Case Name: HOLLINGSWORTH v. STATE
Court: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Jurisdiction: Texas
Decision Date: 1919-01-29
Citations: 211 S.W. 454
Docket Number: No. 5265
Parties: HOLLINGSWORTH v. STATE.
Judges: 
Reporter: South Western Reporter
Volume: 211
Pages: 454–455

Head Matter:
(85 Tex. Cr. R. 248)
HOLLINGSWORTH v. STATE.
(No. 5265.)
(Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas.
Jan. 29, 1919.
On Motion for Rehearing, April 23, 1919.)
1. Criminal Law <@=>1180 _ Evidence — Admissibility — Decisions on 'Former ⅝ Appeal.
In a prosecution for incest, it was error to admit in evidence a letter written by prosecu-trix to defendant, where such letter had been decided on a former appeal to be inadmissible.
2. Criminal Law <@=>419, 420(1) — Hearsay Evidencet-Testimony Before Grand Jury.
In a prosecution for incest, where it was necessary that the testimony of the prosecuting witness be. corroborated, her testimony given before the grand jury was hearsay and inadmissible..
3. Incest ©=>16 — Corroborative Evidence— ' Instructions. ■
Where it was necessary to corroborate the evidence of prosecuting witness in a prosecution for incest, where a statement by defendant before the grand jury that prosecutrix had left his house, and that he was unaware of her pregnancy or that she had keen having intercourse was introduced, it was error to fail to instruct that such statement could not be considered as a criminative fact; the statement in no way corroborating prosecutrix.
4. Criminal Law <@=>369(8) — Evidence of Other Acts — Incest.
In'a prosecution for incest, an instruction that the jury might consider other acts of intercourse between defendant and prosecutrix testified to by prosecutrix as evidence corroborating prosecutrix was erroneous.
5. Criminal Law <@=>510% — Evidence—Corroboration of Accomplice.
The prosecutrix as an accomplice in a prosecution for incest cannot corroborate herself.
Appeal from District Court, Coryell County; J. H. Arnold, Judge.
Alfred Hollingsworth was convicted of incest, and he appeals.
Reversed and remanded on rehearing.
See, also, 199 S. W. 626.
D. W. Odell, of Ft. Worth, for appellant.
E. A. Berry, Asst. Atty. Gen., for the State.

Opinion:
DAVIDSON, P. J.
Appellant was convicted of incest; his punishment being assessed at 5 years' confinement in the penitentiary.
Before court adjourned there was an order entered allowing 60 days to the defendant in which to file his bills of exception and statement of facts. Court adjourned the 24th of August, and the statement of facts and bills of exception, except two bills, were filed on November 8th. One bill bears no file mark. The Assistant Attorney General moves to strike from consideration all the bills of ex-1 ception except that filed within the time, which is bill No. 1. Under the rules and the authorities the motion as to the bills of exception will have to be sustained. The decisions are quite numerous sustaining the above proposition. This, however, does not apply to the statement of facts. There would be 90 days allowed after the adjournment of the term of court in which to file the statement of facts. Redman v. State, 67 Tex. Cr. R. 374, 149 S. W. 670; Romero v. State, 72 Tex. Cr. R. 105, 160 S. W. 1193. The bills of exception, in order to be considered, must have been filed within the 60i days allowed.
Bill No. 1 reserved exceptions to the action of the court admitting certain letters, which are not set out in the bill, but referred to in the statement of facts. The judge qualifies this bill by stating these letters were held by this court on the last appeal, in an opinion written by Judge Morrow, to be admissible. It would be of no practical utility to discuss that matter.
It is further contended that the evidence is not sufficient for want of corroboration. The girl testifies to a case against appellant. We are of opinion that, talcing all the circumstances as shown in this record, there is sufficient evidence tending to connect the. defendant with the case testified by the prosecutrix.
As the case is presented by the record, we find no reversible error, and the judgment is ordered to be affirmed.
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