Thomas v. State

Petitioner, Sam Thomas, who had no previous felony record was indicted for breaking and entering and burglary of a wheelbarrow valued at $20.00. He was convicted of petit larceny and sentenced to one year in the penitentiary, The Court of Appeals affirmed, and we granted certiorari to consider whether under the circumstances the charge with respect to the presumption of guilt from bare possession of the stolen article was adequate to give petitioner a fair trial.

In brief, the facts are that in August, 1968, someone entered an outbuilding on the land of one Violet Wake-field and stole a…