State v. Sharpe

In the Circuit Court of Jackson County the defendant was charged with murder in the first degree, was found guilty by a jury, and his punishment assessed at life imprisonment in the penitentiary: he appealed.

The evidence shows that in January, 1929, Mrs. Nell Finnell operated what she called a rooming house at 1116 Holmes Street, Kansas City. One of the witnesses called it an “immoral house.” Other witnesses were more specific in their characterization of the place. Men passing on the street were enticed into the house by girls tapping on the windows.

The defense showed that Mrs. Finnell and…