Gillespie v. State

Clinton Gillespie was indicted, tried and convicted in the circuit court of Forrest County on a charge of rape, and was sentenced to the state penitentiary for the term of his natural life. From that judgment he prosecutes this appeal.

The prosecuting witness, Ella Mae Smith, was a minor of the age of 13 years, and the stepdaughter of the defendant. The crime was alleged to have been committed on November 18, 1951, at the defendant’s home near Palmer’s Crossing, in Forrest County, about 11:00 o’clock a. m., while Ella Mae’s mother, who was the defendant’s wife, was away from home. Ella Mae’s…