Atwood v. Craig

3 Stew. & P. 21
Supreme Court of Alabama·Decided June 15, 1832·Published

Opinion

Lipscomb, C. J.

The judgment sough.t to be reversed in this case, was obtained on the motion of John Craig, the defendant in error, on an indemnifying bond, given to him, as a constable, for the sale of three-slaves, levied on by him, under an attach merit, at the instance of the plaintiffs in error.

The record contains a notice in the following words, “To William Fluker, H. M. Bondurant,Hen-ry S. Atwood, Shelby Corzine, Isaac Smith, and William Craig; you will please take notice, that, whereas I hold your joint-bond, in following substance, to wit: that I had in my possession, at the time of the execution of the said bond, three negroes, viz : a negro woman, named Mira, and her two children, Alfred and an infant, which said negroes I had levied on, by virtue of sundry executions, attachments, &c. to me, as constable directed, as the property of one Philip Good bread, at your instance, which said negroes were claimed by one Edward Bradley and others; conditioned, that if I, as constable, .should proceed-to sell the said negroes, and pay over the money, as -the law directed, that you would, if suit or suits should be brought against, me, defend the same ; or, in failure, pay all cost and damages accruing thereon— which said negroes were sold by me, by virtue of said executions, attachments, &c, and the money paid over, according to law: and suit has been brought, against me, as constable, for so selling, in the Circuit, court of Marengo county, aforesaid, by one Edward Bradley, and is now pending, at the next-term-of the Circuit court. These are, therefore, to give you notice as the law directs, in such cases, made and provided, that I shall move the court, at the next term of the said court, for you, and each of [24] you, to become parties and defend said suit. And failure thereof so to defend as aforesaid, and judgment should be rendered against me in said suit, I shall move the court for judgment’against you, and each of you, on the said bond, as the law directs.

March 10 'th, 1830. (Signed,)

JOHN CRAIG.”

Next follows the motion and judgment, as follows: “John Craig vs. Henry S. Atwood, Hezekiah M. Bondurant, Shelby Corzine, William Fluker, William Craig. In the above case, the said John Craig moves the court,- now here, for judgment for the sum of the amount of a verdict rendered against him as constable,' fo-r selling a negro woman, Mira,-and her two children, at the instance of the defendants. The plaintiff avers, that the defendants gave the plaintiff an indemnifying bond in the sale of the said negroes; and he now moves the court for judgment under the statute, in such cases made and provided. • The plaintiff avers that the defendants have had notice of this motion. (Signed,) J. GAYLE, for plff.”

“ At a Circuit court of the St ite of Alabama, be-gún and held for the county of Marengo, at the court house thereof, 'on the second Monday of September, in the jiear of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty, the Honorable Henry W. Collier, Judge presiding: This day came the said plaintiff, by at-> torney, and it appearing to the satisfaction of the court, thát on the-day of--, one Edward Bradley instituted a suit in this court against the said John Craig, as constable, in and for Marengo county, for levying upon and selling three certain negroes, the title of which was doubtful, and disputed; by virtue of certain executions placed in the hands of the [25] said John Craig, constable as aforesaid, in favor of the above named defendants, against one Philip Good-bread : and it further appearing to the satisfaction of the court, that, the said defendants made and executed their bond, payable,to the said John Craig, constable as aforesaid, in the penal sum of two thousand dollars,- to indemnify him. for levying upon and selling the property aforesaid; and it appearing to the court, that the defendants have held sixty days notice, according to law, of the pendency of the suit aforesaid, before- the present term of this court, and of this motion; and a judgment having been recovered, at the present term of this court, in said cause in favor of Edward Bradley vs. John Craig, constable as aforesaid, for the sum of seven hundred and seventy-five dollars. It. is therefore considered by the court, that the said John Craig recover*of the said defendants, the said sum of seven hundred and seventy-five dollars, the amount so recovered as aforesaid, together with ihe cosls of this motion.

The plaintiffs in error have taken a great many-objections to the judgment in this case: they will not be considered in the order in which they were presented, but resolved, into — first, objections to the notice, and, secondly, objections to the bond.

By the act of 1827, if an indemnifying-bond has been taken, and suit, is brought against the officer,, and judgment-recovered against him, such officer, by, giving sixty days notice of the pendency of such suit before the. trial thereof, may move for, and have judgment entered up against the obligors, in such bond, for the same amount recovered against him.

The plaintiffs contend, that it does not appear from the record, that the notice was, served according to' [26] the requisites of the statute. That it is not sufficient that the record should say that notice had been given sixty days; but that it should further show in which mode the notice had been given, and what way it had been proven to the court below. They insist that this notice should appear on the record, and contain all the circumstantial accuracy of the cause of action, that is required in a declaration in an ordinary suit. And they object to the notice spread on the record, both on account of its uncertainty and because it does not appear to have been executed on the parties.

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Atwood v. Craig, 3 Stew. & P. 21 (Ala. 1832).

3 Stew. & P. 21 (Atwood v. Craig) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.