and one eye put out, and was badly wounded about the throat. Myrick and Tilghman then left, as did TIill and Wade and one Thomas, who left just before the shooting commenced. Hill and Wade, who were with the wagon, did not get nearer than sixty or seventy yards of the house. Myrick was shot with a shotgun loaded with buckshot, and so was W. A. Myrick. The gun which the deceased had with him was a breech-loading gun. It is
Luther Hill, another colored man, says he was with the wagon about sixty yards from the house when he saw the shooting. “When they got nearly to the house it looked to me Mr. Dick Myrick stopped and tied his shoe, and he had his gun across his lap, and it was not any time before he was shot; could not see Andrew Jackson or his gun; saw the smoke come out of the gallery. When Mr. Myrick walked up to the house he had his gun across his arm, the muzzle pointing out sideways, and cvas shot with the gun in this position.”
Andrew Jackson, the defendant, testified that
John Johnson, a colored man, says he and Tom Jackson went out into the gallery, and saw the Myricks, Sam Tilghman, and Jackson’s little daughter approaching when they were fifty or sixty yards away. Andrew -Jackson and his little brother were in the room. Mr. Myrick stood near the step; there was a dog-block out in the yard; he came and set his foot on it and said, “‘Where is that cotton that was in the field?’ — talking to old man Jackson. The ' old man says, ‘ Here it is in the house.’ .Mr. Dick Myrick says, ‘Well, I came after it, and I am going to have it or kill every thing on the place.’ Andrew Jackson said, ‘You
Tom Jackson, the father of defendant, said he and John Johnson were in the gallery when the deceased came up, and- he said: “ ‘ Gfood morning/ and Mr. Dick Myrick said, ‘"Where is that cotton that was in the field?’ ITe pointed to the room and said, ‘You are welcome to it.’ Andrew then came to the door and said: ‘ What did you say, Mr. Myrick?’ and Mr. Myrick said: ‘I am going to have that cotton or kill every one on the place.’ Andrew whirled into the house, and came out with his gun, and they had their guns up just so, and I did not know which was shot until I saw Mr. Myrick fall.” On cross-examination, he says he “tried to run into the room, but could not get in, for Andrew was in the way.”
Walter Jackson, the thirteen-year-old brother of the defendant, said he was in the room when he heard Mr. Dick Myrick say: “ ‘ Where is that cotton that was in the field?’ and my father says, ‘Here, in the house,’ and Mr. Myrick says, ‘I am going to have that cotton or kill every thing on
These are the statements of all the witnesses who were present at the killing, and, although inconsistent and contradictory, it clearly appears that the killing was not in defense, as has been argued, of his father and brother and sister; and it further- appears that, whatever may have been the threat of the deceased in removing the cotton, yet at the time of the killing he was making no effort to remove it; in fact, had not yet reached the house, and the wagon was fifty or sixty yards from the house. It seems that there was no objection to his taking the cotton, for Tom Jackson said he told him he was welcome to it; and defendant says he “ cared nothing about the cotton, and deceased was not killed on that account.”
Now, as to how the killing occurred. The statement of witnesses of the State is, that when Mr. Myriek approached near the door that he put his foot on a hloelc and bent down as if tying his
There was no error in the action of the Court in the selection of the jury, nor was it error because the Attorney-general was not compelled to call all the witnesses whose -names were marked on the indictment; but it is earnestly insisted that there was error in the charge of the Coui-t, and in the failure to charge requests upon the right of a party to protect his family from violence, or to protect -his property from a trespasser. It is sufficient to say, if there be error in the charge of the Court, or error in the refusal to grant requests to charge upon these questions, it was wholly immaterial and does not affect the-case, as there was no evidence tending to raise these questions. The law applicable to the facts of this case has been fully and correctly charged, and we fiud no error therein, and the judgment is affirmed.
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