The Second Side of the Story

Abstract

History has a way of repeating itself, even in the unlikeliest of cases. In 1917, a seemingly nondescript proceeding in the state of Oklahoma would find its way into the annals of legal precedent. In Wilcox v. State, the plaintiff appealed his criminal conviction for assault with a dangerous weapon, specifically a claw hammer. A claw hammer was (and still is) an ordinary household tool, one used to insert and remove nails in construction projects.