Bratton v. StateBratton v. State
- Reporters:
- , ,
- Before:
- Krtjeger
Aрpellant was charged with. the. offense of rape by force but thе jury found him guilty. of an assault with intent to rape, and assessed his punishment at confinement in the state penitentiary for a term of five years.,;
The testimоny adduced by the State shows that on the night of January 3, 1937, the prosecutrix was assisting one;.of the girls at Mrs. Newberry’s Cafe. Appellant came into thе cafe and told her that he was going to take Shorty Bratton home, who lived in the country about five or six miles, and invited her to go with him to which she agrеed. The parties got into appellant’s car and took Bratton home. On their return trip, and when about one and one-half miles from town, аppellant- left the main highway and drove down a lateral road for about one hundred yards, where he assaulted prosecutrix and by force had: sexual’ intercourse with her. After he had accomplished his purpose, he got into his car with a view of taking her back to town, but she immеdiately fled and disappeared in the darkness. When she reachеd the cafe she was crying, - her mouth was bleeding, her clothes torn, and her body bore marked .evidence of rather rough treatment.
’ -Appellant testified in his own behalf. He admitted -that he intended to have sexual intеrcourse with prosecutrix; that when she would not willingly submit he cursed- her and hit henhаrd, but: at no time did he succeed in penetrating her.
Appellant insists that the evidence does -not- justify his-conviction.’ We are unable to agree with him. His’ ‘testimony makes a-clear case of assault with intent to commit :rapé. : Indeed, he is fortunate that the jury accepted his version ‘bf, the affair rather than that of the young lady, for they, might have dealt with him more sеverely. ilL
-;By- bill of exception number one, appellant comрlains /of1 the introduction in evidence of the clothes worn-by prosеen ttik‘pn the night in question. The bill discloses that the clothes, were torn but. were in the same condition as on said night, .-.irnmediátély after the assault. This was cleаrly admissible tyn,r.j-he *355 issue of..force and resistance. It tended to illustrate the kind and character of force that was resorted to by him in his endeavor to. accomplish his purpose. See Jacobs v. State, 66 Texas Crim. Rep., 146, Ulmer v. State, 160 S. W., 1188.
Bill of exception number two complains of the testimony of the sister оf prosecutrix as to what prosecutrix told her had happenеd when she arrived home. Appellant objected thereto on thе ground that it was hearsay, irrelevant, immaterial, and highly prejudicial, and was. no part of the res gestae. - The bill is incomplete in that it fails to show that she was not highly agitated, nervous and excited, and that the witness was not the first person to whom she related the unfortunate occurrenсe, etc.
Bill of exception number three complains of the сourt’s action in declining to sustain appellant’s objection to thе court’s charge. The objections are entirely too general, and do not specifically point out any error as required by Art. 658, Codе of Criminal Procedure. Moreover, the court’s charge contained a fair and adequate presentation of the law as applicable to the facts.
Bill of exception number four is without merit. A similаr question as here presented was before this court in the case of McAllister v. State, 130 Texas Crim. Rep., 262, and was decided adversely to appellant’s contention.
• Finding no error in the record, the judgment of the trial cоurt is in all things affirmed.
Affirmed.
The foregoing opinion of the Commission of Appeаls has been exatnined by the Judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals and approved by the Court.