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70 Tex. Crim. 340

156 S.W 204

Wilson v. State

Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas

Decided April 16, 1913

Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas · decided 1913-04-16

<p>1. —Theft—Transcript—Delay—Filing.</p> <p>See opinion admonishing clerks to make out the transcript in cases which are appealed, immediately after the trial.</p> <p>2. —Same—Evidence—Tracks—Opinion of Witness.</p> <p>Upon trial of theft of cotton, there was no error in permitting the witnesses for the State to testify that they measured the men’s tracks found where the cotton was stolen with two pieces of cotton stalk, and that they also measured the shoes of defendant and another and that they corresponded with the tracks; and having qualified themselves to give their opinion as to the similarity of the tracks, there was no error. Following Weaver v. State, 46 Texas Crim. Rep., 607, and other cases.</p> <p>3. —Same—Evidence—Tracks—Circumstances.</p> <p>Upon trial of theft of cotton, there was no error in permitting the State’s witnesses to testify that they noticed the tracks and that a wagon had been backed up to the house in which the cotton was found, and that these tracks had been rubbed out by the foot.</p> <p>4. —Same—.Evidence—Tracks.</p> <p>Upon trial of theft of cotton, there was no error in admitting testimony that the witness saw mule tracks which they compared with the tracks made by the mules owned by defendant.</p> <p>5. —Same—Sufficiency of the Evidence.</p> <p>Where, upon trial of theft of cotton, the evidence sustained the conviction, there was no error.</p>

Decided 1913-04-16

¶1 ON REHEARING.

¶2 May 7, 1913.

HARPER, Judge.

¶3 Appellant has filed a motion for a rehearing in which he earnestly insists that the testimony is insufficient to sustain the conviction. We have again reviewed the record, and while it is a case of circumstantial evidence, we think it amply supports the verdict. Jim Lewis had some cotton stolen from him one night. Dr. Maxwell was called to Lewis’ house that night about IS o’clock, and in going there he saw a wagon, with a mule team, stopped near where Lewis’ cotton was stored. He called Lewis’ attention to it, and shortly thereafter Lewis and a neighbor, Mr. Bowman, went to investigate the matter. The wagon had left Lewis’ cotton patch, but they followed on down the road, and at appellant’s house they saw a wagon with a.mule team backed up to the smokehouse of appellant. The next morning cotton was found in this smokehouse. Lewis lost a certain character of cotton—Bowden. They found Bowden cotton in appellant’s smokehouse. Ho explanation is given in the record where he got this Bowden cotton. Men’s tracks were found at the point where Lewis lost his cotton. These tracks were measured. A known track of appellant was measured and they corresponded exactty. If these facts would not justify a finding that he was the person who stole the cotton, then it would be impossible to sustain a conviction unless someone saw the theft committed.

¶4 The motion for rehearing is overruled.

¶5 Overruled,

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