Case Name: Ex parte LEWELLEN
Court: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Jurisdiction: Texas
Decision Date: 1921-03-23
Citations: 229 S.W. 326
Docket Number: No. 6141
Parties: Ex parte LEWELLEN.
Judges: 
Reporter: South Western Reporter
Volume: 229
Pages: 326–327

Head Matter:
Ex parte LEWELLEN.
(No. 6141.)
(Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas.
March 23, 1921.)
1. Bail <@=>49 — Conflict of testimony does not necessarily entitle accused to bail.
The mere conflict of testimony will not necessarily entitle an accused to bail because conflicting testimony may be evidently not true by reason of mistakes or perjury.
2. Habeas corpus <@=>85(1) — Issue of self-defense held raised, so as to entitle defendant to bail.
Evidence in a habeas corpus proceeding held, to raise the issue of self-defense, to entitle defendant charged with murder to bail.
Appeal from District Court, Bell County; M. B. Blair, Judge.
Habeas corpus for bail on bebalf of John Eewellen. Prom a judgment denying bail, relator appeals.
Judgment reversed, and relator admitted to bail.
De Witt Bowroer and W. W. Hair, both of Temple, for appellant.
R. H. Hamilton, Asst. Atty. Gen., for the State.

Opinion:
HAWKINS, J.
Appellant was indicted in Bell county, charged with the murder of John Zurovec. Under habeas corpus proceedings he made application for bail, and from judgment denying it, he appeals to this court.
' The evidence upon the habeas,corpus hearing, condensed and stated briefly, amounts to the following: The state's theory, supported by proof, is that appellant and some companions went into deceased's place of business and ordered some sandwiches; that, without excuse or provocation on the part of deceased, both appellant and one of his companions denounced deceased as a son of a bitch, and upon deceased replying to appellant, "Well, if I am a son of a bitch, what are you? are you one, too?" that the appellant immediately left the restaurant, was gone a few minutes, and returned, and without provocation shot deceased and killed him — the theory of the state being that appellant left the restaurant for the purpose of securing the pistol with which he did the killing. The theory of the appellant is that upon entering the restaurant, neither he nor his companions used the insulting language above referred to, but, as they entered the restaurant, he was talking to one of his companions, and was saying that he (appellant) had been having trouble with a car, and which had been quite expensive to keep in repair, and remarked to his friend, referring to the automobile, that he might as well sell the son of a bitch, because it had been giving him so much trouble ; that deceased accused the appellant of having used the epithet in addressing him, which appellant denied, and claimed that deceased ordered him out of the restaurant, having in his hand at the time a butcher knife, and that appellant then left the restaurant, and went only a short distance away, and got a pistol, but claims that he got it without any thought of engaging in a difficulty with deceased, but that he intended to go in a few days out of the county to get some cotton pickers, and that he borrowed the pistol to take with 'him on that trip; that when he came back to deceased's place of business to get his friends an altercation was in progress between deceased and them, which had arisen about the change in payment for the sandwiches. About the time he entered the door one of his friends threw a bottle of some kind at the deceased, whereupon deceased ran down the counter, and, upon discovering the appellant, said, "You called me a son of a bitch," and ran at him with a knife, whereupon he shot and killed him.
The evidence, as will be seen from the foregoing, is conflicting — that of the state developing a case where a denial of bail would be proper; that of the appellant raising an issue of self-defense. We gather from the record that several other parties were in the restaurant at the time, who were not used as witnesses upon the habeas corpus hearing. As we understand the law, the mere conflict of testimony will not necessarily entitle an accused to bail, because conflicting testimony may be "evidently" not true by reason of mistakes or perjury. Ex parte Smith, 23 Tex. App. 145, 5 S. W. 99, But in many cases it has been held by this court that, where an issue of self-defense was raised by the testimony, a party would be entitled to bail. Ex parte Dooley, 74 Tex. Cr. 650, 170 S. W. 303; Ex parte Burton, 75 Tex. Cr. R. 105, 170 S. W. 308; Ex parte Way, 78 Tex. Or. 228, 180 S. W. 610.
It would not be proper for us to express an opinion as to the testimony, or to discuss in detail the evidence as disclosed by the record on .this appeal; but, as said before, it does raise the issue of self-defense in such manner as would make it necessary for the trial court to present that question to the jury, and we have no right to conclude that the finding of the jury might not be favorable to appellant upon that issue. We do not desire to be understood as holding that, in every case where the issue of self-defense is raised, the accused would be entitled to bail, regardless of other testimony controverting it. We cannot conclude, after a careful inspection of the facts, that the "evidence is so clear and strong as to lead a well-guarded and dispassionate judgment to the conclusion that, if the law is administered, the appellant would probably bq punished capitally."
The judgment of the lower court, denying bail, is reversed, and the appellant is admitted to bail in the sum of $10,000.