Board of Commissioners v. Summerfield

36 Ind. 543
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1871
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 36 Ind. 543 (Board of Commissioners v. Summerfield) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Board of Commissioners v. Summerfield, 36 Ind. 543 (Ind. 1871).

Opinion

Buskirk, J.

The case made by the record is this: Ambrose D. Cunning, Samuel Boriff, John M. Matheny, George W. -Prosser, and Payne and Long, were indicted in Brown county for violations of the criminal laws of this State. Upon the application of the defendants, the venue was changed to Jennings county, where the defendants were tried and acquitted.

After the cases" were disposed of, the court in Jennings county made the following order, which was entered of record, namely:

“And now at this time the court settles and allows the following fees and charges in the following State prosecutions, disposed of in this court upon change of venue from [544]*544the county of Brown and State of Indiana, which is now settled and allowed against said county, to wit: The State of Indiana v. Ambrose D. Cunning. Amount expended by and due to Jennings county, twenty-three dollars and fifty cents; Johnson W. Summerfield, clerk’s fees, thirteen dollars.” The same order was made in the case of Bo riff!

In the case of Payne and Long no allowance was made to Jennings county, but there was allowed to Johnson W. Summerfield, for his fees as clerk, twelve dollars and fifty cents.

In the case of John M. Mathenythe same order was made-as in Payne and Long, except that the amount allowed to Summerfield was fourteen dollars and eighty cents.

In the case of Prosser the same order was made as in case of Matheny.

These orders and allowances were certified under the hand and seal of the clerk of'Jennings county. The above claims were presented in the name of Johnson W. Summerfield, as a claim against the county of Brown, before the Board of Commissioners of said county.

The Board allowed in favor of Jennings county the sum of forty-seven dollars, but refused to allow anything for the fees of Summerfield, as clerk of Jennings county. From this order Summerfield appealed to the circuit court.

In the circuit court the case was, by the agreement of the parties, tried by the court, and resulted in a finding for Johnson W. Summerfield in the sum of one hundred and fifteen dollars and ten cents, that being the whole amount allowed by the Jennings Circuit Court.

The court overruled a motion for a new trial and rendered judgment on the finding. From this judgment the appellant appealed to this court.

Three errors are assigned: first, refusal of the court to strike out of the complaint all that related to the fees of the clerk of Jennings county; second, the overruling of three separate motions, assigning different causes, to dismiss the action; third, the overruling of the motion for a new trial. The motions to strike out and to dismiss and the rulings of [545]*545tlie court thereon are not presented by a bill of exceptions,. and therefore constitute no part of the record, and cannot. be considered by' this court.

The only available error assigned is the overruling of the motion for a new trial.

The only evidence offered on the trial was the certified order and allowance of the Jennings Circuit Court. Did the evidence sustain the finding and judgment of the court?

It is conceded that neither the- revision of 1852 nor any subsequent act contains any provision whatever, as to whether the expenses of such trials shall be borne by the county where the offence is alleged to have been committed and the prosecution is instituted, or by that to which the venue is changed, and where the trial was had.

In The Board of Commissioners of Lawrence County v. The Board of Commissioners of Floyd County, 28 Ind. 538, this court held, that sections 99 and 100, of chapter 54 of the code of 1843, p. 1002, were continued in force by sec-? tion 172, 2 G. & H. 428.

Sections 99 and 100, of the code of 1843, read as follows:

“Sec. 99. In all changes of venue under the provisions of this article, the county from which the change was taken shall be liable for the expenses and charges of removing, delivering, and keeping the prisoner, the per diem allowance of the associate judges, and the expenses of the jury trying the cause, the necessary expenses incurred by or on account of the officers, attending such trial, and of the whole panel of jurors in attendance during the time of such trial, and all other expenses necessary and consequent upon such change of venue and the trial of such defendant.”

“ Sec. 100. All costs and charges specified in the last preceding section, or coming justly and equitably within its. provisions, shall be audited and allowed by the court trying any such cause; but where specific fees are allowed by law for any duty or service, no more or other costs shall be [546]*546allowed therefor than could be legally taxed in the court from which such change was taken.”

It is earnestly maintained by the appellee, that the order of the Jennings Circuit Court, settling and allowing the costs and charges was final and conclusive, not only as to the sums allowed, but as to the right of the persons in whose favor such allowances were made, to recover the sum allowed, against the county from which such change of venue was taken. We cannot concur with that view of the law. To make an order or judgment of a court final and conclusive, it is necessary that the party to be affected should be a ■party to the record. The action of the Jennings Circuit Court in making such allowance was ex parte. The Board •of Commissioners of Brown county was in no sense a party •to such proceeding. W<$> think that the evident meaning of the legislature was that the court trying the cause should settle and determine the number of days that the jurors and associate judges were engaged in such trial, and the expense of removing, delivering, and keeping the prisoner, and the .■sums that .the officers of the court were entitled to. We think that the allowances by the court do not conclusively ■determine the rights of the persons affected thereby, but the sums allowed will be presumed to be correct as to amounts, where the persons to whom such allowances were made were legally entitled to costs or charges. The sums allowed will be found prima facie evidence as to amounts, but not as to the legal right of the parties to such allowances. Suppose that the Jennings Circuit Court had made an allowance to the Prosecuting Attorney <of that circuit for his fees, where the defendant was acquitted, or to the witnesses on behalf ■of the State and defendant, they not being poor persons, •could it be successfully maintained that Brown county would ■be concluded by such allowances ? We think not, because such allowances would be .against the law, and could receive no validity frpm the unauthorized and illegal action of the court. When a person under the law was entitled to some allowance, the sum settled and allowed by the court will be [547]*547prima facie evidence as to the correctness of the amount allowed; but where the person in whose favor such allowance is made is not, under the law, entitled to either fees, charges, or expenses, then such allowance will be void.

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Bluebook (online)
36 Ind. 543, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/board-of-commissioners-v-summerfield-ind-1871.